Prof. Raanan Weitz, head of the World Zionist Organization’s settlement department, today sharply criticized the government’s settlement policy and charged that the Cabinet’s decision to set up an independent ministerial settlement committee was intended to bypass the joint government-WZO committee and confront it with fait accompli.
Weitz spoke at the weekly meeting of the WZO Executive where he laid down the principles on which he said the WZO settlement department would act in the future. He said any settlement not approved by the joint committee would be regarded as illegal; the settlement department will not carry out any work in settlements not so approved and any deviation from this would be brought before the WZO Executive. He said the settlement budget must be approved and allocated by the settlement department and any other budget is illegal. He also said the settlement department will not deal with settlements in military camps. The latter was apparently in reference to the government’s recent practice of allowing Gush Emunim settlers to occupy unused army camps on the West Bank until permanent settlements for them are approved.
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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.
