Netanyahu speaks, world listens
Netanyahu speaks, world listensצילום: Jonathan Ernst/REUTERS

The heads of the Judea and Samaria communities met yesterday (Wednesday) with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and discussed the settlement freeze in Judea and Samaria.

The meeting was conducted in an empathetic atmosphere on the part of the Prime Minister, but those present felt that the empathy was not backed up by actual actions. None of Netanyahu's promises included marketing of land for construction.

At the end of the meeting, as the picture became clearer, Amana Secretary General Ze'ev Hever (Zambish) asked Netanyahu, together with the head of the Beit El council Shai Alon, to advance at least the first 114 housing units out of the 300 housing units promised to Beit El five years ago.

However, the Prime Minister bluntly refused and clarified: 114 of the 300 units promised in June 2012 will not be marketed anytime soon.

Following Netanyahu's response to Ze'ev Hever's request, Arutz Sheva brings you the recording of Netanyahu's statements five years ago.

"We are not foreigners in Beit El, we are not foreigners in the Shomron; this is the land of our forefathers, this is the place where our identity was fashioned. I say this here in Jerusalem, in the capital of Israel, and I say it in every place in the world. Israel is a democratic country, where adherence to the law is the foundation of our life of freedom.

"The State of Israel is a country that obeys law, and as the Prime Minister of Israel, I am obligated to safeguard the law, and I am also obligated to safeguard settlement. And I say to you here, that there is no contradiction between the two.

"The bill that was rejected today in the Knesset would have harmed settlement. Alternatively, the plan on which I have decided - expanding the settlement, moving the houses, and legal protection against a precedent - this plan strengthens settlement.

"With this, it must be said that this is an inauspicious day. Moving homes from their place, even if we're discussing five houses alone, is certainly not an action that the government is glad to execute. But the court found what it found, and we honor decisions of the justice system.

"Correspondingly, the yishuv Beit El will be expanded, the thirty families will remain in Beit El, and 300 new families will join them.

"I say to those who imagine that they will use the justice system in order to harm settlement, those who think thus are mistaken. Because in deed, the exact opposite is happening. Instead of diminishing Beit El, expanding Beit El. Instead of harm to settlement, bolstering settlement.

"Today I received a clear legal opinion, I would like to quote from it; 'The decision did not establish any rule, so automatically, it does not constitute a precedent, and inferences may not be drawn from it to other cases,' end of quote.

"In addition, I have decided to establish a ministerial committee for settlement issues, to ensure that government policy for strengthening settlement will be executed."

נתניהו: 300 משפחות חדשות לבית אל