Barak: Israeli settlement freeze is unprecedented peace move
Defense Min. orders 40 new construction supervisors in West Bank, as settlers vow to defy crackdown.
By Barak Ravid Tags: Ehud Barak Likud Israel news settlement buildingDefense Minister Ehud Barak on Sunday called the government's move to enforce a construction freeze in West Bank settlements an unprecedented step that proves Israel is serious about pursuing Middle East peace.
"This step was not carried out in the Olmert government or in the Sharon government, not in my government and not in Yitzhak Rabin's government either," said Barak. "The real significance is that for the first time, we are suspending all new construction for an extended period and therefore giving peace negotiations a chance."
Barak earlier Sunday ordered his ministry to urgently recruit and train construction supervisors to oversee the 10-month construction freeze in West Bank settlements, decreed by the cabinet last week.
Speaking to members of his Labor Party hours later, Barak said Israel would not allow its path to peace compromise the importance of security.
"Not one of us has deceived himself to think that once we declared this decision, the Palestinians would fall into our arms and renew negotiations," Barak said. "The road is long and there are difficult obstacles ahead, but we must make every effort to overcome them. Israel's main interest is the advancement of security and the political process - first on the Palestinian track and at the right moment on the Syrian track.
"The government knows the importance of direct negotiations, the need to act and not only dialogue, to take risks in order to arrive at a process that will yield two states to two people, to bring an end to the conflict, and to establish a Palestinian state without harming our interests," he added.
"I propose that every one of us close his or her eyes and ponder, if we weren't in the government... would a narrow rightist government be able to advocate for two states for two people, for a settlement freeze, and for the possibility of entering the political process?"
Settlers vow to defy construction freeze
Israeli settlers vowed on Sunday to defy a government crackdown on West Bank construction by laying cornerstones in communities across the territory.
Yishai Hollander, a spokesman for the settlers council, told The Associated Press there would be festive cornerstone ceremonies for new neighborhoods in multiple settlements in the next few days.
Meanwhile, the Yediot Ahronot daily reported that a councilman in the settlement of Ariel ripped up the order in front of military officials and said he would not accept it.
But with the beefed-up inspection effort, it appears unlikely the settlers will be able to do any substantial new construction in the coming months.
Fourteen construction supervisors are currently operating in the West Bank. Within two weeks, 40 new supervisors will be trained to begin working in the region and dozens more will be recruited down the line to enforce the construction freeze.
The Israel Police, the Border Police and the Civil Administration will all participate in the enforcement of the freeze alongside the supervisors, under the authority of the Israel Defense Forces.
During the weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday, Vice Premier Silvan Shalom voiced his objection to the freeze, saying that it was "an unnecessary decision, which won't result in the relaunch of peace talks, and like [Netanyahu's] Bar Ilan speech will only serve to stiffen the Palestinian stance and solicit further demands from Israel."
Shalom was not present at the cabinet meeting at which the freeze was approved as he was in London on business. He said that he didn't know that the issue would be raised during the meeting that he had missed. "I don't think they tricked me. It was a legitimate decision, approved by a vote. However, I am against it."
He added that the Likud party has always supported settlements and therefore "a shift in ideology must be made through public discourse within the proper Likud institutions, and not the way it was done."
The Likud ministers convened ahead of the cabinet meeting to raise their objection to the settlement freeze. At the meeting, Environmental Protection Minister Gilad Erdan called the order to halt construction a "violation of human rights," and Information and Diaspora Minister Yuli Edelstein urged Netanyahu to meet with settler leaders as soon as possible and make sure that those harmed by the freeze are compensated. The prime minister asked cabinet secretary Zvi Hauser to schedule a meeting with settler leaders as soon as he returns from his trip to Germany, for which he leaves on Monday.
