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Israel Approves Another Wave of West Bank Settlement Construction Israel Defiantly Cranks West Bank Settlement Plans Into High Gear
(about 2 hours later)
AMONA OUTPOST, West Bank — In a major acceleration of new settlement construction plans, Israel approved thousands more housing units in the occupied West Bank late on Tuesday, defying international pressure and opening a forceful new phase of Israeli expansion into land the Palestinians claim for a future state. AMONA OUTPOST, West Bank — In a major acceleration of new settlement construction plans, Israel has approved thousands more housing units in the occupied West Bank and, for the first time in years, has called for the establishment of an entire new settlement there.
The announcement called for 3,000 more settler housing units in the West Bank, roughly doubling two earlier proposed construction plans that brought harsh international condemnation in recent days. Together, the moves have been a significant triumph for conservative politicians who have pressed for more aggressive expansion of settlements. Together, the moves intensified Israel’s defiance of international pressure, and opened a forceful new phase of Israeli expansion into land the Palestinians claim for a future state.
Even amid images of struggle and frustration on Wednesday as hundreds of police officers moved to clear out the illegal Amona outpost in the West Bank, the long-term aims of right-wing politicians who have called for the aggressive expansion of settlements have seldom taken as large a leap forward, after years of rebuke from the Obama administration.
“We are in a new era, where life in Judea and Samaria goes back to its normal and proper course,” the defense minister, Avigdor Lieberman, said in a statement, using the biblical name for the West Bank.“We are in a new era, where life in Judea and Samaria goes back to its normal and proper course,” the defense minister, Avigdor Lieberman, said in a statement, using the biblical name for the West Bank.
But the announcement, around midnight Tuesday, also seemed to be timed to soothe hard feelings among that same political constituency as thousands of soldiers and police converged early Wednesday on the unauthorized settlement outpost of Amona to evacuate it, days ahead of a court-ordered deadline for its demolition and after years of legal wrangling. Near midnight on Tuesday, the Israeli government approved 3,000 more settler housing units in the occupied West Bank. That roughly doubled the amount of proposed new housing units announced in recent days. Then, on Wednesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has come under heavy pressure from rival politicians on the right to take bolder steps to expand settlements, announced that he would promote the establishment of an entirely new West Bank settlement.
While young activists barricaded themselves inside some trailer homes and tried to resist the evacuation, settler leaders appeared more intent on exacting a price for it. The new building plans were one way of minimizing any benefit to the Palestinians on whose privately owned land Amona, a flagship of the outpost enterprise, was constructed. Palestinians reacted with weary opposition, in the long absence of any real hope for the renewal of talks working toward a two-state solution, with a full Palestinian state alongside Israel.
And a potentially bigger move still lies ahead: The Israeli Parliament is scheduled to vote next week on legislation that would retroactively legalize scores of other settlement homes and outposts built on private Palestinian land and prevent any future evacuations and demolitions. “This is a government of settlers that has abandoned the two-state solution and fully embraced the settler agenda,” said Husam Zomlot, the strategic affairs adviser to Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority.
The promotion of the settlement project signals an Israeli government emboldened by the new Trump administration, which has so far indicated that it will be more sympathetic to Israeli positions after years of constraints imposed by Washington. It was a revealing and dramatic day on the chilly hilltops of the West Bank, now occupied for 50 years after Israel’s capture of it from Jordan in the Arab-Israeli War of 1967.
The latest plans for the new units in about a dozen settlements came a week after Israel approved 2,500 homes in the West Bank and 566 in East Jerusalem. The new construction announcements seemed timed to soothe hard feelings among the Israeli right as hundreds of soldiers and police officers converged early Wednesday on the unauthorized settlement outpost of Amona to evacuate it, days ahead of a court-ordered deadline for its demolition and after more than a decade of legal wrangling. It was built, the courts here say, on privately owned Palestinian land and has become a minefield for Israeli politicians.
World leaders have denounced the settlements in the West Bank, home to an estimated 400,000 Israelis, arguing that they are choking off the hopes for an agreement on two states — one for Palestinians, one for Israelis. But as young activists barricaded themselves inside some trailer homes and tried to resist the evacuation, settler leaders appeared largely upbeat: Despite the evacuation, they said the day’s events represented only a minor setback in what they see as a larger battle, in which many Israelis doubt there is any deal the Palestinians will ever accept.
