In the other populated outpost under threat of dismantling - Assaf, on the Jerusalem-Ofrah highway at the turnoff to Beit El - a tense night of apprehension gave way to a reprieve of at least a few days. The army announced this morning that it would not uproot the spot at least until Sunday. Efforts to find a compromise will continue in the meantime. Beit El Mayor Yisrael Rosenberg said that the army did not wish to confront the hundreds of people who came to stop the dismantling, showing that "spontaneous and large shows of support can stop Ben-Eliezer's dismantling plans."
Assaf boasted some 5-6 families up until last week, when the threat of uprooting prompted additional people to move in. Several of the former wrote a letter to Minister Ben-Eliezer and O.C. Central Command Maj.-Gen. Moshe Kaplinsky, asking why they are not honoring a relevant Supreme Court decision:
"Despite your declaration to the Supreme Court that we would receive the right of a hearing before the evacuation or destruction of buildings here, you are planning to evict us from our homes without giving us the right of a hearing or to sound our pleas. If this is true, then not only have you deceived the Supreme Court, but you have also blatant violated the law, the guidelines of the Attorney-General, and the Supreme Court ruling. We demand to be given a hearing before the properly authorized body, or at least to be given sufficient time to be able to petition a court in this matter."
Dozens of women demonstrated against the destruction of Jewish outposts in Yesha today near the Prime Minister's Home in Jerusalem. Nadia Matar, co-head of Women in Green, told the noisy demonstrators - they came with pots and whistles - that Yossi Sarid himself called on soldiers to refuse orders to evacuate Arab residents. She said that on June 29, 1990, Sarid wrote a letter to Yediot Acharonot saying, "We will not fulfill an order to uproot entire villages from their places; this is our red line."
Speaking on her Arutz-7 radio show last Thursday, Nadia Matar pointed her finger at Prime Minister Sharon:
"Almost everyone strongly condemns and attacks the Minister of Defense, while there is not a single word of criticism against Prime Minister Sharon... They try to explain to us that Ariel Sharon is not interested in the evacuation of those outposts, but what can he do? This is the price of the unity government, we are told. And so once again, the members of the National Camp are falling into the trap that Ariel Sharon is setting for all of us... It is the Prime Minister of Israel, Ariel Sharon, who is responsible for the evacuation of the outposts, he and no one else."
Assaf boasted some 5-6 families up until last week, when the threat of uprooting prompted additional people to move in. Several of the former wrote a letter to Minister Ben-Eliezer and O.C. Central Command Maj.-Gen. Moshe Kaplinsky, asking why they are not honoring a relevant Supreme Court decision:
"Despite your declaration to the Supreme Court that we would receive the right of a hearing before the evacuation or destruction of buildings here, you are planning to evict us from our homes without giving us the right of a hearing or to sound our pleas. If this is true, then not only have you deceived the Supreme Court, but you have also blatant violated the law, the guidelines of the Attorney-General, and the Supreme Court ruling. We demand to be given a hearing before the properly authorized body, or at least to be given sufficient time to be able to petition a court in this matter."
Dozens of women demonstrated against the destruction of Jewish outposts in Yesha today near the Prime Minister's Home in Jerusalem. Nadia Matar, co-head of Women in Green, told the noisy demonstrators - they came with pots and whistles - that Yossi Sarid himself called on soldiers to refuse orders to evacuate Arab residents. She said that on June 29, 1990, Sarid wrote a letter to Yediot Acharonot saying, "We will not fulfill an order to uproot entire villages from their places; this is our red line."
Speaking on her Arutz-7 radio show last Thursday, Nadia Matar pointed her finger at Prime Minister Sharon:
"Almost everyone strongly condemns and attacks the Minister of Defense, while there is not a single word of criticism against Prime Minister Sharon... They try to explain to us that Ariel Sharon is not interested in the evacuation of those outposts, but what can he do? This is the price of the unity government, we are told. And so once again, the members of the National Camp are falling into the trap that Ariel Sharon is setting for all of us... It is the Prime Minister of Israel, Ariel Sharon, who is responsible for the evacuation of the outposts, he and no one else."