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Last update - 14:47 02/09/2007
Lieberman: Cmte. should decide outposts' future instead of Barak
By Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondent

Strategic Affairs Minister Avigdor Lieberman of Yisrael Beitenu called to expand the mandate of the Ministerial Committee on Unauthorized Outposts at its first meeting in a year Sunday.

Lieberman said the authority to decide whether outposts are illegal and order them to be dismantled should be taken from Defense Minister Ehud Barak and put in the committee's hands.

"I reject the suggestion that outposts are illegal. They were all built legally," said Lieberman, adding that the government gave its unspoken consent even for outposts it did not officially authorize.

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Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni responded to Lieberman's demand saying the ministerial committee had no power to intervene in the decision to dismantle unauthorized outposts, and should not be given any. "The government has made a commitment and they will be dismantled," she said.

Committee chairman and Deputy Prime Minister Haim Ramon said the committee's function was to regulate planning and construction of outposts in the West Bank. He added that the committee's job was to prevent the construction of outposts in the future, not deal with existing ones.

Barak is soon to receive a proposal for the evacuation of 26 illegal settlement outposts in the West Bank, security sources said Saturday.

All of the outposts were established after March 2001, and therefore are among those that former prime minister Ariel Sharon promised the U.S. to evacuate.

The defense minister asked to receive the plan in advance of the state issuing its response to a High Court of Justice petition calling for the removal of the Migron outpost, which was built on private Palestinian property near Ofra.

Barak's advisor for settlement affairs, Eitan Broshi, has recently been holding contacts with settlement leaders in an effort to reach an agreement on the evacuation of some outposts voluntarily. According to the security sources, there has been progress in the talks, but an agreement has yet to be reached.

The defense minister has set three guiding principles for the removal of outposts: illegal outposts will not be relocated to a different illegal site; one problem will not be solved by creating another; no new settlements will be established in the West Bank.

Barak is expected to meet with Yesha Council of Settlements leaders toward the end of the negotiations.

Meanwhile, West Bank settler action committees said Sunday that they intend to establish five new settlement outposts during the Sukkoth holiday, which begins later this month.

According to action committees in the Kiryat Arba, South Hebron Hills, and Efrat areas, the outposts will be established in different areas throughout the West Bank, including on Givat Eitam near Efrat, as well as near Kedumim.

The committees made the announcement ahead of the ministerial committee on illegal outposts meeting scheduled for Sunday.

The committee is expected to establish rules for building in the West Bank, the committee chair, Vice Premier Haim Ramon, said Saturday.

The committee's meeting - the first after a year's hiatus - comes amid new data, gathered by Peace Now's settlement monitoring team. According to the data, numerous West Bank outposts have expanded in recent months.

Aerial photographs obtained by Peace Now show that 18 trailers have been added since May to several outposts, mainly in the Shiloh region. For example, there are four more trailers at the outposts Ahia and Esh Kodesh; two more trailers at Adei Ad and Amona.

Peace Now's findings indicate that at least six permanent structures are in the process of going up at existing outposts -near Itamar, at the Nof Harim outpost near Eli and also near Tekoa.

It also seems that two small new outposts have been established, at this stage consisting of tents, but showing preliminary signs of stone construction. One of these, set up east of the settlement Ma'on in June, consists of a tent surrounded by stone walls, and even has running water. A similar outpost named Ohel Hasdei Shem was set up close to the settlement of Susia in the Hebron Hills.

The Civil Administration recently demolished a small outpost established by Braslav Hassidim on Mount Grizim.

The ministerial committee on illegal outposts has not convened since Ramon resigned as justice minister in August 2006. Throughout the past year, his replacement Daniel Friedmann refused to deal with the issue.

Prior to his resignation, Ramon began working on an agreement with the settlers to "legalize" 34 outposts if all the rest were voluntarily vacated. According to Peace Now data, there are currently 104 illegal outposts in the West Bank, 52 of which were established after March 2001.

