'Oh no, I'm in trouble'
66-year old Reva Schertzman hit the gas while driving home to Beitar Ilit from Jerusalem on Sunday afternoon, and because of that
she's alive today.
"I saw a lot... about 40 of them... and I thought, 'oh no, I'm in trouble'."
With cars behind her and unable to turn around, Riva said her only
option was to put her foot on the gas and drive as fast as she could.
She sounded her horn in a desperate attempt to alert other drivers to
the ambush - and then was herself subjected to "the most terrifying
experience I have ever been through."
"I just took my hand and covered my head and just rode, ducking, with my hand on my head.
"The sensation was like... it was literally like a rain of rocks.
Pieces of construction material - big rocks, even bricks," she recalled.
"There must have been 20 rocks bouncing off my car. I have never
experienced such a terrifying moment like that... I was fortunate that
they didn't block the road as well or God knows I wouldn't be talking to
you now."
Her car suffered severe damage but - though shaken - Riva's quick thinking helped her avoid any physical injury.
But it could have been much worse. Rocks had shattered through her
back windows - some with such force that they damaged the windows on the
other side of the car - precisely where her elderly parents-in-law were
meant to have been sitting at the time, but were not due to a
last-minute change of plan.
"They would have been killed, no question," she says.
...
"I've had a firebomb thrown at my car - which fortunately missed me - I've had rocks thrown at my car, I've even once had a machine-gun fired at my car..."
"I've been through it so many times... after a while you get 'good at it', which is extremely sad.
"The worst part of it was... I was trying to take my phone out
while I was driving, and trying to see if I'm safe yet to call the
police because of the people behind me, who would be walking into an
ambush.
"I know there were plenty of cars behind me, so others were also attacked for sure."
After driving a while longer she finally reached Betar, where she immediately alerted security guards, who called the military.
This hits really close to home. We drive to Beitar - and to Beit Shemesh by way of Beitar - way too often
In the meantime, the government, in its infinite wisdom, decided today to impose a
20-year prison term on people who throw stones at cars. That's not an effective deterrent, because (a) everyone knows that the stone throwers will be released in exchange for some kidnapped Jew anyway, (b) they aren't likely to take 10 and 12-year olds (yes, some of the stone throwers are that young and younger) and put them in jail for 20 years, and (c) the law only applies in Jerusalem.
Labels: Beitar Ilit, Palestinian terrorism, stone throwers
The Supreme Court's craziness results in chaos
The unbridled interference of Israel's Supreme Court in political and military issues of which it understands nothing has led to a situation in which Israel is about to place most of the land designated for the city of
Gvaot outside the 'security fence' while still
angering the fence's proponents and opponents.
In 2004, the International Court of Justice at the Hague issued a
non-binding advisory opinion, explaining that construction of the [security fence] over the pre-1967 lines was illegal.
Israel designed the
barrier to prevent the type of suicide bombings that killed around 1000
thousand people during the second intifada. It has refused to heed the
ICJ opinion, which it believes is legally flawed and the result of a
biased process.
But the pace of construction has been slow and
according to the United Nations, 12 years after the barrier's inception,
only 62% of its 712 kilometer route has been completed.
Among
the uncompleted sections is the route in the Gush Etzion region, just
outside Jerusalem, including a 45 kilometer stretch that was approved in
2006.
...
Palestinians,
settlers and environmentalists oppose the route and have appealed to
the High Court of Justice. Gush Etzion Regional Council head Davidi Perl
said that the planned route also places land outside the barrier which
is assumed to be part of Israel’s final borders in any permanent status
agreement.
This includes, he said, large portions of new project, Gevaot, where his council hopes to build a new West Bank city.
The
Defense Ministry last month reclassified the property as state land, to
pave the way for future building, but now the government intends to
approve barrier route that excludes the bulk of that project, he said.
...
In hopes
of blocking construction of the barrier near Battir, the Palestine
Liberation Organization sought help from the United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization, whose World Heritage Committee
registered the village's ancient terraces in June to the state of
Palestine. The Palestinians, the Gush Etzion Council and environmental
groups have also appeal to Israel’s High Court of Justice.
