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The settlers are not resting
By Haaretz Editorial

While the state was busy with other matters, says Peace Now Secretary General Yariv Oppenheimer, the settlers continued to expand and strengthen their hold on West Bank outposts, as well as expanding existing construction.

The semiannual Peace Now report states that expansion work, including road building and preparing ground for construction, is underway in 31 outposts. It also states that permanent structures are being constructed in 12 outposts and mobile homes are being added to 13 outposts, while 10 additional outposts are the sites of infrastructure work and the construction of new roads.

Although this extensive activity is classified as illegal and contradicts Kadima's vision of convergence and a pullout from most of the West Bank, it could not have taken place without state assistance. How is it possible that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert continues to talk about withdrawing to the settlement blocs, while Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni says that the outposts need to be removed "yesterday, today and tomorrow," regardless of the withdrawal, but the settlers continue to strengthen their hold over the heart of the West Bank?
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Those who dragged Israel into creating the huge, foolish enterprise over the Green Line - those who sowed settlements amid the Palestinian population, on occupied territory, only to thwart any future diplomatic agreement on a division into two states - will apparently not let Israel fix this historic mistake. The settlers are not resting. While the prime minister searches for an agenda, they are tirelessly implementing their destructive agenda. It may have seemed that Kadima's split from the Likud heralded an era of disillusionment with this path, but it has become clear that the joy was premature and exaggerated.

Even if it appears that a unilateral disengagement is not on the table, even if Hamas does not recognize Israel, and even if tunnels are dug beneath fences and checkpoints, none of that changes by one iota the sole possible solution for ending the conflict. Every settlement and outpost is only making it harder to reach that solution.

It is difficult to know whether the settlements are continuing to grow because of government indifference or as part of an effort to buy quiet on the right. Either way, those with a fixed, faith-based, subversive agenda - those who are not interested in the law or in the views of most of the public, those who are always ready to get involved in a war in which Arabs are killed, but are not prepared to make any concession to live with the Arabs in peace - always know how to fill the vacuum of uncertainty.

