by Israel Hayom Staff
Netanyahu's political rivals
have warned him against adopting the Levy report.
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Photo credit: Lior Mizrahi  |
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu planned to
bring retired Supreme Court Judge Edmond Levy's report concerning the
legal status of Israeli construction in Judea and Samaria before his
cabinet on Wednesday, seeking to adopt some of its conclusions, Israel
Radio reported.
According to the report, a designated team
within the Prime Minister's Office recently drafted a proposal on the
issue, which will be presented to the government.
The report,
which was first exposed by Israel Hayom three months ago, was composed
by a committee that included retired Tel Aviv District Court Judge Tchia
Shapira and former Foreign Ministry legal adviser Alan Baker, as well
as committee chairman Levy. The three submitted their report in June but
it wasn't officially released until a month later.
Its main premise was that, under international
law, Israel is not an occupying force in Judea and Samaria as it has a
legal right to settle there. The report recommended reforming the legal
status of the Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria in such a way that
would legalize most of the outposts, currently illegal under Israeli
law.
When the report was first published, Netanyahu
called it "important" and said it "discusses the question of the
legality and legitimacy of the settlement movement in Judea and Samaria
on the basis of the facts and claims that merit serious examination."
Israel Radio quoted senior officials as having
said that Netanyahu would likely seek to implement the report's
recommendations while attempting to circumvent "international law
obstacles." One commentator surmised that Netanyahu wants to ease legal
guidelines that have inhibited construction thus far without making any
fundamental legal changes that could result in scrutiny by the judicial
branch or violate international law.
Likud minister Yisrael Katz clarified that the
prime minister's plan to adopt the report's principles did not mean
that Israel would impose sovereignty over the Jewish communities in
Judea and Samaria. He added that such a move may be considered in the
future. Speaking to Israel Radio, the minister said that adopting the
report's principles would simply pave a smoother path toward providing
the residents of these communities with day-to-day needs and grant them
"a normal life, like the rest of the country's citizens."
Kadima MK Yisrael Hasson criticized the move,
saying that the government was playing with fire on a powderkeg. The
Palestinians do not have a clear diplomatic future, he said, and the
situation is currently very volatile. "Netanyahu's government plans to
enslave the State of Israel for political gain, and we are going to pay
the price," he warned.
Labor Party Chairwoman Shelly Yachimovich also
came out against adopting the report, calling Netanyahu's plan a
"transparent, pointless elections maneuver that won't help the residents
of Judea and Samaria, won't contribute to Israel's national and
international fortitude, and certainly won't help the citizens of
Israel, already burdened to the point of breaking under Netanyahu's
anti-social and destructive policies."
"There is no doubt that Netanyahu is worried
over the public's unwillingness to accept a reality in which a roof over
their heads, a decent living and good health have become luxuries that
only the rich can afford," Yachimovich said. "In his re-election
campaign he will undoubtedly try to force a return to the Left-Right
debate, which no longer exists."
Meanwhile, Defense Minister Ehud Barak also
voiced opposition to Netanyahu's efforts. "Adopting the [Levy] report
will have the opposite effect than its supporters may expect. Adopting
the report will not bolster the settlement in Judea and Samaria, it will
merely undermine Israel's diplomacy efforts and further isolate Israel
from the world. Therefore, such a move should be avoided."
On the other side of the issue, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman declared that the Levy report should be adopted in full.
"The report was compiled by senior legal
experts headed by a retired Supreme Court justice, and adopting it in
its entirety would resolve many problems, both nationally and
internationally," Lieberman said in a statement.
Lieberman added that the committee's
conclusions were accurate and important, "and their adoption by the
government would contribute greatly to the fortitude of the State of
Israel."
Israel Hayom Staff
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=6108
Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.
1 comment:
If Israel does not traverse the PLO claims of Arab inalienable national rights to Palestine, it will be taken as Israel's acceptance of that view. Israel's claim to political or national rights to Palestine stemming from that recognition by the World War I Allies recognition of such rights in the San Remo Resolution should be trumpeted by Israel rather than be kept a secret. Israel was given a beneficial interest in those political or national rights in 1920 with the tacit agreement or understanding that they would get legal dominion over them when the Jews had attained a population majority in Palestine. The rights of the beneficiaries were held in trust by the British who was named as trustee or mandatory power. It had legal dominion over these rights during its term as mandatory but it voluntarily gave up its trusteeship in 1948. In 1950 the Jews met the tacit standard for vesting of sovereignty when it attained a population majority that by now is an 80% majority.
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