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its all show. a year from now its business as usaul
over something that IS the "minimum of the minimum". a very small preview of what to expect when the settlers face any final status agreement. i hope it opens netanyahu's eyes to the big mistake that was made by using settlement to create "facts on the ground" in the west bank, and why every day that they're allowed to continue only increases the difficulty and hardship of their eventual removal; not only for the state, but for the settlers themselves.
and the more who see, the better!
All, The roadmap only says, "GOI immediately dismantles settlement outposts erected since March 2001. ? Consistent with the Mitchell Report, GOI freezes all settlement activity (including natural growth of settlements)." Netanyahu has already agreed with Mitchell that all the settlement outposts will be evacuated en masse when negotiations begin. A group of police is being trained for what will be a difficult evacuation. Note that the Road Map does not define 'settlement activity' nor does it specifically address Jerusalem (the Corpus Separatum) which Israel does not consider settlements under the 4th Geneva Convention. It was Obama and Hilary Clinton who defined what was left intentionally ambiguous in the Road Map. Nevertheless, Netanyahu has made concessions that Olmert never made on settlements. Recognize these concessions or not, the lack of negotiations (refusal on the Arab side) is working to Israel's favor and is delaying the Palestinian State.
Of course it never saw paper or ink but Israel and Barak are still spouting about Baraks went further than nay other PM. Only thing unprecedented about this is that it is just one more shim sham flim flam piece of deception designed to hoodwink the Naive---if there are left on this planet. Give us all a break --we have seen your so called peace efforts. You broke this one before you put the pen down by signing the document approving another 28 illegal structures.
Mr Barak was very generous to finally tell the truce of who brought to the failure in the Camp David Peace Talks before the outbreak of AL-AQSA Uprising in 2000. Took some time, loads of lies by him and bill clinton, but as for history "its never to late to tell the truce".
Don?t you understand that it is an anti Zionistic move, a world conspiracy against the Jews in Israel. Check the historic dates and you will know for sure. Nothing good can come from this as any thinking person can understand!
strangers in the night ! even in the land of arnie, cummings you need abuilding permit !! if you build without it the municipallity will tear it down .
really doris what happened to the anglo-american convention 1924 which guaranteed the borders of the jewish state ? the unscr242/338 which requires a treaty with jordan 1995 ? where jordan ceded the land to israel !
Ironically, if true, and it may well be, this move is the very first on the road map list of things for Israel. Stopping violence against Israel is the first thing on the list of Palestinian tasks. There has been a cessation of violence against Israel from Abbas sector for more than a year. Apparently, Abbas and his West Bank Palestinians were the only ones interested in peace. No one else, including Israel, even made road map step number 1. Bravo Abu Mazen. Peace. Stephen
'When Jordan attacked Israel without provocation they lost the rights to whatever land Israel was able to capture from them and the ownership of that land morally transferred from them to the Israeli government.' A country CANNOT gain territory by warfare or occupation, whether aggressive or defensive. So says the UN Charter and that is the rule the rest of the world goes by. Israel has NO LEGAL RIGHT WHATSOEVER to one dunam of the West Bank. It seems that the self-loving, truth-hating Jews just can't stop banging their heads into the same brick wall. Time for the international community to read them the riot act and start a process of enforcement.
Building inspectors who enforce the demolition of Palestinian homes by bulldozer are routinely defended as officials doing their job. But the moment they halt JEWISH building they suddenly become 'thugs who will use physical force to stop people from building'. Oh yeah. Are you not somewhat biased and unbalanced there Moshe?
Fourteen justices have already spoken in 2004 at the ICJ in the Hague and they said the Palestinians shouldn't accept any of Israel's fiction on the ground. Now what part of "no settlements" don't Israeli officials understand ? Dutch
'The only way for him to stop this growth is through the use of thugs who will use physical force to stop people from building' Who would man the checkpoints then?
A 10 month settlement freeze allowing all existing buidling to carry on surely allows virtually all building to proceed. So in my opinion the Palestinians should start negotiation s on final status talks, with clearly the 1967 lines as the presumed borders. What happens to the settlements post 2 states could be Israelis living in Palestine; Israelis leaving; or some land swap for land stolen. Debating interminably over settlement construction is clearly just wasting time. Call the Israelis' bluff, see where the Americans stand on borders, and get on with it.