The construction of the separation fence - which was intended to bring Israel back to the 1967 borders, or at least close to them - was meant to put an end to investment in settlements beyond the fence, on the assumption they would be evacuated sooner or later. The fence remains in place, and the Palestinians have paid in full by having their land expropriated for the construction, but the settlements east of the fence have not been dismantled; instead, according to the Peace Now report, the opposite has occurred. Every once in a while, a weak promise about evacuating outposts can be heard from the direction of the defense minister. But it has now become clear that while some speak, others act - to build houses and outposts.
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  1.   Same old song 11:53  |  Jeroen 04/10/06
  2.   Vacillating Defenced Minister 12:24  |  Paul Usiskin 04/10/06
  3.   Stealing the property of others 12:28  |  Brendan 04/10/06
  4.   Israel has Two Languages 12:33  |  Karim 04/10/06
  5.   Let the settlers build. Just more to donate to Palestinians. 12:45  |  Clickfool 04/10/06
  6.   Israel will never be at peace 12:48  |  Stephen Murray 04/10/06
  7.   OF COURSE We Will Continue To Build In OUR Land 12:49  |  Yishai Kohen 04/10/06
  8.   Arab hatred of Jews is the problem!! 12:55  |  Matthias Roth 04/10/06
  9.   To Jeroen #1: Same old song from Eurabia 12:56  |  Jonathan S 04/10/06
  10.   To Yishai Kohen 12:58  |  Jeroen 04/10/06
  11.   "faith-based and subversive" 13:03  |  Matthias Roth 04/10/06
  12.   `Settlers` 13:07  |  Terry 04/10/06
  13.   Hey Brendan- settlements aren`t built on Arab owned land 13:24  |  Dani 04/10/06
  14.   False Pretext 13:31  |  Johnny Weintraub 04/10/06
  15.   Terry, you are incredible! 13:42  |  Wiktor 04/10/06
  16.   A clear violation of UN resolutions 14:09  |  Chris Linthwaite 04/10/06
  17.   Nothing has changed 14:15  |  sh 04/10/06
  18.   Settlers 14:16  |  Choni 04/10/06
  19.   The "unauthorised outpusts" have electricity!!! 14:18  |  SD 04/10/06
  20.   Time for Transfer 14:36  |  John 04/10/06
  21.   There are no Jewish settlements, Terry 14:39  |  John 04/10/06
  22.   ClickFOOL and the expulsion of Jews 14:42  |  Jonathan S 04/10/06
  23.   To # 13 settlements on occupied territory 14:42  |  Brendan 04/10/06
  24.   For Jonathan S #22 14:56  |  Clickfool 04/10/06
  25.   Brendan: The "Palestinians" GaveUp All Claims To OUR Land In 1964 15:00  |  Yishai Kohen 04/10/06
  26.   To ClickFOOL: Why not be honest? 15:15  |  Jonathan S 04/10/06
  27.   5 click"fool" - How soon you forget. 15:23  |  bat yam 04/10/06
  28.   Haven`t you HEARD??? 15:28  |  T A Sheppard 04/10/06
  29.   to # 25 Based on Law 15:43  |  Brendan 04/10/06
  30.   Settlers before 1948 are equal to those after 1967 15:49  |  Matthias Roth 04/10/06
  31.   Wrong thoughts from Haaretz (not the first time) 16:02  |  Altalena 04/10/06
  32.   Wake UP Peretz 16:08  |  Danite 04/10/06
  33.   To #29 Brendan: Based On Law It Is Israel`s Land 16:10  |  Yishai Kohen 04/10/06
  34.   To Altalena 16:19  |  Jeroen 04/10/06
  35.   To T A Sheppard 16:21  |  Jeroen 04/10/06
  36.   For Jonathan #26, a man totally full of it 16:27  |  Clickfool 04/10/06
  37.   For Bat Yam # 27 16:30  |  Clickfool 04/10/06
  38.   Good!-Rolling Back The Illegal Arab Occupation 16:33  |  Ben Israel 04/10/06
  39.   #37:No click "fool," really makes no difference... 16:41  |  bat yam 04/10/06
  40.   LET THEM BUILD...THIS WILL CONSOLIDATE THE ONE-STATE-FOR-ALL VIEW 16:42  |  Messaoud 04/10/06
  41.   To Clickfool on anti-Semitism. 16:44  |  Jeroen 04/10/06
  42.   Very wrong, Messaoud 16:51  |  Aaron 04/10/06
  43.   To 34. Jeroen. religious extremism 16:54  |  Altalena 04/10/06
  44.   The usual gang of suspects! 17:04  |  Wiktor 04/10/06
  45.   It is Palestine 17:06  |  Marilyn 04/10/06
  46.   The sole possible solution??????? 17:13  |  polybios 04/10/06
  47.   To # 33 Legal Title 17:18  |  Brendan 04/10/06
  48.   What is The Jewish State? Whose vision is correct? 17:20  |  Le Maudit Anglais 04/10/06
  49.   # 39 For Bat Yam, who missed the point completely 17:20  |  Clickfool 04/10/06
  50.   So much for Israel`s promises to their only friend, America 17:26  |  Clickfool 04/10/06
  51.   clickfool "with the only aim of discrediting me" 17:40  |  harzion 04/10/06
  52.   To 44. Wiktor. Threats 18:01  |  Altalena 04/10/06
  53.   To Brendan #47 Legal Title 18:04  |  Yishai Kohen 04/10/06
  54.   To 45. Marylin. Jewish Refugees 18:43  |  Altalena 04/10/06
  55.   on Yishai Kohen #17 18:49  |  zeev 04/10/06
  56.   #7, Yishai Cohen. Check out two practical propositions for Yesha. 18:52  |  zmogus 04/10/06
  57.   Not one country on the planet supports this except Israel 19:03  |  Marilyn 04/10/06
  58.   To Zeev #55 19:10  |  Yishai Kohen 04/10/06
  59.   on Yishai Kohen #7 19:24  |  zeev 04/10/06
  60.   Entitlement 19:27  |  Sean 04/10/06
  61.   #25 Yishai Cohen. Wow!!! Did you read the charter you`re quoting? 19:31  |  zmogus 04/10/06
  62.   #56 zmogus: No Reason For That- There`s Plenty Of Unbuilt Land 19:34  |  Yishai Kohen 04/10/06
  63.   Denial leads to more immoral behavior 19:45  |  Dutch 04/10/06
  64.   zmogus: Of Course I Read Their 1964 Charter 19:59  |  Yishai Kohen 04/10/06
  65.   What is the issue ? What to publish ? 20:33  |  Altalena 04/10/06
  66.   to Yishai Kohen #58 20:37  |  zeev 04/10/06
  67.   Keep builidng!! the more the better! 20:46  |  it is Jewish land 04/10/06
  68.   zeev "we have plenty of them" 20:52  |  a j p taylor 04/10/06
  69.   zeev "i dont give a damn what the arabs 20:55  |  a j p taylor 04/10/06
  70.   Here`s the proof 20:58  |  Janice 04/10/06
  71.   so zeev wants to leave 21:00  |  shylock 04/10/06
  72.   #49: Click"fool" - Are you trying to say... 21:10  |  bat yam