Regional Council Heads in Beit El
Regional Council Heads in Beit ElEliran Aharon

The heads of the Judea and Samaria regional councils announced that they stand behind the struggle of the residents of Beit El against the freeze on construction in the community and called on the Israeli public to participate in a demonstration this evening in front of the prime minister's residence in order to demand the resumption of construction in Judea and Samaria, including the promised construction of 300 housing units in Beit El.

"We came to strengthen our friend Shai Alon, the head of the Beit El council, in the just struggle they are waging over the 300 homes in Beit El," said Hananel Dorani, the head of the Kedumim local council. "I do not see this as a local struggle but rather a struggle over the policy of the prime minister, who has himself decided to limit building in Judea and Samaria."

"This is the time to build without restrictions in all of Judea and Samaria and to market all that is fit for marketing - 9,000 housing units. The moment the prime minister does this, we will know that he has returned to leading," Dorani added.

Samaria Regional Council Head Yossi Dagan said: "This struggle is over the State of Israel, because what will be now is what will be in the next four years."

"If we do not insist on this now and fight, then we will get another four years of Obama with minor improvements. And I want to say clearly - we are not willing to accept this situation. An absolute majority of the citizens of Israel who chose this national government is not prepared to accept this situation.

Dagan said that unlike during the Obama years, Netanyahu's hands are not tied by the US Administration today. ''We will not let this go, and if we have to exacerbate the struggle we will exacerbate it. We expect the prime minister to stand up to the pressures, to liberate Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria, and then we will be able to dismantle this encampment [where those who are waiting for new houses to be built currently live]."

Yesha Council Director Sheila Adler said that the entire community of Judea and Samaria is behind Beit El: "It cannot be that it has been ten years in which there has been no construction in the community, while dozens of houses have been demolished, and the cabinet has approved construction for Palestinians in Qalqiliya and other places."

Shlomo Ne'eman, head of the Gush Etzion Regional Council, said that "the relative advantage of Beit El lies in the fact that the [government] worked with them. They were told that they would build and not build. Beit El - you are not alone, we were also working, they told us that Gush Etzion has no problem and there is a problem."

"Our problem is the military administration. Reduce the yoke of the military administration over our heads. We are citizens of the State of Israel with equal rights, and we want to live our lives. Let us live and educate our children within the State of Israel, like all citizens," Ne'eman added.