The U.S. and Israel Spar Over Settlements

"Judging by what has been said by American spokespersons, it would appear that the conflict with the administration is not just on its way, it is already here," Israel Radio News reports today:

The Americans have made it very clear, as we heard from Hillary Clinton: No construction, either in the settlements or in the outposts; neither a small amount of construction or partial construction, and no natural growth exceptions.  In the interest of the peace process, she says, the expansion of the settlements must stop.  We have made our position clear, Clinton says, and this was also said by George Mitchell and other US representatives to the envoys who arrived urgently from Israel and tried to explain that it was inhumane to stop construction for natural growth purposes.  Sources in Jerusalem say that construction of new settlements has not been done for a very long time; the illegal settlement outposts will be removed; and the construction for natural growth purposes will continue. 

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said alongside Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit:

With respect to settlements, the President was very clear when Prime Minister Netanyahu was here. He wants to see a stop to settlements - not some settlements, not outposts, not natural growth exceptions. We think it is in the best interests of the effort that we are engaged in that settlement expansion cease. That is our position. That is what we have communicated very clearly, not only to the Israelis but to the Palestinians and others. And we intend to press that point.

Alex Fishman in Yediot Acharonoth:

Prior to his departure for Washington, Defense Minister Ehud Barak issued in the past few days written instructions to the IDF General Staff and other security forces: To prepare for the evacuation of 22 illegal settlement outposts in Judea and Samaria.

Only about 1,200 people live in the 26 settlement outposts defined by the Defense Ministry as "illegal"-including the settlement Migron, which the sides have agreed to evacuate, and including three settlement outposts that were already evacuated in the course of the past year.  It should be noted that the GSS, the IDF and the police have recommended to the political echelon to refrain from forcible evacuation, and to try to reach evacuation by consent.  In a meeting held by Defense Minister Barak with leaders of the Settlers Council last week, they made it clear to him that they did not intend to cooperate and encourage evacuation by consent.

Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi has repeatedly clarified recently that in his opinion, the IDF should not deal with the physical evacuation of settlers.  Since the Amona incidents, top army brass have demanded that the Israel Police stand at the core of the evacuation while the army will only provide the envelope, but the police do not have sufficient forces to carry out the evacuation of several spots simultaneously.

Therefore, it is very reasonable to assume that this is a gradual plan that will be implemented over a long period.  In any case, security sources say that no evacuation will be carried out until Barak's departure for Washington next week, due to the Shavuot holiday.

Early yesterday morning, army and police forces evacuated Mitzpe Avihai, near Kiryat Arba.  The forces demolished the residential building at the spot, and the tent that was put up at the Federman farm.

Several hours later, the tent was put up again, but in the afternoon the security forces returned and demolished the buildings, and clashes broke out at the spot.  The settlers allege that two sets of tefillin [phylacteries] were stolen from the premises.

"Right wing and settler rabbis issued an explicit call yesterday to soldiers and police officers to disobey orders in case of an evacuation of settlement outposts," Zvi Singer wrote in Yediot Acharonoth yesterday:

At the end of their meeting, the rabbis issued a brief statement saying that "the rabbis call upon the Israeli government to back down from its intention to destroy settlements in the land [of Israel], contrary to Halachic opinion, and in abuse of the pioneers laying down their lives for settling it.  This act will increase the rift in the people and the army even further.  Certainly, it is unthinkable for any Jewish soldier or police officer to take part in destroying any of the settlements."

Along with this, extra-parliamentary right wing organizations have decided to join forces in battling against the evacuation of the illegal settlement outposts.  "It will be an outpost war the likes of which has never been seen before," sources in the organizations vowed.  They said that the goal was to refrain from direct confrontation with the forces as much as possible, and to establish two settlement outposts for each outpost that would be evacuated.  "We are going to war," said one hilltop youth activist.  "I do not rule out events similar to those of Amona," added another activist.