With Donald Trump's administration nearing its end, settler leaders have begun to pressure Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to their demands before he leaves the White House in January.
Following a recent visit by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that included a trip to the West Bank settlement of Psagot, local leaders said Joe Biden's incoming administration would bring with it uncertainty and that now was the time to act.
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U.S. secretary of State Mike Pompeo and a bottle of wine named after him in the West Bank winery in Psagot
(Photo: AFP)
Even so, they have not been able to agree on what they would like Netanyahu to do first.
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Settlers squat in the abandoned West Bank settlement of Sa-Nur
(Photo: Saria Diamond)
Last week, 15 families took over an abandoned building in the deserted settlement of Sa-Nur, which was evacuated in 2005 during the disengagement from Gaza.
The squatters at Sa-Nur, which was one of five northern West Bank settlements evacuated in 2005, demanded the Netanyahu government take definitive steps to allow Jews to re-settle the area. They left the area after the intervention of Likud MK and Netanyahu confidant Miki Zohar, who reportedly pledged to raise the issue with the prime minister.
Settlers have also been pushing for a legal solution to some 70 settlements that were established without government approval, in order to avoid any future legal action against them.
Another demand on the settlers' agenda is a swift change to an existing law that requires a referendum of all Israeli citizens residing in the country before any future territorial concession in the West Bank. The settlers, who live in a territory that has not been annexed, want to ensure that they are included in the referendum.
There are other outstanding demands made of the government by the settlers that have not been met, such as the removal of Palestinians living in the village of Khan al-Ahmar on the outskirts of the settlement of Ma'ale Adumim.
The removal of the village would facilitate the settlement's territorial contiguity to Jerusalem, but despite assurances by the government, this has not yet been implemented.
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Children play in the Palestinian village of Khan al-Ahmar, which is slated for demolition
(Photo: Reuters)
"This has been a year of rude awakenings," one settler leader said. "I have lost any faith I once had in the prime minister."
But not all his colleagues feel the same, and the settler leadership is divided. What began with disagreements over the Trump Mideast peace plan - which included the recognition of a future Palestinian state alongside Israel - has now evolved into a deepening rift.
With sovereignty over parts of the West Bank no longer an option, the leaders are split over support for Netanyahu.
Though all their demands are valid and important, settlers leaders understand that an excess of demands will result in none being met.
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu campaigning in the Jordan Valley before the March 2020 elections
(Photo: GPO)
They also agree that when push comes to shove, and their assistance is required to ensure Netanyahu's re-election, they will all be in the trenches, knocking on doors and enlisting support for him.
But their only hope of actually being heard by the prime minister lies in their ability to unite around one clear demand.