The Ministerial Settlement Committee of the new government held its first session yesterday but avoided discussing the delicate and highly controversial matter of more Jewish settlements on the West Bank. It was learned that committee chairman Gen. Ariel Sharon decided to postpone any such discussion until after Premier Menachem Begin returns from his meetings with President Carter in Washington July 19-20.
Likud has proposed the establishment of new towns on the West Bank with on eventual Jewish population of 150,000. The Gush Emunim wants to establish some 12 new settlements immediately in the Judaea and Samaria regions and is pressing the government for speedy authorization.
Gush leaders conferred with Sharon Monday. They said that the core groups for six settlements are ready to move in immediately and once approved by the government they would prepare the groundwork for additional settlers who would require various facilities such as schools. Sharon reportedly said he did not react to the Gush program.
Some observers said that by “not reacting” Sharon was trying not to draw attention to settlement plans on the West Bank prior to the Begin-Carter talks. The U.S. Administration is strongly opposed to further Jewish settlements in the administered territories and has stated that Israel must withdraw from territories captured in the Six-Day War in order to achieve a peace settlement with the Arabs.
The Gush leaders will meet next week to coordinate their settlement program with members of the Ministerial Settlement Committee. They expect the Begin government to support their plans.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
