\"Every new porch built in Judea and Samaria will give the terrorists an excuse to carry out attacks against Yesha residents.\" This is the bottom line of the argument by which the Yesha Council is making a desperate last-ditch attempt to convince Prime Minister Sharon not to agree to a settlement freeze.
Following a meeting between Sharon and Amanah settlement movement leader Ze\'ev Chever, Yesha Council officials feel that the Prime Minister is in fact leaning towards accepting Foreign Minister Peres\' proposal to limiting the growth of Yesha towns to \"natural growth within the present borders.\" Chever attempted to persuade Sharon not to cave in to American and Labor-party pressure by agreeing to a linkage between terrorism and Yesha construction. \"This will signal Arafat that terrorism is worth his while,\" say Council leaders.
Just a couple of weeks ago, Sharon told mourners in Ofrah emphatically and firmly that he would not agree to pay Arafat any form of \"protection money\" in exchange for a ceasefire.
Gush Etzion Regional Council head Sha\'ul Goldstein said that if a freeze is accepted, the Yesha Council would act to have the nationalist parties quit the government coalition. Tourism Minister Rehavam Ze\'evi (National Union-Yisrael Beiteinu) made similar threats. His party colleague MK Benny Elon has asked for an urgent meeting with Prime Minister Sharon on the matter.
Speaking with Arutz-7 today, Goldstein said, \"We\'re worried, because even though no decision has been made, Sharon is silent, and as long as Sharon is silent, Peres is the Prime Minister, and Beilin is the Foreign Minister... The U.S. is waiting to hear our position. We must stand firmly on our position, namely that the Mitchell Report did not have a mandate to make recommendations about settlements, which is supposed to be left for final-status talks, and that there is no need to open this issue anew. I don\'t think that the U.S. government wants a frontal clash with the national unity government...\"
Arutz-7\'s Haggai Segal: \"I would assume that Sharon tells you the following: \'Look, we are not in a position to reject outright the Mitchell Report, so let\'s just act as if we are accepting it - and as far as you\'re concerned, what do you care? It will be impossible to actually enforce this freeze, you guys have 30 years of experience how to grow despite all sorts of decrees, so what difference does it make what answer we give them? In any event it\'s only words.\' What can you respond to that?\"
Goldstein: \"First of all, we differ with your assumption. We do not think that the Americans are exerting pressure, nor is there a threat to send international observers here tomorrow morning if we refuse [the Mitchell Report\'s proposals]. I don\'t think that Israel has to hide behind Mr. Peres\' position; with all due respect, even though he travels all over the world, I think that a strong stand by Israel would be better accepted by the international community. Weakness and lack of determination on our part is exactly that which brings the pressure upon us. If Israel says, \'No more; this is our position, and that\'s it,\' this will be better accepted than a position that says, \'Please tell us what you want us to do.\' I believe that even the Egyptian and Jordanian regimes, as well as the American administration, definitely expect Israel to vanquish the terrorism - because they know that, in the final analysis, it will affect them as well. If we do not implement the program that we anticipated before the elections, this invites pressure.\"
Following a meeting between Sharon and Amanah settlement movement leader Ze\'ev Chever, Yesha Council officials feel that the Prime Minister is in fact leaning towards accepting Foreign Minister Peres\' proposal to limiting the growth of Yesha towns to \"natural growth within the present borders.\" Chever attempted to persuade Sharon not to cave in to American and Labor-party pressure by agreeing to a linkage between terrorism and Yesha construction. \"This will signal Arafat that terrorism is worth his while,\" say Council leaders.
Just a couple of weeks ago, Sharon told mourners in Ofrah emphatically and firmly that he would not agree to pay Arafat any form of \"protection money\" in exchange for a ceasefire.
Gush Etzion Regional Council head Sha\'ul Goldstein said that if a freeze is accepted, the Yesha Council would act to have the nationalist parties quit the government coalition. Tourism Minister Rehavam Ze\'evi (National Union-Yisrael Beiteinu) made similar threats. His party colleague MK Benny Elon has asked for an urgent meeting with Prime Minister Sharon on the matter.
Speaking with Arutz-7 today, Goldstein said, \"We\'re worried, because even though no decision has been made, Sharon is silent, and as long as Sharon is silent, Peres is the Prime Minister, and Beilin is the Foreign Minister... The U.S. is waiting to hear our position. We must stand firmly on our position, namely that the Mitchell Report did not have a mandate to make recommendations about settlements, which is supposed to be left for final-status talks, and that there is no need to open this issue anew. I don\'t think that the U.S. government wants a frontal clash with the national unity government...\"
Arutz-7\'s Haggai Segal: \"I would assume that Sharon tells you the following: \'Look, we are not in a position to reject outright the Mitchell Report, so let\'s just act as if we are accepting it - and as far as you\'re concerned, what do you care? It will be impossible to actually enforce this freeze, you guys have 30 years of experience how to grow despite all sorts of decrees, so what difference does it make what answer we give them? In any event it\'s only words.\' What can you respond to that?\"
Goldstein: \"First of all, we differ with your assumption. We do not think that the Americans are exerting pressure, nor is there a threat to send international observers here tomorrow morning if we refuse [the Mitchell Report\'s proposals]. I don\'t think that Israel has to hide behind Mr. Peres\' position; with all due respect, even though he travels all over the world, I think that a strong stand by Israel would be better accepted by the international community. Weakness and lack of determination on our part is exactly that which brings the pressure upon us. If Israel says, \'No more; this is our position, and that\'s it,\' this will be better accepted than a position that says, \'Please tell us what you want us to do.\' I believe that even the Egyptian and Jordanian regimes, as well as the American administration, definitely expect Israel to vanquish the terrorism - because they know that, in the final analysis, it will affect them as well. If we do not implement the program that we anticipated before the elections, this invites pressure.\"