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Photo: Gil Yohanan
Amona evacuees announcing a hunger strike
Photo: Gil Yohanan

Amona evacuees go on a hunger strike

Settlers protest the fact Prime Minister Netanyahu, who promised them a new settlement, appears to be dragging his feet on the matter; 'We feel like Netanyahu is just leading us on,' one of the settlers said.

The former residents of the Amona outpost announced Thursday that they are launching a hunger strike to protest the fact the government has yet to start construction on a new settlement promised to them.

 

 

Amona was evacuated last month, over two years after the High Court of Justice found the outpost to be illegal and its homes built on privately-owned Palestinian homes.

 

"You destroyed – now build, stick to your word," they called Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

  

Representatives of the Amona evacuees announcing a hunger strike at Thursday's press conference (Photo: Gil Yohanan) (Photo: Gil Yohanan)
Representatives of the Amona evacuees announcing a hunger strike at Thursday's press conference (Photo: Gil Yohanan)

 

"We feel like Netanyahu is just leading us on," said Tamar Nizri, one of the settlers, in a press conference held outside the Prime Minister's Residence.

 

As of now, several of the evacuees have gone a hunger strike and have declared they would continue their strike until progress is made on building their new settlement. The evacuees made it clear that if the new settlement is not built, they will go back to Amona.

 

Avichai Buaron, the leader of the Amona struggle, said that the agreement to build the evacuees a new settlement was signed by the prime minister himself and his staff.

 

"At first they told us to wait because Donald Trump had just taken office. After that they told us to wait until Netayahu met with him, and after the meeting they just claimed that it's not so simple and waited for us to give up," Buaron said. "They hoped the public will forget. We have no intention of giving up and the public never forgets."

 

The Amona evacuees said that PMO bureau chief Yoav Horovitz contacted them last week to clarify that the prime minister has not backed out on his promise to build them a new settlement.

 

During the press conference, the Amona evacuees also addressed the legal aspect of the agreement, saying that they can sue the state if the new settlement is not built. "This agreement, if presented in court, will force the state to keep their word. We do not want to bring the prime minister to the stand," Buaron, a lawyer, said.

 


פרסום ראשון: 03.02.17, 15:47
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