–A group of settlers occupied a hill on the West Bank just north of Jerusalem today accusing the government of needlessly delaying its plans to establish a new settlement–Givon–on the site. The army was not ordered to evacuate the squatters but was in fact, instructed to look after their security.
The unauthorized seizure of the hill, on State-owned land, sparked an angry exchange between Housing Minister David Levy who insisted that settlers must not be allowed to dictate settlement policy to the government and Agriculture Minister Ariel Sharon who defended the action. Levy, a member of Likud’s Herut wing, also protested to Premier Menachem Begin.
The several dozen families who took over the hill claimed they did so because the government logged in its promise to build a permanent settlement there. They had been living in a temporary camp nearby for several years. Matityahu Shmuelevitz, Director General of the Prime Ministers Office, who visited them today, said they could not be accused of hasty action. “All they want is a decision,” he said.
They appear to have been prompted by growing fears among settlers on the West Bank that the settlement drive in that territory will be halted if the Labor Alignment takes over the government after the next elections. According to one report, other groups of settlers plan similar actions in order to “establish facts” before the elections.
The council of the settlements in Judaea and Samaria met tonight for an overall discussion of its plans in the few months that remain until the elections.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
