A.P. photo/ Sebastian Scheiner -- Har Homa skeletons can be completed
Israel’s Cabinet approved PM Netanyahu’s proposal for a 10-month freeze in new building permits in Judea-Samaria, except for buildings needed to serve the existing population. The freeze reportedly would apply even to: “…building a fence around a yard, a balcony on the second floor of a home, an extension to the back of a house, or even a porch or pergola over the front steps - if it is carried out anywhere in Judea and Samaria.”
Jewish community leaders in the Territories complain that to win election, Netanyahu had promised to reverse the prior regimes’ withdrawal policies. They consider this freeze a betrayal. They and others worry that the 10-month period would be extended. Some have noticed that he has caved in on other matters of principle. They suggest replacing his regime. Min. Benny Begin countered that Netanyahu has not offered a withdrawal, as did Ehud Barak, when he was prime Minister.
Community leaders do not consider this freeze new. The Defense Minister has withheld approval of most new housing construction since taking office. His disapproval included public buildings such as classrooms and nurseries for toddlers. In many cases, construction basically was approved, but Defense Min. Barak withheld his final signature, apparently the last step. [Is he toying with people, again? The government earlier had allowed construction to proceed, but withheld final authorization for no apparent reason, and then indignantly rebuked “illegal” construction.]
PM Netanyahu said he made the proposal to show that Israel is serious about wanting peace negotiations. The State Dept. praised the Netanyahu regime for going further than any prior Israeli regime, but would prefer he have gone all the way. Abbas called the proposal insufficient. He still refuses to negotiate.
Dr. Aaron Lerner, head of IMRA, said that the freeze “only serves to encourage more pressure for Israeli concessions in the future (www.imra.org.il, 11/26).
In earlier reports, I had noted that the Netanyahu regime admitted having imposed an informal freeze. Including even a fence in the freeze seems excessive.
The last time nationalists brought down his regime, they ended up with one more appeasement-minded.
Concern about the 10-month period being extended makes sense, because if negotiations are not concluded in that time, can you imagine Netanyahu ending the freeze that he had imposed in order to induce negotiations? There is no reason Abbas could not negotiate without these demands. They amount to blackmail.
The Freeze In Practice
“Makor Rishon correspondent Ariel Kahane reports in today's edition that last
week Minister of Housing and Construction Ariel Atlas (Shas) presented
Jerusalem construction plans to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu including
130 units in Har Homa, 30 in Pisgat Ze'ev and 20 in Ramot and that Netanyahu
allowed Atlas only to issue the tender for the 20 in Ramot and instructed Atlas not to issue other tenders. The instruction, According to Kahane, effectively voided the decision his mini-cabinet of 7 had made before to implement the construction plans in Pisgat Ze'ev.”
The government replied that it already had approved hundreds of applications in eastern Jerusalem. Min. Atlas explains that that approval was an earlier stage, but PM Netanyahu disapproved most of the first 180 in the next stage (www.imra.org.il, 11/27).
Leaving several stages of approval up to total government discretion allows it to block later what earlier it seems to have approved. This enables the regime to appease critics while pretending to please supporters. It hides intent, for a while.
(For more on construction in Jerusalem click here )
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