On
July 29th the HCJ ordered the government to review the issue by October
2nd, particularly in light of the diplomatic implications of Battir’s
new status as a World Heritage site. It noted a review was also needed
because in the last eight years the route has been altered for
environmental and quality of life reasons.
The status as a 'World Heritage' site - clearly a political move - has absolutely no effect on Israel's security needs, which should be the sole criterion in determining the fence's route.
The defense ministry’s legal expert Ahaz Ben-Ari advised the government that it could reauthorized the route.
“The
High Court of Justice’s orders to reauthorize the security barrier’s
route in the area of the village of Battir in light of UNESCO’s
decision, does not stem from legal issues resulting in the recognition
of the Battir terraces as a World Heritage site, but rather from the
diplomatic questions connected to the topic.”
And therefore the court has no place interfering. In a normal democracy, it's not up to the Supreme Court to determine the handling of diplomatic questions. Israel, however, is not a normal democracy.
“There is no legal
obstacle to authorizing [the barrier’s route], especially given that in
response to legal proceedings before the court the route has been
changed to lessen harm to the environmental and the landscape,” Ben-Ari
wrote. He added that the state has also promised to preserve the quality
of life of the Palestinians living in Battir.
The environmentalists are also whining about the route, but if the IDF was allowed to plan the route properly it probably wouldn't be anywhere near this area, but rather far deeper into the Judean desert.
Read the whole thing.
Labels: Beitar Ilit, Gush Etzion, Palestinian terrorism, political question, security fence, Supreme Court, UNESCO
Israeli driver attacked with Molotov cocktail, stones near Beitar Ilit
A 40-year old resident of Beitar Ilit was moderately wounded when his car was attacked this evening by
'Palestinian' terrorists throwing stones and Molotov cocktails at the Hussan junction near his residence.
Arab terrorists threw a molotov cocktail on Saturday night at an
Israeli car near Bethlehem, adjacent to the Hussan Junction in the Gush
Etzion area of Judea, leaving the driver of the car suffering from
moderate wounds.
After the firebomb exploded, inflicting damage on the car, a
40-year-old resident of Beitar Ilit driving the car was inflicted with
first- and second-degree burns, as well as as a cut to his head,
apparently from a stone that was also thrown in the attack.
The wounded man, who suffers from burns, was treated by Magen David
Adom (MDA) medical crews at the scene, before being evacuated to the
Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem.
Shraga Hoffman, deputy director-general of United Hatzalah, told Arutz Sheva "when
I arrived with other paramedics to the scene, we gave medical treatment
to the car driver, who was suffering cuts from stones and burns from
the molotov cocktail."
"According to reports the driver, a resident of Beitar Illit, arrived
in the area to buy something at a local store and was attacked by
several young Arabs. Large IDF forces have begun a search to locate
them," added Hoffman.
The Hussan Junction has been a problematic area in recent
weeks, with Arab terrorists commonly targeting Israeli cars and buses
with stones and molotov cocktails.
I reported on the
regular stone throwing from Hussan a week ago.
From the story, it sounds like the man had actually gone into Hussan to shop (note what I highlighted above - Beitar Ilit and Hussan are literally across the road from each other), something I have
reported in the past, and which a resident of Beitar Ilit has just confirmed to me happens regularly. Maybe it's time for the shopping to stop.
Not the first time
this sort of attack has happened in that spot either.
Labels: Beitar Ilit, Palestinian terrorism, stone throwers
Abu Mazen's Fatah terror organization claims to have carried out a terror attack
The 'armed wing' of '
moderate' '
Palestinian' President
Mahmoud Abbas Abu Mazen 's Fatah terror organization, the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade, claims to have
carried out a terror attack just south of Bethlehem.
The announcement read:
"Out of a belief in the right and legitimacy of the struggle and
defense of the land of Palestine and its nation, from the enemy's
impurity, and as support for our compatriots in the Gaza Strip, which
stands firm in the face of the Zionist machine of oppression and
destruction... and with the grace of Allah and his assistance, our Fatah
battalions – the Al Aqsa / Palestine Brigades – succeeded in opening
fire at a patrol and a group of Zionists who were in front of the
entrance to the El Aroub camp, at 1:08 a.m. Sunday, August 10 2014. The
gunfire caused several casualties in the enemy ranks and large
occupation forces were deployed to the location. We stress that our
fighters returned safely to base.”
