Simcha Rothman
Simcha Rothmanצילום: יהונתן גוטליב

Knesset members from Yamina, Religious Zionism, the Likud, and Shas participated today (Sunday) in a protest event against the Arab takeover of Gush Shilo in Binyamin. With the help of the Palestinian Authority, an illegal Arab neighborhood is being built, whose houses will reach tens of meters from the houses of Amichai.

Dozens of Gush Shilo residents, along with MKs Matan Kahana, Katie Sheetrit, Shevach Stern, Moshe Abutbul and Religious Zionism representative Simcha Rotman, demonstrated against Arab construction and the lack of response from the Israeli government.

Residents have fought the takeover for the past year, in order to prevent what they call the "suffocation of the settlements" and the establishment of facts on the ground by the Palestinian Authority, which invests much effort in taking over and building in the area.

Simcha Rothman, attorney for some of the protestors, said: "After the Palestinian Authority repeatedly and unilaterally violated the Oslo Accords and filed a lawsuit against us in the Hague Tribunal, it is time to say Oslo is dead, and if Oslo is dead its divisions are also dead."

"We have one Land of Israel, and we will settle in all of it - Areas A, B, and C," Rotman added. "That we let the Arabs take over the homeland on the pretext that it is in areas A and B, is absurd. We are not war criminals, but the Arabs who are taking over the homeland and settling in a country not theirs."

MK Matan Kahana said: "The Arabs are taking over the homeland at a rapid pace, it's crazy. Some of the takeovers are in Area B, but their purpose is also to push us out of Area C. The Palestinian Authority has long violated the Oslo Accords, and we continue to abide by them, and allow them to settle in Area B. This needs to be stopped."

MK Shevach Stern called on the government to be formed after the election to address the issue of Arab takeover. "After the election, our task is to form a coalition that will work against the Arab takeover of the remaining areas. I’m sure the Knesset can agree on that issue at least," said Stern.

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