In December, the United Nations Security Council denounced settlement building — a position that the United States tacitly supported in the waning days of the Obama administration. Shilo Adler, the head of the Yesha Council, which represents settlers in the area, said the transition to the Trump administration in the United States had provided an unprecedented opportunity for wider expansion — an opportunity he said should be pressed especially hard before Mr. Netanyahu is to meet Mr. Trump in Washington on Feb. 15.
“This is a government of settlers that has abandoned the two-state solution and fully embraced the settler agenda,” said Husam Zomlot, strategic affairs adviser to Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority. “Now we have a historical time to build in all of Judea and Samaria,” he said. “Take this very bad story, and think what we can do now, like after the rain.”
Mr. Trump seems not to share former President Barack Obama’s opposition to the settlements. Whereas the Obama administration expressed regular criticism of them, Mr. Trump has said nothing about the new construction and his administration has shown signs of tightening ties between the two countries. Mr. Netanyahu’s office said he had promised the settlers about six weeks ago that he would establish a new settlement. On Wednesday, as another sweetener to compensate for the removal of Amona, he appointed a team to begin work on locating a site for it.
About 3,000 soldiers and police officers took part in the operation to evacuate Amona, where about 40 families who lived in the outpost were joined by hundreds of supporters. During previous American administrations, Israel made a commitment not to build new settlements. For years, Israel made a point of describing housing developments and outposts dotting the West Bank as new “neighborhoods” of existing settlements.
The government had been working to conduct the evacuation without bloodshed, and hundreds of Israeli police officers, wearing police caps and blue fleece jackets but carrying no weapons, moved into position. World leaders have denounced the settlements in the West Bank, home to an estimated 400,000 Israeli settlers, arguing that they are choking off the hopes for two states. In December, the United Nations Security Council rejected settlement building as a “flagrant violation” under international law — a position that the United States tacitly supported in the waning days of the Obama administration.
At about 2 p.m., the police began evacuating the settlers, ripping up the makeshift barricades and smashing the windows of trailers used by activists. Mr. Trump seems not to share former President Barack Obama’s opposition: He has said nothing about the new construction, and his administration has shown signs of tightening ties between the two countries.
As the police tried to gain entry to one house, residents responded by throwing some kind of liquid, and one man screamed, “You are supposed to protect us, not break into our homes!” The latest plans for the new units in about a dozen settlements came a week after Israel approved 2,500 homes in the West Bank and 566 in East Jerusalem. At the same time, the Israeli Parliament is scheduled to vote next week on legislation that would retroactively legalize scores of other settlement homes and outposts built on private Palestinian land and prevent any future evacuations and demolitions.
Ayelet Videl, 35, who moved to the windy, hilltop outpost from Jerusalem nine years ago, said she had packed a few bags, but not the entire house. She was waiting for a final order to leave, and left later in the day. At the hilltop outpost of Amona, about 3,000 soldiers and police officers took part in the operation to evacuate about 40 families who lived in the outpost and hundreds of supporters, who lit fires and littered the roads with large rocks to try to prevent the authorities from advancing.
“I didn’t believe this terrible thing would happen,” said Ms. Videl, who had sent her four children, all born in Amona, to their grandparents’ house in central Israel. “This is our land, this is our forefather’s land. For 50 years, they’ve related to it in a confused way. They should have declared sovereignty over it.” The government had been working to conduct the evacuation without bloodshed, and hundreds of Israeli police officers, wearing caps and blue fleece jackets but carrying no weapons, moved into position in the early morning.
Around 2 p.m., the police began taking away settlers who would not leave voluntarily, ripping up the makeshift barricades and smashing the windows of trailers used by activists.
As the police tried to gain entry to one house, people inside responded by throwing some kind of liquid, and one man screamed, “You are supposed to protect us, not break into our homes!”
Ayelet Videl, 35, who moved to the windy outpost from Jerusalem nine years ago, said she had packed a few bags, but not the entire house. She was waiting for a final order to leave, and left later in the day.
“I didn’t believe this terrible thing would happen,” said Ms. Videl, who had sent her four children, all born in Amona, to their grandparents’ house in central Israel. “This is our land, this is our forefathers’ land. For 50 years, they’ve related to it in a confused way. They should have declared sovereignty over it.”
Ms. Videl’s husband, Hillel, had to be carried out by security forces.Ms. Videl’s husband, Hillel, had to be carried out by security forces.
Despite the evacuation, settler leaders said the day’s events represented only a minor setback in what they see as a larger battle. Shilo Adler, the head of the Yesha Council, which represents settlers in the area, said he felt that the transition to a Trump administration was an opportunity to spread settlers that was delayed in the Obama era. By evening, with about half the outpost emptied, the police had reported at least 20 injuries from objects being thrown at them, and they said that about a dozen people described as rioters had been arrested.