But hey, as long as the average (and rather gullible) U.S. TV consumer just loves to be fooled, why not...??? Surely worth a try...:)
of our brethren in judea and samaria.so this game playing of freezing housing is to no purpose.we will remain and what is more may we increase.
WELL SAID!
... since Hillary bandied it about... ... that all politicians should avoid using it in the foreseeable future...
You were forced out of Gaza. Don't wait for the same thing to happen in the West Bank. Hand the Pals and the settlement mess over to the UN and NATO and withdraw. That way you get your international legitimacy back and the whole mess you have made of the West Bank is off your hands. The UN and NATO will oversee a peaceful transition to a free Palestine where the settlers can stay as Palestinian citizens if they like, and if they acquired their land legally.
... merely shows how little movement Israel has done since it first plonked its Big Fat Settler Arse on top of the West Bank. Because - and let's be honest here - this latest "move" amounts to nothing more than Netanyahu lifting a cheek and letting fly with a loud Toot! Toot! And Barak insists that we all applaud it as Music To Our Ears? Give. Me. A. Break....
"Illegal. Know what it means? Also illegal to unilaterally annex territory. People who break the law are criminals." Unless you are Israeli of course, hmmmmm.
that for every 100 bullets fired into Gaza, Israel is the one to lose a kilometer, and for every truckload of humanitarian aid turned back, for every fishing vessel denied access to territorial and international waters, for every 1000 hours a Palestinian wastes waiting at yet another checkpoint, for every destroyed olive tree, the border move 1 meter west, 1 meter north, and 1 meter south. Somehow, I think that would get Israel to actually make an 'unprecedented peace move' that won't require a PR campaign to convince the world that it is more than a PR move. (Oh, and doest the 3,000 or so building permits that are going to keep the construction crews busy during this 'freeze' mean the Palestinians get 6 free weeks under your plan?) The Palestinians can negotiate and watch you build, or not negotiate and watch you build, and when every Palestinian concession is portrayed as a fait accompli and not a concession in the next round, what purpose is their in them negotiating?
Illegal. Know what it means? Also illegal to unilaterally annex territory. People who break the law are criminals.
because it's not up to a thief to define theft... and because international consensus says that it IS!
And if you so choose to make the tired pro-Israeli argument that closure of the straits was the causus belli for Israeli 'defensive' action then you should have absolutely no problem extending the same 'defensive' posture to Hamas regarding the Israeli blockade.
Moshe, it hard to decide from your post whether you're being ignorant by purpose or you're really like that. No, Israel has no right to the land. Yes, it was stolen. First of all, Jordan did not attack Israel in 1967. It seems that your history books are the only ones stating that - outdated. Israel attacked its neighbours - which is exactly why they prevailed in '67. Israel was the aggressor as it has been since 1956 (except for the Yom Kippur War). And even if Israel was attacked - as you falsely claims it was - it does not change the facts of international law. Land cannot be taken by war. Give it back to it legit owners and continue your life on your own land. Stop your falsification of history and facts! It is sickening and pathetic.
...how shameless one has to be to say such a thing to the whole world without at least twisting in his own chair!!
... minimum of the minimum... ... and that eventually they may have to accept more than that...
Ha ha ! These 40 new "inspectors" will either be in bed with the "Lords of the Land", turn the provervial blind eye or be assaulted. Theirs will be the same feeble attempt at establishing a semblance of law as that of the rare IDF attempts to keep the untouchable settlers in line. David
There is an empty "privatized" prison to hold the settler lawbreakers...in addition to hiring the building inspector, the Prison Service should recruit more prison officers
insist that the settlers, the builders and Israel itself adhere to the Laws they said they would when they declared Sovereignty.
