2 New Settlement Sites Approved

The government approved two new settlement sites today, both on the eastern fringe of the Samaria region of the West Bank. One is in the Jordan Valley and the other in the hills overlooking the Jordan rift. The ministerial settlement committee also decided that the Nahal (para-military) settlement of Kohav Hashahar in the same region would be converted into a civilian settlement.

The announcement had more than usual significance because it indicated that the government continues to follow the Allon plan which has come under attack by militant nationalist elements in determining its settlement policy. The committee, headed by Minister-Without-Portfolio Israel Galili, also seemed to want to demonstrate that government-approved settlement of the West Bank is proceeding without delay.

Negotiations continued, meanwhile, with the Gush Emunim over alternative settlement sites for the Kadum squatters. Up to now, the Gush have refused to accept offers made by the ministerial settlement committee and insist on remaining in the “heart of Samaria.” Government policy guided by the unofficial Allon plan, seeks to create a string of Israeli settlements in the Jordan Valley as a security barrier and to avoid settlement in the Samarian highlands where the large Arab population centers are located.

During Sunday’s Cabinet meeting, Premier Yitzhak Rabin flatly rejected a demand by the Gush Emunim that the Cabinet hold a full dress debate on West Bank settlement policies as a condition for their acceptance of a settlement site offered by the government. The Cabinet decided on May 9 to offer the Gush squallers alternative sites. If they reject the offer, they will be removed from Kadum, by force if necessary, the Cabinet said.