“Now is the time. Now we have a historical time to build in all of Judea and Samaria,” he said, adding, “Take this very bad story, and think what we can do now, like after the rain.” The new settlement announcements could help ease the pressure on Mr. Netanyahu, who is under investigation on several fronts and is trying to push back against politicians further to the right. The education minister, Naftali Bennett, is pressing for legislation — not yet fully embraced by Mr. Netanyahu — to take the drastic step of the first annexation of a West Bank settlement, Ma’ale Adumim, just east of Jerusalem.
By nightfall, about half the families had left their homes. The police reported that about 20 officers had been slightly injured by thrown objects, and said that about 13 people had been arrested for taking part in disturbances. Speaking in the Parliament on Wednesday as the outpost evacuation began, Mr. Bennett said of Amona, “We lost the battle, but we are winning the campaign for the land of Israel.”
By midafternoon, the police had reported at least 10 injuries from objects being thrown at them, and said that about 20 people described as rioters had been arrested. Mr. Netanyahu is also now pushing for the contentious legislation that would retroactively legalize the illegal outposts, although he originally opposed it. Israel’s attorney general has said that the bill is unconstitutional and contravenes international law, and that he would refuse to defend any challenges in court.
The announcement on Tuesday for the new settlement homes could help ease the pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is under investigation on several fronts and is trying to push back against politicians further to the right. The education minister, Naftali Bennett, is pressing for legislation — not yet fully embraced by Mr. Netanyahu — to take the drastic step of the first annexation of a settlement, Ma’ale Adumim, just east of Jerusalem.
Speaking in the parliament on Wednesday as the outpost evacuation got underway, Mr. Bennett said of Amona: “We lost the battle, but we are winning the campaign for the land of Israel.”
Mr. Netanyahu is also pushing for the contentious legislation that would retroactively legalize the illegal outposts, though he originally opposed it. Israel’s attorney general has said that the bill is unconstitutional an contravenes international law, and that he would refuse to defend any challenges in court.
“Instead of making peace with the Palestinians, Prime Minister Netanyahu and his cabinet spend time making peace with the settlers, which at the end of the day, is their preferred partner for the future of the Jewish state,” said Mitchell Barak, a pollster and political consultant.“Instead of making peace with the Palestinians, Prime Minister Netanyahu and his cabinet spend time making peace with the settlers, which at the end of the day, is their preferred partner for the future of the Jewish state,” said Mitchell Barak, a pollster and political consultant.
Mr. Zomlot said that Mr. Netanyahu was using this time of political transition in the United States to test how the new administration’s stance might differ from that of Mr. Obama. The prime minister is to meet with Mr. Trump in Washington on Feb. 15. Mr. Zomlot, the adviser to Mr. Abbas, said Mr. Netanyahu was using this time of political transition in the United States to test how the new administration’s stance might differ from that of Mr. Obama.
There are already signs that Mr. Trump intends to be more sympathetic to Israel’s claims: He appointed as ambassador to Israel David Friedman, who opposes a two-state solution and has supported settlements. There are already signs that Mr. Trump intends to be more sympathetic to Israel’s claims: He appointed as ambassador to Israel David M. Friedman, who opposes a two-state solution and has supported settlements.
Mr. Trump has also promised to move the American Embassy to Jerusalem — a move that Palestinians and Arab leaders have denounced as de facto recognition of Israel’s annexation of East Jerusalem after capturing it, along with the West Bank, from Jordan in the 1967 war. Mr. Trump has since said the move requires further study. Mr. Trump has also promised to move the American Embassy to Jerusalem — a move that Palestinians and Arab leaders have denounced as de facto recognition of Israel’s annexation of East Jerusalem after capturing it from Jordan in the 1967 war. Mr. Trump has since said that the move requires further study.
Nonetheless, Mr. Zomlot said his “working assumption” was that the Trump administration would ultimately fall more in line with past American administrations, which have seen two states as the only solution.Nonetheless, Mr. Zomlot said his “working assumption” was that the Trump administration would ultimately fall more in line with past American administrations, which have seen two states as the only solution.
“We are looking forward to working with this administration to find a formula for peace — the ultimate deal, as Trump called it,” he said.“We are looking forward to working with this administration to find a formula for peace — the ultimate deal, as Trump called it,” he said.