A group of Jewish settlers from the West Bank and Gaza Strip who have been demanding that the government initiate legal measures to ensure the proliferation of settlements in those territories, were urged by Premier Menachem Begin yesterday to end their month-old hunger strike.
Begin met with representatives of the group — mostly Gush Emunim activists — but gave them no assurances as to when or how the status of the settlements will be protected from court challenges. He said the government was looking for ways to secure existing settlements and establish new ones. He explained, however, that under the Camp David accords there was no room for any far-reaching legal changes in the territories.
Reuven Rosenblatt, a member of the regional council of settlers in the Gaza Strip, conceded after the meeting with Begin that the hunger strike has failed to alter government policy. He has been living on a diet of fruit juice for the last 30 days. The strikers said they would consult with their constituents whether to accept Begin’s request.
The Gush Emunim and their supporters insist that the government introduce legislation which would make it impossible for the Supreme Court to declare any settlement illegal. This was the case with Elon Moreh, a Gush Emunim settlement near Nablus, which the high court ordered dismantled, last year. The court found that the security arguments advanced for the seizure of Arab land to build the settlement were invalid.
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