The Ministerial Settlement Committee today approved the establishment of two new settlements in the administered territories and two in Israel proper. But “no progress” was reported on finding an alternative settlement site for the illegal Gush Emunim squatters at Kadum in Samaria.
The Cabinet decided nearly four weeks ago that the squatters would be offered a site in an area where new settlements may be established in accordance with government policy. Speculation that the Kadum issue would be settled today proved incorrect. A member of the ministerial panel told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that the matter was not even mentioned at today’s meeting. According to the Cabinet’s decision of May 9, the Kadum group would be removed by force if necessary if they rejected the government’s offer.
The settlements approved today are one in Lower Galilee one in the Gush Etzion, a cluster of four religious settlements in the Judaea region of the West Bank between Jerusalem and Hebron; and two moshavim in the Latrun area, one in Israel proper and the other in the territories.
Absorption Minister Shlomo Rosenne of Mapam voted against the latter settlement. He said that while Mapam favored “border rectifications” in this area, it did not see the need for civilian settlements there at this time. He said he favored the settlement in the Etzion bloc because Jewish settlements had existed there before 1948.
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