Hasdai Eliezer
Photo: Tomeriko
Alfei Menashe council head chides Yesha Council's 'childish behavior'
Hasdai Eliezer defies settler leaders, agrees to meet Defense Minister Barak; says: 'My past experience with such dilemmas has taught me that dialogue is better'
Hasdai Eliezer, head of the West Bank settlement of Alfei Menashe, defied the Yesha Council's decision not to meet with Defense Minister Ehud Barak and agreed to see him.
A Yesha Council statement said that those meeting with Barak did not represent the general settler population, but Eliezer seemed unfazed: "I was summoned by the defense minister. I, unlike the rest of the council heads, don't think I represent the Yesha Council. I don't think they need representing. I care about Alfei Menashe."
Stubbornness
Defense minister's associates say he and prime minister 'working hand in hand' to enforce settlement freeze, agree to formulate protocols for easing lives of settlers as much as possible. 'Grey areas' to be taken into account, such as initial construction, building additions. Barak summons settler leaders to meeting, only two agree to attend
"I don't think anyone should dismiss the defense minister," he added, "Regardless of ideological differences."
Barak, he continued, "is often criticized for influencing Bibi (Netanyahu), but if we can talk to the person who issued the (freeze) orders we should… This boycott in unacceptable to me."
Earlier Wednesday, Netanyahu and Barak agreed to try and facilitate normalcy in West Bank settlements by allowing as many projects as they can - i.e. those falling under the "grey areas" of the settlement freeze policy – to continue.
Nevertheless, Eliezer said the process of decision making in the matter was faulty: "You have to look at potential damage to individuals. There are a lot of problematic points here, but they can be resolved, but that should have been done before the warrants were issued. I myself was served on Friday night – that indicated certain hysteria," he said.
Eliezer was also critical of his peers, whom he said waited too long to protest. "I ask my friends – where were you for the past year? There was no construction this year, not a single yard – a freeze. What made the difference now – a warrant?"
