Israel Radio's Yesha correspondent, Guy Kotev, acknowledged today that though it's "not pleasant to say, we in the media are on Peace Now's side in trying to uncover as much as we can about the way new settlements and towns in Yesha are built and recognized by the government." He said that all of Israel's recent governments, "including those headed by Peres, Rabin, Netanyahu, Barak, and the present one," are not up-front about the way they build and recognize new towns in Judea and Samaria.
The surprising statement came in light of a "scoop" in Yediot Acharonot today that the Defense Ministry had granted a form of permanent-status to several outposts in Yesha. Among the newly-approved areas are Migron, with some 30 families, situated atop the critical Highway 60 between Psagot and Michmas; Pnei Kedem, near Meitzad east of the Gush Etzion-Hevron highway; and N'vei Erez and Mitzpeh Kramim, near Kokhav HaShachar, between Ofrah and the Jordan Valley. Shirat HaYam in Gush Katif is also on the list, as is Haresha in the Dolev-Talmon bloc.
Ron Shechner, who, as Settlement Affairs Advisor to Defense Minister Mofaz, is signed on the document recognizing the outposts, explained: "This is a recognition of the fact that people who live in these places are entitled to basic services such as security and defense, lighting, children's nurseries, and the like. The fundamental question of the outposts' legality must still be decided by the government."
The surprising statement came in light of a "scoop" in Yediot Acharonot today that the Defense Ministry had granted a form of permanent-status to several outposts in Yesha. Among the newly-approved areas are Migron, with some 30 families, situated atop the critical Highway 60 between Psagot and Michmas; Pnei Kedem, near Meitzad east of the Gush Etzion-Hevron highway; and N'vei Erez and Mitzpeh Kramim, near Kokhav HaShachar, between Ofrah and the Jordan Valley. Shirat HaYam in Gush Katif is also on the list, as is Haresha in the Dolev-Talmon bloc.
Ron Shechner, who, as Settlement Affairs Advisor to Defense Minister Mofaz, is signed on the document recognizing the outposts, explained: "This is a recognition of the fact that people who live in these places are entitled to basic services such as security and defense, lighting, children's nurseries, and the like. The fundamental question of the outposts' legality must still be decided by the government."