Interior Minister Ophir Pines (Labor) has instructed all the regional councils in Judea, Samaria and Gaza to immediately stop all funds and allocations to the Yesha Council. The order will be in effect for at least two weeks.
At the same time, it appears that Sunday's Cabinet meeting will result in a total cut-off of public funding to outposts, and Yesha towns will be forbidden to provide them with municipal services.
Minister Pines says that the Yesha Council funded campaigns against the disengagement plan - and since it is thus acting against government policy, its funding by the regional councils is "unauthorized."
Four regional councils have received Pines' order - Gush Etzion, Binyamin, Har Hevron, Shomron - as well as the Local Council of Beitar Illit. These five have allocated some 12 million shekels to the Yesha Council in the past two years, Minister Pines says.
The Interior Minister's decision comes in the wake of a Supreme Court suit filed by the extreme left-wing Peace Now organization. Peace Now claims that the Interior Ministry and the regional councils have indirectly funded the struggle against the disengagement via these allocations.
Minister Pines will hold hearings for the five local councils to determine whether the funding was acceptable, and if not, whether to punish them by forcing them to pay the monies from their own pockets. An alternative sanction under consideration is to restrict the councils' administrative autonomy by appointing an Interior Ministry official to oversee their expenditures.
Yesha Council head Bentzy Lieberman said that Pines' decision violates a Supreme Court decision of eight years ago. That decision affirmed the Golan Heights communities' right to fund a campaign against withdrawal from the Golan.
In any event, Lieberman explained this morning, the monies received by the Yesha Council by the local councils are designated for municipal use, and not for the struggle against the disengagement. The Yesha Council recently embarked on a fund-raising campaign among private citizens to fund the anti-withdrawal campaign.
As this is taking place, the government is about to begin "drying up" the Yesha residents from a different angle. The Cabinet is expected to approve on Sunday a resolution stating it "approves the principles and measures recommended by the Sasson report." These recommendations include the immediate removal of at least six "unauthorized outposts," or new neighborhoods in Judea and Samaria, and the consideration of criminal proceedings against Housing Ministry and other officials involved in funding the construction of the neighborhoods.
A ministerial committee headed by Justice Minister Tzippy Livny will be appointed to oversee the above measures. Committee members will include Likud Ministers Sha'ul Mofaz and Gideon Ezra - both of whom are strong disengagement supporters; Yitzchak Herzog and Binyamin Ben-Eliezer of Labor; and disengagement-opponent Yisrael Katz of the Likud.
Minister Limor Livnat said she would object to sanctions against outposts built before May 2001, when the Sharon government told the U.S. it would cease building new ones.
In any event, it appears that Sunday's Cabinet meeting will result in a decision to cut off all public funding to outposts. In addition, Yesha towns are likely to be forbidden to provide the neighborhoods with municipal services.
At the same time, it appears that Sunday's Cabinet meeting will result in a total cut-off of public funding to outposts, and Yesha towns will be forbidden to provide them with municipal services.
Minister Pines says that the Yesha Council funded campaigns against the disengagement plan - and since it is thus acting against government policy, its funding by the regional councils is "unauthorized."
Four regional councils have received Pines' order - Gush Etzion, Binyamin, Har Hevron, Shomron - as well as the Local Council of Beitar Illit. These five have allocated some 12 million shekels to the Yesha Council in the past two years, Minister Pines says.
The Interior Minister's decision comes in the wake of a Supreme Court suit filed by the extreme left-wing Peace Now organization. Peace Now claims that the Interior Ministry and the regional councils have indirectly funded the struggle against the disengagement via these allocations.
Minister Pines will hold hearings for the five local councils to determine whether the funding was acceptable, and if not, whether to punish them by forcing them to pay the monies from their own pockets. An alternative sanction under consideration is to restrict the councils' administrative autonomy by appointing an Interior Ministry official to oversee their expenditures.
Yesha Council head Bentzy Lieberman said that Pines' decision violates a Supreme Court decision of eight years ago. That decision affirmed the Golan Heights communities' right to fund a campaign against withdrawal from the Golan.
In any event, Lieberman explained this morning, the monies received by the Yesha Council by the local councils are designated for municipal use, and not for the struggle against the disengagement. The Yesha Council recently embarked on a fund-raising campaign among private citizens to fund the anti-withdrawal campaign.
As this is taking place, the government is about to begin "drying up" the Yesha residents from a different angle. The Cabinet is expected to approve on Sunday a resolution stating it "approves the principles and measures recommended by the Sasson report." These recommendations include the immediate removal of at least six "unauthorized outposts," or new neighborhoods in Judea and Samaria, and the consideration of criminal proceedings against Housing Ministry and other officials involved in funding the construction of the neighborhoods.
A ministerial committee headed by Justice Minister Tzippy Livny will be appointed to oversee the above measures. Committee members will include Likud Ministers Sha'ul Mofaz and Gideon Ezra - both of whom are strong disengagement supporters; Yitzchak Herzog and Binyamin Ben-Eliezer of Labor; and disengagement-opponent Yisrael Katz of the Likud.
Minister Limor Livnat said she would object to sanctions against outposts built before May 2001, when the Sharon government told the U.S. it would cease building new ones.
In any event, it appears that Sunday's Cabinet meeting will result in a decision to cut off all public funding to outposts. In addition, Yesha towns are likely to be forbidden to provide the neighborhoods with municipal services.