Settlement of Revava, Tuesday morning
Photo courtesy of Shomron Settlers' Committee
IDF: Mild resistance to settlement freeze orders
Despite settler reports of clashes with inspectors enforcing construction moratorium, army says most patrols in West Bank went by uneventfully. 'Policy is to resolve disputes through dialogue,' IDF official says
The IDF on Tuesday reported of a small number of confrontations between West Bank settlers and Defense Ministry inspectors handing out construction freeze orders, contradicting earlier settler reports of massive resistance.
"As of now, the only problematic place was Kiryat Arba due to a dispute with the local council regarding construction in a particular area," an army official said, "It was decided that the inspectors would leave the area without issuing freeze orders on condition that construction at the site is halted and bulldozers are removed until the area's status is clarified."
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The IDF official said the government's policy is to avoid confrontations with local council heads in the West Bank and "resolve the disputes through dialogue."
Civil Administration inspectors patrolled the West Bank and the Jordan Valley on Tuesday to enforce the government's decision to freeze settlement construction for a 10-month period in an effort to jumpstart peace talks.
David Azoulay, chairman of Tel Tzion's secretariat, also said the inspectors' visit to the settlement went by uneventfully. "The inspectors left after taking photos of some of the (construction) sites. They did not hand out freeze orders. The construction will continue," he said.
Azoulay said some residents held a rally in protest of the construction freeze, adding that in any case the moratorium should not be enforced "in an aggressive manner."
Tuesday morning saw dozens of Kiryat Arba residents clash with Civil Administration inspectors, who were trying to halt construction works in the Jewish settlement near Hebron and confiscate tools, and forced them to leave the area. The residents claimed that the works were authorized and began several months ago.
Among the protestors was Kiryat Arba Council head Malachi Levinger, who said, "We would like them to disappear to where they came from." Levinger added that "A group of 15 people arrived here. They stood in the area for nearly an hour, and when they realized that we won't allow them to work, they left shamefacedly. Here the works continue even more vigorously."
Tal Rabinovsky contributed to the report
