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                                                                                         WORLD NEWS Saturday 10 december 2016


















                 Facing evacuation, West Bank settlers remain defiant




            TIA GOLDENBERG               forces on the other.         cusing  it  of  ruling  unfairly  stay  for  a  while.  Wooden  na  was  dropped  from  the
            Associated Press             In  2014,  Israel’s  Supreme  against   settlers.   Netan-  structures  complete  with  draft  bill  after  a  coalition
            AMONA,  West  Bank  (AP)  Court  ordered  Amona  to  yahu, himself a strong sup-       flush  toilets  and  a  working  partner  refused  to  support
            —  Facing  a  court-ordered  be evacuated, after it de-   porter  of  the  settlements,  kitchen  have  popped  up  legislation  that  would  vio-
            evacuation,  residents  of  termined  the  outpost  was  also  is  wary  of  being  seen  around  the  community,  late the Supreme Court de-
            the  Jewish  settlement  out-  built  on  private  Palestinian  as  soft  by  the  harder-line  as  have  some  two  dozen  cision.
            post of Amona in the West  land,  giving  the  govern-    settler allies who dominate  greenhouses,  meant  to  A  revised  bill,  which  re-
            Bank  are  digging  in  for  a  ment  until  this  Dec.  25  to  his government.       serve  as  sleeping  areas  ceived preliminary approv-
            fight  to  the  finish.  Vowing                                                                                     al  from  Israel’s  parliament
            fierce  but  nonviolent  resis-                                                                                     this  week,  is  moving  for-
            tance, they have built shel-                                                                                        ward without Amona, leav-
            ters, bathrooms and a large                                                                                         ing unsolved the fate of the
            kitchen  to  host  thousands                                                                                        outpost’s 300 residents.
            of supporters they hope will                                                                                        The  anti-settlement  group
            join them in their struggle to                                                                                      Peace Now estimates that
            stay put.                                                                                                           the bill would legalize some
            With  the  Dec.  25  evacu-                                                                                         4,000  homes  in  outposts
            ation  date  approaching,                                                                                           and   settlements   across
            Israel’s  pro-settler  govern-                                                                                      the West Bank. Palestinians
            ment  is  scrambling  to  find                                                                                      who claim to own land that
            a solution, fearing a repeat                                                                                        has been incorporated into
            of  the  violent  showdown                                                                                          a settlement would receive
            between  extremist  settlers                                                                                        compensation  under  the
            and  Israeli  security  forces                                                                                      bill,  which  is  expected  to
            that  took  place  on  this                                                                                         face tough legal challeng-
            same  wind-swept  hilltop  a                                                                                        es if it passes.
            decade ago.                                                                                                         Aside  from  the  rogue  out-
            Residents are playing down                                                                                          posts,  the  West  Bank  is
            any  expectations  of  vio-                                                                                         home to an additional 120
            lence, saying the arrival of                                                                                        settlements that Israel con-
            supporters  is  meant  as  a                                                                                        siders legal.
            show  of  strength.  But  they   Jewish settler youths play basketball in Amona, an unauthorized Israeli outpost in the West Bank,   The  Palestinians  and  the
            are  hunkering  down  in     east of the Palestinian town of Ramallah. Residents of the Amona settlement outpost in the West   international   community
            hopes  that  a  last-minute   Bank are digging in for a fight to the finish despite an impending court-ordered evacuation. With   consider  both  settlements
            deal can still be struck that   the Dec. 25 evacuation date approaching, Israel’s pro-settler government is scrambling to find a   and  outposts  illegal  or  ille-
            would  thwart  an  evacua-   solution, fearing a showdown between extremist settlers and security forces.           gitimate  and  an  obstacle
                                                                                                   (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner)
            tion.                                                                                                               to the creation of a Pales-
            “Amona must remain here                                                                                             tinian  state.  In  a  position
            on the hill,” said Eli Green-  tear down the outpost’s 50  “We  are  working  overtime  that can house thousands.   that is widely backed inter-
            berg, a community spokes-    trailer  homes.  The  outpost,  to  find  a  responsible  solu-  Greenberg,  the  spokes-  nationally,  the  Palestinians
            man who has lived in Amo-    built in the 1990s, stretches  tion to the issue of Amona  man,  said  Israeli  farmers  want the West Bank, along
            na  since  2004.  “Destroying  out  over  a  rugged,  grassy  and for similar cases in the  have  pledged  to  donate  with  the  Gaza  Strip  and
            Amona  is  bad  for  every-  hilltop and looks out across  future,” Netanyahu told his  five  tons  of  vegetables  to  east  Jerusalem,  for  their
            one. It’s unjust, it’s immoral,  the  valley  onto  Palestin-  weekly  Cabinet  meeting  feed incoming supporters.   hoped-for state. Israel cap-
            it’s good for nothing and it  ian  villages.  Beyond  the  on  Sunday.  “We  must  act  And in a last ditch attempt,  tured those territories in the
            can be easily prevented.”    homes,  the  outpost  has  a  responsibly  and  prudently  the settlers have launched  1967 Mideast war.
            Amona  is  the  largest  of  synagogue  and  a  basket-   here  for  a  common  goal:  a   crowd-funding    cam-    The  settlers  in  Amona  are
            about  100  unauthorized  ball  court  and  is  speckled  to defend settlements, and  paign  that  has  already  hoping  that  their  fate  can
            outposts  —  erected  with-  with vineyards.              to defend the court.”        raised  nearly  $80,000  “to  still  be  linked  to  the  settle-
            out  permission  but  gener-  Amona’s plight has threat-  Ahead  of  the  looming  establish  a  legal,  explana-   ment  legalization  bill.  But
            ally tolerated by the Israeli  ened to tear apart Netan-  evacuation,  Amona  has  tory and practical defense,  even  with  the  evacuation
            government — that dot the  yahu’s coalition.              been  buzzing  with  activ-  and to save our homes.”      likely  to  move  forward,  at-
            West Bank.                   The Israeli leader has been  ity.  About  a  dozen  youths,  Hoping  to  find  a  loophole  tempts  to  relocate  Amo-
              The  outpost  became  a  forced  to  find  a  balance  wearing skullcaps and long  to the court ruling, the gov-  na’s  residents  have  hit
            symbol  of  settler  defiance  between appeasing his set-  side locks common for set-  ernment  has  promoted  a  snags.  A  plan  to  move
            after  the  partial  evacua-  tler constituents and main-  tler hard-liners, meandered  bill that would retroactively  them  to  a  nearby  plot  of
            tion a decade ago sparked  taining the integrity of Isra-  around the hilltop on a re-  legalize  Amona  as  well  as  land appears to have been
            violent  clashes  between  el’s  Supreme  Court,  which  cent  day.  Some  carried  thousands  of  other  homes  thwarted  after  Palestinians
            residents  and  allied  activ-  often  comes  under  attack  large  backpacks,  indicat-  built  on  privately-owned  objected, saying they own
            ists on one side and security  by  hard-line  legislators  ac-  ing  they  were  planning  to  Palestinian  land.  But  Amo-  the property.q
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