"We in the Al Aqsa Brigades warn the enemy from the continuation of
our painful blows. Fire will be met with fire, killing with killing and
bombing with bombing. When the Al Aqsa Brigades say, they do; when they
promise they carry ou; they attack and their blows are painful. Allahu
Akbar and bless Allah. This is an ongoing struggle until the victory or
until we fall dead for the path of Allah. The Al Aqsa / Palestine
Brigades.”
Several weeks ago, the Al Aqsa Brigades announced that they were
launching an “open campaign” againt Israel and instructed all squads
under their command to carry out terror attacks in Judea, Samaria and
“the Israeli depth.” The organization took responsibility for several
attacks, including a gunfire attack near El Hader, west of Bethlehem,
several days ago.
I have not seen this terror attack reported anywhere else. That doesn't mean much because much of what goes on in the area is not being reported. Someone I know and trust in the area has told me that there has been almost nightly stone throwing at passing cars from Hussan, an Arab village that is next to Beitar Ilit, since the beginning of Operation Protective Edge.
Labels: Abu Mazen, al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, Beitar Ilit, Fatah, Palestinian terrorism, stone throwers
Breaking: Border police stop car bomb at Beitar Ilit checkpoint
A car with Israeli license plates pulled up to the Beitar Ilit checkpoing on Route 375 on Sunday morning in a very suspicious manner. Police stopped the car and discovered a
powerful bomb inside.
The security forces identified the vehicle as it was approaching the
checkpoint and thought it seemed suspicious that the driver was
traveling especially slowly.
The driver was asked to stop the vehicle.
"He was acting suspiciously, so we had to question him," the officer responsible for the checkpoint said.
Prior to his arrest the suspect stalled when he was asked to turn off the engine of his vehicle.
At
this point, a border policeman put his hand on the keys to turn the
vehicle off and the suspect began to drive while half of the policeman's
body remained inside.
After the vehicle proceeded for a few
meters, the policeman drew his loaded personal weapon and pointed his
gun at the suspect, ordering him to stop.
After the suspect was
arrested, the security forces noticed he was wearing a wig. At this
point they discovered the powerful device in the vehicle.
Border Police sappers were called to the scene to neutralize the device. The suspect was taken in for questioning.
Route 375 is a back road from Beit Shemesh to Jerusalem. The checkpoint is just north of Beitar Ilit, one of the largest Jewish cities in Judea and Samaria. Typically, police waive Israeli vehicles through the checkpoints. Fortunately, this time they did not.
Labels: Beitar Ilit, car bombs, Israeli border police
Haredim in Beitar Ilit shopping in 'Palestinian' Husan
Had this story not come with a video, I probably would have dismissed it entirely. But we have a close relative in Beitar Illit, and I plan to make sure that he is not among those who
shops in Husan.
A Shabbat clock is one of the hottest-selling items in Mustafa
Sabateen’s hardware store in the West Bank Palestinian village of
Husan. This is true even though Jews don’t live there and none of
Husan’s residents needs or buys one.
“This is one of our most important items,” Sabateen said as he
displayed one of the timing devices that can be set to turn appliances
on or off. It showed an NIS 85 price tag, but in the neighboring haredi
(ultra-Orthodox) settlement of Betar Illit the same clock sells for
NIS 139.
Jewish bargain hunters cross the two-lane highway that divides the two communities on a daily basis.
As one approaches this corner of Gush Etzion from Jerusalem, signs of
the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as well as signs of the differences
between the Jewish and Muslim communities, are clearly in sight.
To the left, one can see a Hebrew sign for Betar Illit, along with the
large apartment buildings that belong to the haredi city of more than
43,000, which is the second- largest West Bank settlement.
To the right, a mosque dots the skyline with its minaret. A large wire
fence lines a portion of the road on the Husan side to protect against
rock-throwing. In front of the Palestinian village of 7,000 is a large
red sign in three languages that states, “Entry by Israeli citizens is
dangerous.”
But evidence that the economy trumps the conflict here is evident, even
from the road, where right under the sign on Thursday, a Palestinian
had set up a van from whose rear doors he sold cartons of 30 eggs for
NIS 20 – NIS 10 cheaper than in Betar Illit.
