Israel Matzav

'Settlement freeze' to end but only in Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) towns?

Take this with a grain of salt, because I'm not sure how reliable the source is, but if it's true it's quite interesting.

We often get free newspapers put in our mailbox. Most of the newspapers have names you haven't heard of, and we receive them on an irregular basis. They're in Hebrew and have no websites, so you can't really find them unless you live in one of the ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods in which they are distributed.

On Monday morning, we received one such newspaper called Mercaz HaInyanim (the Center of Affairs) and it is headlined by what is claimed to be an exclusive story.

According to the story, Prime Minister Netanyahu reached an agreement with President Obama that would allow the 'settlement freeze' to be thawed in the Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) cities. This would help Prime Minister Netanyahu's coalition because it would create the impression that the freeze has been thawed, and because it would keep the Haredi parties in the coalition if other Right wing parties withdraw due to the continuation of the rest of the freeze. The paper lists the cities of Beitar Ilit (pictured), which is in Judea, Modiin Ilit (more popularly known as Kiryat Sefer - which is in Samaria) and Ramat Beit Shemesh - which is not over the 'green line' at all! Both Beitar Ilit and Kiryat Sefer are on the green line and within the security fence. Building in them has been frozen since last November.

According to the article, Obama wants the freeze to be quietly extended, as Netanyahu has done in Jerusalem for the past several months. But in order to placate the Haredi parties, and to give the impression that there is no more freeze, building will be allowed in Beitar Ilit and Kiryat Sefer. The article claims that it would be easier to 'explain' building in these towns than it would be to explain it in other places in Judea and Samaria, because these are not 'idealistic settlers' (they are not people who are living in Judea and Samaria because they want to live in Judea and Samaria, but only because they need a place to live) and because there is a severe housing crisis in the Haredi community (that latter statement is definitely true, especially in Jerusalem).

The article claims that this deal was not sold to the Americans by Netanyahu, but rather by Ehud Barak, who assured them that as Defense Minister, his required approval for building in Judea and Samaria will only go to building in these areas. The article claims that the previous Prime Minister, Ehud K. Olmert, allowed building to take place in Beitar Ilit during his term despite the fact that there was a de facto freeze on building elsewhere in Judea and Samaria.

In the headlines (on the front page and in the article itself), and in one place in the article, it says that the freeze will be thawed tchila (first) in the two Haredi towns, but that term is not used anyplace else, and the article leaves the clear impression that for an indefinite period of time, the freeze will only be thawed in these two Haredi towns.

Curiously, the picture that accompanies the article is a picture of Tel Tziyon, which started out as a neighborhood on the outskirts of Jerusalem, but now requires a 10-15 minute drive outside Jerusalem in order to be reached (it's next to Kochav Yaakov, just past Adam). There is no mention of whether building will be allowed in Tel Tziyon, which is also on the 'green line' and is also Haredi. On the other hand, you pass other Jewish towns in Samaria (the two mentioned) to reach Tel Tziyon - you don't pass any other towns that are over the green line to reach Beitar Ilit or Kiryat Sefer. That might explain why Tel Tziyon may not be allowed to build.

There is also no mention of the possibility of building in Haredi neighborhoods in Jerusalem that are over the 'green line.' You may recall that a building approval in one such neighborhood - Ramat Shlomo - caused quite a blowup with the Obama administration last March.

Hmmm.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 12:21 PM