State seeks approval of four West Bank outposts

The Jerusalem Post ^ | 5/16/2013 | TOVAH LAZAROFF

[Former Fetus]

The state is looking to authorize four West Bank outposts, including Givat Assaf that had been slated for demolition, according to a response it submitted Tuesday to the High Court of Justice as part of an ongoing Peace Now petition.

Until Tuesday it had been assumed that the Givat Assaf outpost on Route 60, in the Binyamin region of the West Bank – would be demolished because it had been built on private Palestinian property.

But last year the Givat Assaf residents told the court they had purchased much of the land on which their outpost, of some 30 families, was built.

On Tuesday the state said that it accepted the purchase claims.

It explained that the upper political echelon had ordered the civil administration and the Coordinator for Government Activities in the Territories to weigh the possibility of legalizing Givat Assaf.

Such authorization, which would mean either creating a new settlement or linking Givat Assaf to a nearby existing settlement, would fly in the face of past promises Israel has made to the international community, according to Hagit Ofran of Peace Now. Israel has promised not to create a new settlement or to expand existing ones, Ofran said.

The state also dealt with five other outposts that were part of Peace Now’s petition against six outposts, which it first filed in 2005 and then refiled in 2007.

[Former Fetus]

I love to read the liberals at Yahoo are moaning that Israel is doing this "days before U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry returns to the region to try to restart peace talks". And talking about liberals, I usually read the J Post with Google Maps next to me, to actually "see" where the news are taking place. But this time only Ramat Gilad could be found! I had to look each place in Wikipedia, get the name of a "legal" location, then go to Google Maps and look at the general area. Does any body have a suggestion for a better website to search for places all over the earth (Israel)?

[Hardraade]

The best way to peace would be to round up all members of “peace now”, and hang them now.

[Former Fetus]

That would be a good beginning!