And although an army jeep was parked across the road, cars with Israeli licenses streamed into the village.
When I was studying in yeshiva in the area in the late '70's and early '80's, drivers would routinely stop at shops in Bethlehem, which was considered safe back then. That all came to an end in 1988. (In fact, we were warned as early as the spring of 1980 to stay out of Arab villages, and not to leave our town without weapons).
It should be obvious to any Israeli why prices in Husan are cheaper than across the road in Beitar Ilit. Start with the fact that the 'Palestinians' don't have to collect 18% VAT on every item they sell.... But come on. Is it really worth risking your life to save a few shekels?
Labels: Beitar Ilit, Judea and Samaria
Oh my: Look who's likely to be the swing vote if the government decides to expel Jews from 'settlements'
Gil Hoffman reports that despite the Knesset being split 61-59 in favor of the Right, if a plan to expel Jews from 'settlements' comes to a vote, the Left believes that it will carry the day. The Shas party (and maybe United Torah Judaism as well) are eager for the chance to
take revenge on Naftali Bennett for excluding them from the government.
“The haredi parties will be partners in the peace process,” Hatnua MK
Amram Mitzna told the haredi radio station Kol Chai this week.
“A majority can be created in the Knesset for evacuating settlements.”
Mitzna
said haredi MKs have told him they cannot wait to take revenge against
Bayit Yehudi leader Naftali Bennett for blocking their parties from
entering the coalition. He said he could also see a scenario whereby
haredi parties join the current coalition at Bayit Yehudi’s expense when
the diplomatic talks with the Palestinians progress.
“The
priorities of the haredim have changed,” Mitzna said. “They say they
aren’t in anyone’s pocket anymore. They know the Right has always
betrayed them.”
I would not believe everything Mitzna says, but it is known that the Haredim were furious at being
excluded from the coalition and they (correctly) place the
blame for that on the deal between Bennett and Yair Lapid. While they expected that kind of behavior from Lapid, they did not expect it from Bennett, and that's why most of the fury is directed at him and his party (that's also playing out in the current mayoral campaign in Beit Shemesh by the way).
But with respect to Shas, there's another aspect that makes this story plausible. Aryeh Deri (pictured at top), who returned to the party in the last election after a lengthy suspension due to a bribery conviction, has always been a Leftist at heart, and he now has the ear of Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef much more closely than does the more Right-leaning Eli Yishai. It's more than plausible that Deri will convince Rav Yosef to order Shas' MK's to vote in favor of an expulsion.
The Right is trying to hold on to the Haredi vote.
The Right also understands the importance of the haredim and their
votes in the Knesset. Construction and Housing Minister Uri Ariel (Bayit
Yehudi) said Wednesday that he would advance building projects for the
haredi sector not only in Betar Illit and Modi’in Illit on the Green
Line but also in Tel Zion, a haredi neighborhood of the Kochav Ya’acov
settlement north of Jerusalem that is not considered part of a
settlement bloc.
“It is wrong to look at haredim as second-class citizens,” Ariel said. “They deserve building, too.”
But not, apparently, the same funding for their yeshivoth and schools and other educational institutions that the rest of the country gets, and certainly not special concessions from the army. At least in the view of Ariel and his party. While the Haredim have the advantage that the vast majority of their constituents who live in Judea and Samaria live along the green line, something tells me that their votes won't be sold for housing starts that may never be completed. But they might be sold for something better than has been offered to them on the 'sharing the burden' front.
Labels: Aryeh Deri, Beitar Ilit, Eli Yishai, Haredim, IDF, Israeli Knesset, Kiryat Sefer (Modi'in Illit), Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef, settlement blocs, Uri Ariel
'Palestinians': 'Israel tricked us'
You might recall that back in December, the 'Palestinians' submitted a heritage site to UNESCO for the '
ancient Roman irrigation network of Battir.' Of course, that 'ancient Roman irrigation network had nothing to do with the 'Palestinians.' As Giulio Meotti wrote:
Battir, however, is not “a
Palestinian village” with an old irrigation system, it’s the holy site
of the ancient Jewish fortress of Betar, the site of the last organized
resistance of the Jews to Roman rule in 135 C.E. during the historically
documenteed Bar Kochba rebellion.
