Coalition chairman MK Ze'ev Elkin (Likud) blamed the prosecution (or state attorney's office) for the government's volte-face regarding a promise to abstain from razing structures in Migron, as part of a deal for relocating the residents.
Elkin said that in the negotiations between the state and the residents, the latter were the ones who made most of the concessions, yet it was leftist pressure within the prosecution that caused the state to renege on its central concession – the agreement that the structures would remain in place until a court decides on their status.
"I don’t understand why the prosecution has a problem with the state's abiding by the law," an irate Elkin said. "Why does the prosecution have to walk on people's heads, and in fact demand that all the buildings be razed, when the law does not require it? There is a clear retreat from agreements here."
"I am very surprised that Minister Begin is giving his backing to this retreat even though he knows it was a central element in the agreements," Elkin added. "I regret this, because I think he should have made an effort to force upon the prosecution, even against its will, the minimal thing that would have allowed the residents to reach an agreement."