6 weeks into settlement freeze, Barak eases restrictions
Revised freeze order allows local authorities to grant building permits to be executed immediately after freeze expires.
By Chaim Levinson Tags: Ehud Barak Israel news settlement buildingDefense Minister Ehud Barak decided on Thursday to ease the temporary construction freeze in the West Bank settlements, announced in November by Prime Minister Benjamin Netnayhau, granting local settlement municipalities the authority to hand out building permits to be implemented immediately after the freeze expires.
Netanyahu issued the freeze orders on November 26 in efforts to jumpstart stalled peace talks with the Palestinians, who have demanded that Israel cease all construction in the West Bank and East Jerusalem before negotiations could resume.
The order revoked the authority of 24 local municipalities to issue building permits. In light of settler protests and legal hurdles, a revised freeze order was issued.
The revised order dictates that the planning powers be returned to local authorities. The planning committees will be allowed to advance building permit processes, but the final permit will still be frozen. This means that the moment the freeze expires, the paperwork will already be in order so that many projects can be immediately undertaken.
The revised order also permits the expansion of existing structures, such as adding rooms, turning garages and balconies into closed rooms, etc. as long as no separate units are erected.
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... ironically he took Labor's prime mandate, and joined the opposition, no only in vote but also in deeds...
Gotta figure that Netanyahu's government anticipates an eventual resurgence of the American right, as the Obama administration fails to tackle the (insurmountable) challenges posed by the present domestic situation. Given this eventual resurgence, why do anything other than stall?
The Palestinians didn't miss this opportunity to miss another opportunity. You can always tell when the Palestinians miss an opportunity. It's usually accompanied by the very severe whining of anti-Israelis.
The terrorist settlers will be dictating the laws of the land from this point out and the government will continue to take from law abiding TA residents and continue to subsidize welfare settlements..Now thats the way to build a great country!!
The "freeze" part is malfunctioning.
It will happen, if not now, soon. It's US or them and Israel is US.
In the army, a hero. In civilian life, another gutless politician. Sad!
Did anybody notice that building had stopped on any settlement? Amd we here of new plans every day! Usual Israeli tricks.
Got to laugh at Israel. While the deluded jewel of democracy in the Middle East goes about it's business of colonialism, the rest of the world thinks it's just another nail in the coffin of the Israeli theocracy.
... ah, well, he did not wait long to show how he goes about it...
Obama has created a situation where everyones solution is that Israel concede everything as a precondition to negotiation. Do the opposite, go to war, attack all enemies, annex west bank and transfer arabs to the enemy territories of lebanon, syria and Saudi. Occupy the saudi oilfields and possibly the gulf coast. When Israel takes control of the oil who will challenge her? It is neither far nor far-fetched, only in todays limited vison are these things impossible. It is time for a great leader with great vision.
Palestinians are not ready for real peace. The freeze was useless from the beginning and should be cancelled without waiting for 10 months. Jews living on the historical Jewish land should live normal life.
He says after Pines Paz resigns that everyone's expendable. So are Defence Ministers. So is Netanyahu's 10 month settlement freeze. And we voted for these men? The shame is on us.
6 weeks in and Israel has already broken its word. Once again, Israel proves it can't be trusted as a diplomatic partner. As an ally, Israel offers the U.S. squat.
...now all one has to do is define open land as a 'balcony' (for Settlers that is) and everything is a-okay again...!
Obviously the "military heroes" aren't anymore, what they used to be, and that not only in Israel...:)
sure,after he got a death threat
Ha ha ha - the feeze hasn't even reached the temperature of a snowy mush and it is already melting :) :) David
An absolute circus. The Palestinians are coming out smelling like roses on this one as they called this out from the beginning.
Israel kept up a promise for a WHOLE 6 WEEKS! OK, it's true, they did lapse a few times in the 42 days, permitting 3,000 new homes to be built illegally on occupied territory and demolishing a few dozen more Pal homes. But hey, if you're just dying to build on someone else's land, 6 weeks must be an ETERNITY of pent-up frustration. Anyway, they are the victims of world duplicity, chicanery, ethic hatred, conspiracy and so on, so they have a RIGHT to behave as abominably as they like. But well done on lasting out the 6 weeks Israel.
He virtually nullified them the first day. Of course all sane and intelligent people understood that the 'freeze' was just a sham. A fraud, perpetrated upon gullible knaves such as Ketzar Obama and psychotics like the settlers. Anyone who believes now, or did for a moment, that Bibi Netanyahu was going to do anything aside from blocking peace any way possible should find either a prudent guardian to care for their needs, or check into a mental health facility.
... as a sign of "encouragement" towards a two-state-solution...? ... as for the settlers, they have now become conditioned to the idea that nothing works better than a mere death-threat to achieve their purpose...
I mean with potential arrrest warrants out for his part in war crimes where is he going to go. He has to cover his ass, so he gives into the terrorists who threated his life.
They just keep rolling and insulting the US that feeds them. Ungrateful lot. barak is reall from under a rock.
I would ask who Israel thinks is dumb enough to fall for all this, but as an American, I might not like the answer. What a charade. Israel relaxes the unenforced requirements of the freeze that isn't. Gee guys -- I guess you tried.
So threats on political leaders lives do pay after all -i am sure some of the settlers will be boosted by this and encouraged to issue more death threats