But in the UNESCO protocols there is no mention of Betar.
Two months ago, the United States brokered a deal between Israel and the 'Palestinians' pursuant to which the 'Palestinians' would
drop five items from their 'condemn Israel' agenda at UNESCO, and in return, Israel would do the following (as reported by JPost):
As part of the agreement brokered by the US between the PA, Jordan and
Israel, Israel has in return agreed to allow UNESCO experts to survey a
number of sites in Jerusalem. Israel has also agreed to take part in
UNESCO meetings about the Mugrabi Bridge, which runs from the Western
Wall plaza to the Temple Mount and which has been a source of conflict
between Israel and the Waqf Muslim religious trust.
The 'Palestinians' are now claiming that they dropped their application to have the 'ancient Roman irrigation system' at Battir declared a world heritage site as a result of that deal.
But that's a lie.
Battir was never supposed to be part of the deal.
The five resolutions that the Palestinians
temporarily shelved in UNESCO dealt with the Temple Mount, the Mughrabi Bridge
leading to the Temple Mount from the Western Wall Plaza, Bethlehem, Hebron and
Gaza.
The 'Palestinians' are also now claiming that the entire deal was a '
trick' by Israel.
Experts in Battir and Bethlehem who helped draft the application told
Ma’an that the Palestinian delegation in Paris received a completed file
in January. It should have submitted it by a February deadline but did
not, the officials said. This is because in early 2013, Palestinian and
Israeli officials worked out an informal agreement to freeze the
nomination, a PLO official with knowledge of the decision said.
In
return, the Israeli government indicated it would permit the UN agency
to send an investigative team to Jerusalem, the official said, speaking
on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss
the sensitive negotiations with Israel.
“All the paperwork was
ready for the Battir application ... It was stopped in exchange for the
delegation to Jerusalem,” the official explained.
Israel ended up reneging on the deal weeks after the deadline to submit Battir had passed.
“What
we did was bad. It was a really big mistake ... They were never going
to allow UN investigators into their ‘undivided, eternal capital,’” the
official added, referring to Israel's vision for Jerusalem.
But Israel says Battir was never part of the deal, and Israeli officials don't understand why the 'Palestinians' dropped it.
Israeli officials say they were unaware of the change of plans and
denied that delaying or canceling the vote at UNESCO was part of the
deal to bring the delegation to Jerusalem.
“This comes as a
surprise,” said Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor. “I really can’t
think about why they would do that. They did seem very keen on pushing
that forward.”
Palmor told Ma'an late Saturday that the informal
deal to bring the UNESCO delegation to Jerusalem included shelving five
pro-Palestinian resolutions at the UN, but not Battir’s UNESCO
application. “As far as I know, the concrete measure was (only) to
freeze a number of resolutions.”
And the Maan piece
tells a big lie:
Israel ended up reneging on the deal weeks after the deadline to submit Battir had passed.
That's not true. First of all, the application had to be submitted in February as Maan itself admits.
Experts in Battir and Bethlehem who helped draft the application told
Ma’an that the Palestinian delegation in Paris received a completed file
in January. It should have submitted it by a February deadline but did
not, the officials said. This is because in early 2013, Palestinian and
Israeli officials worked out an informal agreement to freeze the
nomination, a PLO official with knowledge of the decision said.
The deal that allowed the inspection in Jerusalem to take place was
reached in April. It therefore had nothing to do with Battir.
Second, Israel did intend to host the UNESCO delegation in May. It was to have been
hosted by Israel's Foreign Ministry.
One
Foreign Ministry official characterized the visit as “professional” and not
political, and said the delegation would neither go to the Temple Mount nor deal
with the issue of the Mughrabi Bridge.
...
According to a UNESCO
statement, the mission’s goals are to “examine the state of conservation of the
Old City of Jerusalem and its walls, a World Heritage site.” The mission is made
up of experts from UNESCO’s World Heritage Center, the International Council on
Monuments and Sites, and the International Center for the Study of the
Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property. It is to present its report
and recommendations before the beginning of the World Heritage Committee’s
annual meeting on June 1.
