Wallerstein. Promises
Photo: Gil Yohanan
Yesha Council: We were told no evacuation before talks
Council head tells Ynet that Defense Ministry promised no outpost evacuation before negotiations exhausted. 'There is no dialogue, and there will be none as long as strangulation policy on settlements is not removed,' he adds
Yesha Council Director-General Pinchas Wallerstein told Ynet on Monday that "the Defense Ministry and its head have made it clear to us that as long as dialogue has not been exhausted, the evacuation of outposts that were built after 2001 will not take place."
Wallerstein added, "At the moment there is no dialogue, and there will be no dialogue, as long as the strangulation policy on settlements is not removed."
West Bank
Efrat Weiss
In response to nationwide home front drill, Shomron Regional Council offers to accommodate Israelis evacuated from all over Israel in event of unconventional missile attack
Yesha sources added that in recent days aides close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have told them that the prime minister agrees that no outposts will be evacuated until further talks take place.
In the early hours of Monday morning, protests against outpost evacuation ended in violence against Palestinians, leaving four injured, with one in serious condition.
The seriously injured Palestinians suffered from fractures in his skull and he was transferred to hospital in Nablus. No arrests were made.
Head of the Shomron Regional Council Gershon Mesika said following the incident: "We are witnessing the settlers' deep frustration. The people have had their say in the elections, and as usual, the right-wing votes are being ignored and leftist policies are being practiced. The settlers will fight for their homes."
Mesika added, "I expect Bibi (Netanyahu) to come to his senses and lead policies in line with the democratic majority and stop letting (Defense Minister Ehud) Barak pull his strings. There is no doubt that a person being removed from their home will fight and that's that.
"I hope the peace is restored and these theatrical acts come to an end. Why can Arabs build thousands of homes illegally without any enforcement, while we, who have all the permits, and are only missing the defense minister's signature, are evacuated?"
