The Knesset today referred to committee a motion by Gahal leader Menachem Beigin to debate a charge he made that the government is not living up to a decision to “accelerate” the establishment of Jewish settlements in the occupied Arab territories. Mr. Beigin referred to the territories as “the soil of the homeland.” Deputy Premier Yigal Allon said in reply to the motion that the government was pursuing a realistic policy based on Middle Eastern and international political possibilities. He noted that since the Six-Day War, 28 settlements of important security and political significance have been established in the Golan Heights, the Jordan Valley, the southern part of the Gaza Strip and south of Jerusalem. In addition, he said, Jewish settlement and development was going on in East Jerusalem. Mr. Beigin called for the construction of Jewish suburbs in Arab cities. “We have liberated the cities of the land of Israel and there is no reason why Jews should not live in Jericho, Bethlehem, Nablus, Tulkarem and Ramallah,” he said. According to Mr. Beigin, experience has shown that Jews and Arabs can live together.
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