The Foreign Ministry is hosting the delegation,
a ministry official said, since Israel is “the responsible party for maintaining
and preserving” the site.
...
Under the deal, Israel agreed to attend a UNESCO meeting to be held
in June in Paris to discuss the Mughrabi Bridge.
But at the last minute, the '
inspection' was canceled. This is from the
JPost at the time.
The spokesman said that contrary to an
agreement brokered in April at UNESCO's headquarters in Paris, the PA
was now insisting on taking the delegation to the Temple Mount, and
meeting with Palestinian political personalities, not just "engineers,
architects and professional people".
"We have said this was unacceptable" the spokesman said. "Hopefully the delegation is postponed, and not cancelled."
It was not immediately clear whether some of the delegation participants had already arrived in the country.
So the inspection was canceled because the 'Palestinians' violated the agreement, and Battir was never supposed to be part of the UNESCO deal in the first place. Maan is telling more 'Palestinian' lies.
Labels: Beitar Ilit, Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, Mughrabi gate, Temple Mount, UNESCO
Breaking: Terror attack outside Beitar Ilit
There's been a terror attack - a drive-by shooting - on the Hussan bypass road outside Beitar Ilit - a road I have driven on many times.
One woman has been seriously injured - shot in the neck and chest.
There may be a second victim as well - not yet confirmed.
This is on Route 375 between Beitar Ilit and the entrance to the Gush Etzion tunnels.
UPDATE 9:51 PM
JPost says
60-year old woman from Tzur Hadassah, which is between Ein Karem and Jerusalem (people from that area frequently use the Gush Etzion tunnels because it's a much faster way to Jerusalem, especially if you're going to the southern end of the city).
But they have it as stone throwing - not what I heard.
UPDATE 9:54 PM
Apparently it was stone throwing. That's what
Arutz Sheva has as well.
The victim reached an IDF checkpoint, where soldiers called for help.
Paramedics said the woman had suffered a neck wound and was
semiconscious.
Doctors said the woman is in moderate-to-serious condition. A second female driver attacked in the area is in light condition.
The
woman's injuries appear to have been caused by a rock thrown at her
car. It was initially believed that she had been hit by gunfire.
UPDATE 9:56 PM
A later report says stones and
Molotov cocktails and says she is suffering from burn wounds.
"An Israeli woman was driving on a bypass road near Beitar Ilit when
her car was hit by stones and molotov cocktails," police spokeswoman
Luba Samri told AFP.
The woman is in serious condition with burns
to her face and neck and has been transferred to Hadassa hospital at
Ein Kerem in Jerusalem. Police said they were investigating the
incident.
Labels: Beitar Ilit, Palestinian terrorism
EU blasts Jewish homes as 'obstacle to peace'
You just knew this was coming. It took a surprising nearly 24 hours, but the EU has blasted Israel's plans to construct 300 (count 'em) Jewish homes in
Beitar Ilit and Karnei Shomron as an '
obstacle to peace.'
"We reiterate that the EU considers that settlement activities in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, are illegal under international law, undermine trust between the parties and constitute an obstacle to peace," Maja Kocijancic, spokeswoman for EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, was quoted as saying by AFP.
She added, "These actions run counter to the repeated efforts of the international community to achieving a peaceful solution to the conflict that will preserve Israels security and realize the Palestinians' right to statehood."
There is one - and only one - obstacle to peace: The Arab (including the 'Palestinians') refusal to accept the existence of a Jewish state on what they consider Dar-al-Islam. And that obstacle is not going away in your lifetime or mine.
Labels: Arab denial of Jewish history, Beitar Ilit, Judea and Samaria construction, Karnei Shomron
Sending the 'Palestinians' a message
With Israel facing demonstrations against high housing prices in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, the government on Monday announced the issuance of tenders for the construction of 6,900 housing units in 38 cities and towns around the country, including 300 units in Judea and Samaria, mostly in Beitar Ilit and Karnei Shomron.
The reaction was predictable.
Nabil Abu Rudaineh, a spokesman for PA President Mahmoud Abbas, said that the continued construction in the settlements “prompts us to go to the UN and the Security Council to ask for recognition of a Palestinian state and full membership in the UN.”