"The land on which the settlements are built is not privately owned Arab land but rather land that was captured from Jordan during the Six Day War." 'territories OCCUPIED in the recent conflict' according to UNSC Res 242. "When Jordan attacked Israel " What part of Sovereign Israel did they attack? It is illegal to acquire territory by war. It is also illegal to unilaterally annex territory. Now if Israel would care to abide by the law.... for once...
So the head of a settlement tor up the documents after they were served by the IDF. So what, This ignioramus then says we wont agree we will do as we want. Settlers have this inane sense of entieltment, like they can do as they please. Well now this settler should be arested once he breaks the law, and put in jail for a number of months. Once convicted, if he came to ISrael, his ISraeli citizen shiop is revoked and he is sent back to where he came from. Settlers will and have been the single greates cause for problems in the state. Get rid of them
you are in fact arguing with an assortment of right-wing propaganda sites,of which he functions as a relay.if he knew a particle of what he purports to know,to the extent he pretends,he would be one of history's greatest intellects.fortunately for him-the historical direction in israel/palestine is definitely going his way.
he says:settlement is only on "public land".jordanian state land.dubious,but even his version supposes state land confiscated for,and converted to,private settlement purposes;not for public use,but the use of a small minority of the populace,on the land which is the entire public's,intended for the entire public's development and enjoyment.
Make it clear to the settlers that if the land upon which settlers reside eventually becomes part of a Palestinian state, these settlers will become Palestinian Jews who will travel on Palestinian passports and spend Palestinian currency. They`ll see Palestinian doctors in Palestinian hospitals. Palestinian police will investigate crime and Palestinian firefighters will put out their fires. They`ll pay taxes to Palestine and use Palestinian postage. Israel has Arabs. Palestine will have Jews. It`s the same thing. Settlers,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, enjoy!!!
The land on which the settlements are built is not privately owned Arab land but rather land that was captured from Jordan during the Six Day War. When Jordan attacked Israel without provocation they lost the rights to whatever land Israel was able to capture from them and the ownership of that land morally transferred from them to the Israeli government. Any expropriations of land done by Israel for the purpose of building roads, etc was done with full compensation which is more than those people would have gotten from any Arab government who had done the same to them. The "indigent people", as you call them, are really the Jews who were expelled from Israel by the Romans in 70 CE. If anyone has a claim to that land by prior ownership, it is the Jews.
Israel does not willingly take steps which are called for by the Palestinians, (or Americans). This goes triple for Netanyahu. When you hear such an announcement as Bibi made, it becomes an exercise in translating how much the reality will fall short of the claim. In fact, this sort of misdirection is usually a smokescreen to double and redouble construction during the effcted period. All Haaretz readers know this, but still they engage in dialog for the sake of dialog. Such a fertile field, supplying numerous articles concerning how the freeze is being implemented or not. Much ado about nothing. The ony real thing which Israel can do is to remove all settlers from the west bank. Anything short of this will be a scam and a sham.
"For every week that the Pals refuse to return to the negotiating table, Israel issues 500 building permits." "For every rocket or mortar shell, Israel moves the northern border 10 meters south. For every hundred attacks, the Pals lose a kilometer of Gaza." Why is it that you think Israel has the right to do such things? Where does Israel in your opinion take the right from to annex land that does not belong to Israel and when the indigent people fight against this robbery, Israel has the right to annex more land?What twisted sense of justice do you parade here?ever heard of international law?Or justice for that matter... BTW, its all done without compensation for the Pals.Even when you dispute the entitlement to the land from a political point of view, there is still no right to expropriate privately own land without compensation.That's robbery by any definition!How's about finding a just solution (for everyone)instead of living by the law of the jungle.
stupid. They are only being taught to watch if illegal settlements are being constructed on illegal lands stolen from Palestinians. They migh have to be able to read a document or two and look at a print ans determine if blocks have been added or cememt has been poured. Hell even a "civil" engineer such as yourself might be capable--if it were not for you obvious twisted interpretation of laws. Things are just going your way---huh PAUL HARRIS. It is going to get worse pauli boy---much worse. Your greater Isreal plan is about to become 1922 times less likely to happen.
