Minister Dr. Uzi LAndau
Minister Dr. Uzi LAndauIsrael news photo: Flash 90


Minister of National Infrastructures, Uzi Landau (Yisrael Beitenu), launched a scathing attack on Defense Minister Ehud Barak Thursday, accusing him of aiding hostile Arabs in Hevron by expelling the residents of Machpela House.

Landau, formerly a longtime member of Likud, said that while Barak heads a small party, he "mocks" Likud and the prime minister and implements his own policy vis-à-vis the Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria.

Barak has been freezing construction in the communities of Judea and Samaria for over three years, Landau said. He has been preventing entry of Jews into houses and refusing the homes' connection to the electric grid even in places where all of the zoning plans have been approved.

"The Defense Minister encourages the extremist elements within the Arabs of Hevron, damages public order and assists the Palestinian side," he said.

Eitan Broshi, who serves the Defense Minister as his Aide on Matters of Settlement, said after the eviction from Machpela House that the immediate expulsion of the residents became necessary when it turned out that the Jews' entry into the house had been illegal. On the other hand, he said, the communities of Sansana and Bruchin were established by government decisions and only "technical mistakes" have prevented them from receiving final approvals.

Barak termed the residents of Machpela House "invaders" and said that they had been evicted in accordance with orders that he had signed. "I will continue to act to maintain the law and democracy while safeguarding the state's authority over its citizens."

"We cannot allow a situation in which unlawful actions are taken in order to create facts on the ground or dictate them to the government."