Abu Rudaineh said that the decision to build new homes in the settlements in particular and the Israeli government’s policy regarding settlements in general was completely unacceptable “because all the settlements are illegitimate and must be removed.”
He urged the international community to assume responsibility by taking a clear position against the settlement policy, which, he added, harms not only Israeli-Arab peace, but also the entire world peace.
Meanwhile, a US State Department official on Monday also strongly criticized the announcement of the new West Bank housing tenders.
“We believe this kind of activity only reinforces the stalemate between the parties," the official said, noting America's longstanding opposition to settlement expansion. "It negates the very logic of peace and obstructs the ability of the parties to reach a negotiated solution based on two states for two peoples.”
Fatah also issued a strong condemnation of the plan to build new homes, accusing the Israeli government of destroying the peace process.
The Israeli decision to build in the settlements confirms the Palestinian Authority’s position about the need to go to go to the UN in September, Fatah said.
“Israel alone bears responsibility for the current impasse in the peace process because of its insistence on creating facts on the ground through settlements, land confiscation and the Judaization of Jerusalem,” the statement added.
It also warned that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s policies would plunge the region into another cycle of violence and bloodshed.
There's a message here and underneath all the bluster, I'm not sure the 'Palestinians' got it, so I will explain it to you. The message is not in Beitar Ilit. Beitar Ilit is considered part of the Etzion bloc and is one of the 'settlement blocs' that Israel has said for the last seven years that it plans to keep as part of any 'final settlement.' The message is in the units in Karnei Shomron.
Karnei Shomron is outside the '
security fence.'
The message to the 'Palestinians' is that they are not the only ones with unilateral moves, and if they continue to press their luck at the United Nations, they could find themselves with nothing. That message is long overdue. Actions have consequences.
Labels: Beitar Ilit, Judea and Samaria construction, Karnei Shomron, security fence
Israel's de facto 'settlement freeze'
Shavua tov, a good week to everyone.
You thought that with the end of the 'settlement freeze' building would be unrestricted in Judea and Samaria. Or that it would at least be unrestricted in existing 'settlements.' Or that it would at least be unrestricted in 'settlements' that are within the 'security fence.' Or at least building would be unrestricted in 'settlements' that are part of the 'settlement blocs.' Sadly, you are
wrong on all counts. And we have Ehud Barak to thank for that.
The mayors of the Ma’aleh Adumim and Ariel settlements have asked Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to break the silent freeze that threatens to choke their cities by authorizing new building.
While building has been allowed to resume in West Bank settlements since the 10- month moratorium on such activity ended on September 26, the mayors of these two cities have said that they are out of construction permits.
Without such permits, they said, a silent freeze is about to descend on their cities.
This week, Ma’aleh Adumim Mayor Benny Kashriel sent a letter to Netanyahu and called his bureau to ask for a meeting.
No such meeting has been scheduled to date, Kashriel told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday.
Ma’aleh Adumim, along with Betar Illit and Modi’in Illit, the largest three Jewish West Bank communities, have consistently fueled the bulk of settlement growth for the last 14 years.
Last year, according to the Central Bureau of Statistics, 58% of all finished homes in the settlements were in those three cities alone.
But Kashriel has warned, and continues to warn, that this kind of growth is about to come to a halt.
The state budget, which the Knesset approved last week, set aside funds for 200 new homes in Ma’aleh Adumim, but according to the Construction and Housing Ministry, the project cannot move forward until it receives the approval of the Defense Ministry.
Sources in the Construction and Housing Ministry said that such approval was not likely to be granted in the near future, because no approval was being given at present for projects in West Bank settlements.
The funds that were approved for Ma’aleh Adumim construction, the sources said, allow the ministry to do preparatory work so the construction can move forward should Defense Minister Ehud Barak sign off on it.
Read the whole thing.
Netanyahu won't overrule Barak on this because it would cause Labor to leave the government (which they may do anyway), and Netanyahu is afraid of having his government branded as a 'Right Wing' government.
In the meantime, the housing shortage continues and Israel is squandering an opportunity to create many more facts on the ground.
What could go wrong?
Labels: Ariel, Beitar Ilit, Binyamin Netanyahu, Ehud Barak, Maaleh Adumim
