The Council of Jewish Communities in Judea and Samaria (Yesha) has warned the government it will break off negotiations on the issue of hilltop communities if it insists on trying to demolish nine homes in the Jewish town of Ofra. The United States previously has demanded that no new Jewish areas be built in Judea and Samaria after September 2001.
Yesha leader Danny Dayan said that Thursday's High Court decision barring residents from moving into the homes does not make sense because they already are there. He also questioned left wing claims that Arabs own the land and that the 700-family community of Ofra is illegal. Dayan pointed out that Arabs had not disputed ownership there since Ofra was established and that the entire town was built on public land.