... of his authority...? ... will PM Bibi allow himself to become a laughing stock...? ... or maybe even is this there is collusion...?!
all "settlement" construction and all it entails is done by the israeli authorities,not by private enterprise,supposedly unrelated and uncoordinated.all the necessities of life,as well as many of its luxuries,are provided by the israeli executive.now they're short of inspectors to inspect themselves.if inspection is needed-i can see my house on google earth and i know for a fact that all israeli ministries have incomparably superior means of survey and record.the question is one of policy and diplomacy,and in fairness to the right,the vast majority of posters and ministers,they are most explicitly stating that building in the west bank must continue unabated,and that the state of israel will,in good time, comprise all of palestine.
barak again proves he is a bloody idiot ! more interestingly is how they will be trained in 2 weeks ? will they receive danger money ??
The Pals already rejected the Israeli move, saying they don't care if it's a house or a kindergarten. So, let's do the opposition. For every week that the Pals refuse to return to the negotiating table, Israel issues 500 building permits. The Pals can either negotiate, or watch us build. Same with Kassam rockets and mortar shells fired from Gaza at Israeli civilians. For every rocket or mortar shell, Israel moves the northern border 10 meters south. For every hundred attacks, the Pals lose a kilometer of Gaza.
are two of the most gutless jellybellies in israeli political history
... but for Erdan, when Pals are deprived of ancestral family lands and property it's not "violation of human rights"...
... and find scores of willing inspectors... ... willing workers is hardly the issue... ... if the settlers don't pester them and mess them around...
Why is Barak so intent on enforcing the laws for Jews only? What about all the illegal arab housing that is even now being built? How is it that Barak has so much power--and seemingly the people we voted in are silent? Does nobody see that this waste of space is dividing the country and leading us to a civil war--which are enemies are counting on?
Inspectors needed for Arab sector. The Arab illegal building is totally out of control and the number of inspectors for this sector , both inside Jerusalem and in areas"B and C" (Judea and Samaria)is a sad joke. Surely Barak wont disciminate against the Jews only. Im hoping that the new inspectors will also act against Arabs. On the specific issue of a settlement freeze, i dont think that the so-called right wing government has thought down the track. Its only opened the door to simply extending this freeze if the Arabs request or now, giving a future left wing government the legitimacy to also freeze or worse. Netanyahu -you have done it again by changing your tune to your voters, who wanted a real likudnik, but got a Barak. You have now used all chances and will definately never be trusted again. Say goodnight to politics Netanyahu.
After all, Bibi didn't just wake up last week, turn to the missus, and declare "By Golly, I think I'll freeze construction in the settlements, what's for breakfast, luvvie?" Barack would have known this was coming for quite some time, so why didn't it occur to him to do the necessary planning BEFORE the announcement? Because NOW the settlers know they have two weeks to create their own teeny-tiny facts on the ground, backdate all their paperwork, and then declare that "Why, yes! Yes, indeed. My little building work was already underway before Bibi made his announcement!"
what more can you expect from such a self hating jew.He has already tried and nearly succeeded in selling the jewish homeland down the phillistine drain,so who is he to think he can stop or control the inalienable right of Jews to live and build in their own land wherever,however or whenever they want. mr barak join Goldstones club and leave us alone
I would like to thank Ehud Barak for demolishing the leftist myth that the "settlements" are a financial burden on Israel. After all, if this were true, there would be no need to enforce the moratorium on building within the settlements with government officials. All that would be needed would be to cut off the supposedly massive government funding and the projects would stop on their own. Barak knows that if he didn't invest one shekel in Judea and Samaria but instead lifted all the controls and limitations on building, simple economics and private funding would double or triple the Jewish population of Judea and Samaria within a year or two. The only way for him to stop this growth is through the use of thugs who will use physical force to stop people from building.