Ramon sounded optimistic Saturday: "I hope that within three months the committee will be able to set clear regulations regarding planning and construction in these areas, after 40 years without clear rules on the matter. The committee's work will enable the government to determine officially which of the outposts are legal and which are not," he said.
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  1.   Idiots 22:28  |  Michael 01/09/07
  2.   There are LEGAL Settlements in WB? 00:05  |  Kris 02/09/07
  3.   For Michael #1 and all similar to follow 00:14  |  Esther 02/09/07
  4.   "Freedoom of residence Univ.Declar.of Human Rts.Art.13" 00:50  |  sam 02/09/07
  5.   Esther - YOu want to be hit by missiles then!!! 01:44  |  Jabadini 02/09/07
  6.   Peace now 02:12  |  Edifice 02/09/07
  7.   peace now 02:20  |  alex 02/09/07
  8.   Jabadini - On Hate 06:19  |  Double Click 02/09/07
  9.   Jabadini - It`s the IDF, not the Settlers 09:05  |  Mark of Lewiston 02/09/07
  10.   barak to examine 09:43  |  scanadu 02/09/07
  11.   Settlers are an existential threat to Israel 09:53  |  Ivar 02/09/07
  12.   Barak loves RETREATING & APPEASING!!! 10:17  |  Ben Uziel 02/09/07
  13.   to esther - what is your logic? 10:19  |  lars 02/09/07
  14.   Unintended Consequences 10:28  |  Natallie Durson 02/09/07
  15.   Barak on Outposts 10:42  |  Oskar Prager 02/09/07
  16.   Esther and Talking with strangers 10:46  |  Baruch Nili 02/09/07
  17.   Immoral settler enterprise threatens here & now AND hereafter 10:49  |  Ivar 02/09/07
  18.   indrajaya 11:06  |  jakarta 02/09/07
  19.   Unintended Consequence #1: US tarred with settler`s brush 11:12  |  Ivar 02/09/07
  20.   Wow, "Fallafelface" Barak examines. 11:36  |  Andreas 02/09/07
  21.   Bedlam 11:41  |  Esther 02/09/07
  22.   Re lars #13 11:52  |  Esther 02/09/07
  23.   Barak trying to please both the settlers and Peace Now 12:15  |  Sam 02/09/07
  24.   Ariel Sharon promised....where is he now? 12:21  |  Nathan 02/09/07
  25.   #14, Natalie 12:37  |  Silvienne 02/09/07
  26.   #21, Esther... 12:43  |  Silvienne 02/09/07
  27.   olmert and co. should be shot to death 12:46  |  EXECUTIONER 02/09/07
  28.   Israeli political cliché 12:56  |  Ernst 02/09/07
  29.   What, only now?! 13:06  |  Esther 02/09/07
  30.   Is this expensive? 13:43  |  Curious 02/09/07
  31.   Haim Ramon should be in prison...why is he still in govt??? 14:04  |  SLAVO 02/09/07
  32.   They are Patriots 14:04  |  Brod 02/09/07
  33.   PEACE NOW busy like little rats gnawing at the Jews 14:05  |  SLAVO 02/09/07
  34.   illegal settlements 14:06  |  Hilda 02/09/07
  35.   For curious "25 14:08  |  Esther 02/09/07
  36.   continuation of my previous message 14:10  |  Hilda 02/09/07
  37.   Barak to examine plan for the removal of 26 West Bank settlement 14:14  |  chazan 02/09/07
  38.   What`s your secret Peace Now? Answer. 14:14  |  Nora 02/09/07
  39.   For Silvienne #22 14:19  |  Esther 02/09/07
  40.   Lieberman should learn Hebrew first 14:21  |  Martin 02/09/07
  41.   "....... they will be dismantled...." 14:30  |  Esther 02/09/07
  42.   Slavo 14:31  |  Silvienne 02/09/07
  43.   Ivar on the bible 14:54  |  Johnny 02/09/07
  44.   Esther your ruin will be the inability to understand enemy 14:59  |  Johnny 02/09/07
  45.   Lieberman alone..... 15:21  |  Esther 02/09/07
  46.   Equality before the Law - Destroy Recent Arab Construction Too 15:57  |  Mike 02/09/07
  47.   Settlements and Peace and Esther et al 16:07  |  Zalman Velvel 02/09/07
  48.   International law decided outposts future, years ago 16:55  |  John 02/09/07
  49.   To Mark of Lewiston 17:01  |  John 02/09/07
  50.   #43 Johnny 17:06  |  Space 02/09/07
  51.   Zalman Velvel: please stop the Hasbara 17:08  |  John 02/09/07
  52.   Lowest and Vilest ATTACK ESTHER 17:19  |  Double Click 02/09/07
  53.   When will Laws Ever be Passed Making RACISM AGAINST JEWS Illegal? 17:42  |  Linda Rivera 02/09/07
  54.   What is there to decide!? 17:44  |  Michael Steiner 02/09/07
  55.   Zalman Velvel Keep Stating Truth! Truth Honors the G-D of Truth! 17:47  |  Linda Rivera 02/09/07
  56.   #1 Michael 17:56  |  Space 02/09/07
  57.   Government commitment on outposts. 18:52  |  Benezra 02/09/07
  58.   Outposts are illegal. Period. 19:54  |  steve 02/09/07
  59.   # 5 Jabadini: It is becuase the king, Arafat, and Abbas 13:57  |  Kevin 03/09/07
  60.   Is this Haaretz propaganda? 14:07  |  Kevin 03/09/07
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