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MKs 'committed' to prevent settlement freeze extension

Coalition leaders hold 'emergency meeting' ahead of Bibi-Obama talks, say resuming West Bank construction as scheduled necessary to maintain Israel's independence

Leaders of factions that are part of the coalition, excluding Labor, held what they called an "emergency meeting" on Monday, during which they urged the government to resume construction in the West Bank as soon as the moratorium ends in late September.

 

Yesha Council Chairman Danny Dayan and heads of municipalities in the West Bank also attended the meeting, held on the eve of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's meeting with US President Barack Obama in Washington.

 

"We, the heads of Likud, Yisrael Beitenu, Shas, United Torah Judaism (UTJ) and Habayit Hayehudi, as well as members of the Knesset's Land of Israel Lobby vehemently oppose extending the (construction) freeze beyond September 26," they said in a joint statement.

 

Obama is expected to ask the Israeli premier to extend the construction moratorium as part of the effort to advance peace talks with the Palestinians.

 

"Ending the freeze on schedule is the minimum required to preserve Israel as an independent country and to protect its vital interests," the coalition members said.

 

"We are committed to ending the freeze on time and resume construction. We will use all the parliamentary tools and our political influence to make sure this commitment is honored and implemented," the statement read.

 

MK Avraham Michaeli of Shas said, "We hope the prime minister will be strong in the face of the pressures and safeguard the State of Israel's vital interests."

 

Menachem Eliezer Moses, head of the UTJ faction, said he visited the West Bank on Sunday and saw "how (the construction) of educational and public institutions in Jewish communities is being frozen while the Palestinians are building at will."

 

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פרסום ראשון: 07.05.10, 22:26
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