Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni once again confirmed that the barrier being constructed in Israel is a border fence intended to partition the land and establish the state of Palestine.
Responding to questions at a press conference with United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice Sunday morning, Livni confirmed that Jews living on the “other” side of the so-called security fence should be the subject of legislation compensating them in return for leaving their homes.
She said that a bill mirroring the one that enabled the eviction and compensation of the Jews of Gaza must be drawn up “as early as possible” for the Jews living on the east side of the Partition Wall. Livni said that the actual communities that will be eligible depend on the outcome of the final status negotiations in which she is engaging, which will also determine the path of the border wall. "This must be done as the process proceeds, when the borders are defined," she said.
"I think that someone who has settled in a certain place should be helped by the government to leave it in accordance with its priorities. In principle, as one who went through the disengagement, I think that it is proper to work on this as early as possible."
Livni said that advanced negotiations are taking place with Fatah negotiator Ahmed Qurei (Abu Alla) “out of the public eye.”
Left-Wing Backers of Bill Spring to Action
An evacuation-compensation bill must be passed immediately, Knesset Members Colette Avital (Labor) and Avshalom Vilan (Meretz) said Sunday, following Livni's statement. The two called on the government to pass the bill, saying it would "give hope to the residents of Judea and Samaria who want to 'relocate back to Israel.'"
Rice has in the past met with both Avital and Vilan about the bill, as well as with Vice Premier Chaim Ramon and Minister-Without-Portfolio Ami Ayalon (Labor) about the plan to pay Jewish residents to leave Judea and Samaria.
The MKs behind the legislation are the same ones who founded the One Home movement, which seeks the same aims and attempts to garner support among residents of Judea and Samaria for the idea.
Arutz Sheva covered a recent visit of One Home to the Samaria town of Shavei Shomron. The town simultaneously hosted a conference for new residents, which attracted a dozen new families to the community.