Israel Matzav

Did the revenants trade the 'freeze' for legalizing 'outposts'

Radical Leftist lawyer Michael Sfard claims that the revenants have mostly been quiet about the construction freeze in Judea and Samaria because they are receiving something much more important in return: Legalization of many of the 'illegal outposts' that the Sharon government had committed to destroy.

Almost five months after the declaration of the moratorium, it is now clear: The Netanyahu-Barak government is compensating the settlers generously for introducing this (partial) construction freeze. The reward is huge and expensive, and it is paid in the most precious currency Israeli leaders have: outpost legalization and planning approval. The settlers, ideological and patient in a manner that only messianic communities are, understand that while the construction moratorium is temporary, legalization of outposts and approval of construction plans will have long-term effects. They see the attraction in this barter for the long run and act accordingly. They play their role in the freeze game: They demonstrate against it, they send their young hooligans to clash with the Israeli army and police, they violate it publicly, but they do not declare the current government as their enemy, as they did when late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin declared a narrower construction moratorium -- one that applied only to state-funded construction in settlements. The planning-and-outpost-legalization-for-temporary-moratorium deal has never been announced publicly or ever officially confirmed. We may only infer its existence by reviewing the evidence revealed in the last five months. And the evidence is ample and compelling:

I actually think there is something to this theory and there may have been a deal quietly made not to expel people from their homes in the 'outposts.' There has been a change in how the government is responding to High Court of Justice petitions to destroy 'outposts,' saying that they're not just going to destroy them, but to check whether the land on which they are built is government land or private land, and saying that Israel is no longer bound by its commitment to President Bush to destroy the outposts because President Obama has disavowed President Bush's commitments to Israel. And I don't believe that anyone can dispute that on the whole, the reaction from the revenants and their supporters to the 'settlement freeze' has been relatively muted.

But what's wrong with that? (Sfard is horrified - I'm thrilled that at least we're getting something for this).

Read the whole thing.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 11:09 AM