Edelstein: Agreement needed
Photo: Haim Zach
Barak with envoy George Mitchell
Photo: AP
Minister Edelstein: Barak making rookie mistakes
Information minister says defense minister's promise to evacuate 23 outposts without consulting Yesha Council may lead to violence
Minister of Information and Diaspora Yuli Edelstein was enraged Monday at Defense Minister Ehud Barak's promise to evacuate 23 West Bank outposts within "weeks or months".
"Major-General Barak is making rookie mistakes by committing to a quick evacuation of outposts," Edelstein said. "This issue can only be cleared up by talking to the heads of settlement in the context of an agreement permitting construction in existing settlements in Judea and Samaria."
Barak's Promise
Defense minister meets with US envoy Mitchell, sees 'progress' in talks although 'there's still a way to go. Mitchell assured by Barak that Israel will dismantle the 23 illegal outposts in space of weeks or months – not years
He added, "The last thing we need is to subject civilians to aggressive evacuations, cat and mouse games, and violent turmoil… These things may have been good for a leftist government, but they are not good for ours."
Edelstein said an agreement over the evacuation of outposts could only be reached after the Yesha Council had been promised construction would not be frozen in settlements.
"Once there is an inclusive agreement we can avoid violence, isolate the marginal groups that won't accept any agreement and act together with the thousands of settlers who support the current government," he said.
The minister added that Barak had probably promised to evacuate the outposts due to US pressure. "I am aware of the pressures but even difficult negotiations require more hesitant diplomatic answers," he said.
"The situation with the US and Europe is not easy, but we have to get down to details and not deal in slogans such as the freezing of construction in settlements. Once you get down to details you notice that even the term 'settlement' has never been properly defined. No one understands if it refers to Jerusalem, outlying communities, or settlement blocs. The freezing of all settlement is actually the freezing of childbirth and this is more suitable for regimes such as Mao's in China. It isn't suitable for a democratic state."
