Labor Demands: Erase Outposts Now

Arutz 7 ^ | March 13, 2005 | staff

[Nachum]

The government convened this morning to discuss the controversial report on the "unauthorized neighborhoods." It accepted the report's principles - but not its recommended "methods of operation."

The report, prepared by former State Prosecution attorney Talia Sasson, has caused a backlash against all the bodies involved in building "unauthorized outposts" in Judea and Samaria. The report purports to show a series of illegalities perpetrated by many different government offices and bodies that were involved in funding, constructing and providing services to budding Jewish neighborhoods in Judea and Samaria.

Arutz-7 commentator Haggai Huberman noted, however, that Sasson incorrectly included all the outposts in the category of new communities - when in fact many of them are merely new neighborhoods in existing communities, and therefore do not require more than Defense Ministry approval.

Today's Cabinet meeting approved the establishment of a ministerial committee to oversee progress on implementing the report. Headed by Justice Minister Tzippy Livny, its members are Defense Minister Sha'ul Mofaz, Public Security Minister Gideon Ezra, Housing Minister Yitzchak Herzog, Infrastructures Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, and Agriculture Minister Yisrael Katz. The first two are Likud disengagement supporters, the second two are Labor disengagement supporters, and the fifth is a Likud disengagement opponent.

Minister Livny said that her committee will not decide which outposts to dismantle first, but rather whether the outposts will be dismantled before or after Gush Katif. She personally prefers the latter.

The resolution that was voted on today originally stated, "The government sees great importance in dealing with the findings and recommendations of the report, and agrees to the principles and methods of operation therein."

By request of Ministers Mofaz, Livnat, Naveh and Netanyahu, however, the words "and methods of operation" were deleted. Netanyahu said that there is much illegal construction in the country, such as the Bedouin and Arab sectors, and that it would be unfair to single out the Jewish sector in Yesha alone.

Education Minister Limor Livnat (Likud) said that the ministers did not have time to review the entire 300-page report, and that the decision should be put off for at least a week. Only Minister Katz agreed with her.

Livnat further said that in any event, all outposts established before March 2001 should essentially be legalized, and the public debate must center only on those built afterwards. "We need not be more American than the Americans," she explained today. "The U.S. Road Map plan demanded the demolition only of outposts built before March 2001 [when Ariel Sharon became Prime Minister]." Livnat said that while Sasson's report deals with 100 to 150 new outposts, "Israel agreed to remove [only] 24 that were built since March 2001."

It was reported last week that the U.S. continues to adhere to this principle. The U.S. administration warned on Tuesday that Israel's failure to remove all outposts established since March 2001 would harm American-Israeli relations.

Sharon's foreign press advisor Raanan Gissin also confirmed this view for IMRA this morning. Gissin said that Israel's Roadmap obligation regarding the removal of unauthorized outposts is limited to the 24 unauthorized outposts erected since March 2001. He did not rule out a decision to dismantle outposts erected before that date, but emphasized that that any decision Israel may make regarding locations built up before March 2001 has nothing to do with Israel's Roadmap commitments.

MK Chaim Oron (Meretz/Yachad) responded to this point by saying, "Claims like this one turn us into the 51st U.S. state. This is not an American issue, but rather a grave Israeli issue of the establishment of outposts against the law."

Health Minister Danny Naveh agreed with Livnat that the report need not be accepted in toto. "The government should establish a committee to check how to implement the Sasson Report conclusions," he said, adding it would not be a good idea to "adopt [them] as one bloc without examining them in detail."

Public Security Minister Gideon Ezra said that Israel cannot begin to deal with the demolition of "unauthorized neighborhoods" while the disengagement from Gush Katif and northern Shomron is on the agenda. "Whatever has not been done until now will have to wait until later," Ezra said.

Similarly, the IDF and police say they do not have the forces necessary to deal with the removal of both "outposts" and communities in Gaza and northern Shomron.

Interior Minister Ophir Pines (Labor) responded that though these points have merit, "The fact that the government has not taken serious action against the outposts has detracted from its deterrence power, and has portrayed a weak image among the settlers. At least one outpost should be removed immediately, and the rest after the disengagement." Communications Minister Dalia Itzik of Labor was even stronger, saying, "We will insist that the outposts be removed, and that the guilty be made to pay the price."

The Sasson Report, which found that many government ministries and bodies "broke the law" in the course of building new neighborhoods in Yesha, was initiated by Prime Minister Sharon. Sharon is considered the "father of Yesha settlement," having been the initiator, planner and designer of many of the locations throughout Yesha now populated with Jews.

On Oct. 18, 1999, then-opposition leader Sharon even exhorted his supporters, "Let everyone get a move on and take some hilltops! Whatever we take, will be ours, and whatever we don't take, will not be ours!"

Aviad Visuly, head of the Haifa-based Land of Israel Task Force, said on Thursday, "The main 'suspect' in this whole story is actually Prime Minister Sharon, who encouraged people to come to the outposts. No mention was made in the report of the unwritten agreements in which Yesha leaders would come to Sharon with lists of new places and he would approve them."

[Nachum]

Sharon is considered the "father of Yesha settlement," having been the initiator, planner and designer of many of the locations throughout Yesha now populated with Jews.

The Sasson Report

"Let everyone get a move on and take some hilltops! Whatever we take, will be ours, and whatever we don't take, will not be ours!"

[Alouette]

Feeling dyspeptic? Have some ipecac.

[Alouette]

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[Slings and Arrows]

Labor Demands: Erase Outposts Now

Likud Spokescat Responds:

[Convert from ECUSA]

Hmmmmm. Memo from Virginia to Labor's "demands":



Sadly, recent actions by some of Likud seem to make the "memo" above appropriate for them as well.