The dismantling of additional outposts in Yesha will resume in the near future. So said Public Security Minister Tzachi HaNegbi yesterday, echoing an earlier statement by Prime Minister Sharon. Addressing the Knesset yesterday in a session dealing with the outposts in Yesha, Sharon praised the residents of Yesha and attacked those who besmirch them - but he said that actions against the "illegal outposts" would continue, just as the government acts against illegal construction elsewhere in Israel. Housing Minister Effie Eitam has said repeatedly in recent weeks that there are some 80,000 illegal structures in Israel, nearly all of them owned by Arabs.
Excerpts from Prime Minister Sharon's speech:
"It's been almost three years that we have been dealing with a cruel Palestinian terror campaign, the purpose of which is to break Israel's spirit. In these three years, this challenge has been met bravely by Israel's security forces and the entire Israeli public - including the residents of Judea, Samaria and Gaza, who were forced to deal on a daily basis with murderous attacks against them and against their families. At the same time, while this war has been going on, many in Israel and around the world tried to besmirch the residents of Yesha - and unfortunately they were sometimes even backed by members of this very house. To my sorrow, even today, some MKs have taken advantage of this podium that was given them... These slanders against the Yesha sector are not acceptable to me, and have no place in Israel's public discourse. I think it is a big mistake by those on both the right and l eft to link these unauthorized outposts to the entire settlement enterprise, and thus play into the hands of our enemies...
"It is important to clarify that the future of the Jewish settlement in Yesha will be determined only when we deal with the final status agreement that will bring, with G-d's help, to peace. We have no intention of dealing with this now, as that would be against Israel's national interests.
"The question of the unauthorized outposts is an internal Israeli matter, on the one hand, but one with very high international sensitivity, on the other. Many world leaders, including our best friends, have made their objections clear to me and to the other government ministers. I made it clear to all of them that the unauthorized outposts were built without permits, and that we will deal with this according to our best judgment, just as we deal with illegal construction in the rest of the country. I said this in the government, and repeated this in Aqaba..."