OFFICIALS FROM Israel’s Civil Administration, responsible for civilian affairs in the West Bank, yesterday handed out papers to Jewish councils ordering them to stop issuing new construction permits.
The move follows Wednesday’s decision by Israel freezing building at West Bank settlements for 10 months as a goodwill gesture to the Palestinians in an effort to jump-start the stalled Middle East peace process.
The Civil Administration also revoked all new building permits, although construction will be allowed to continue on some 3,000 structures where foundations have already been laid.
The construction moratorium does not cover Jewish housing projects in Arab east Jerusalem.
Aircraft will periodically photograph settlements in order to monitor construction sites.
Settlers and some right-wing politicians have reacted angrily to the new restrictions, accusing prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu of breaking election promises and caving in to US pressure.
Moshe Rosenbaum, the council head of Beit El, north of Jerusalem, tore up the new order in front of the Civil Administration officers. Other councils refused to receive the orders.
Shaul Goldstein, the head of the Gush Etzion council, between Jerusalem and Bethlehem, warned that the moratorium would only lead to more pressure on Israel.
“The settlers will fight the freeze decision by any means at their disposal,” he said.
Despite the new restrictions, defence minister Ehud Barak has given the green light to construction of 28 new public buildings in West Bank settlements. Israeli officials explained that certain building of structures, such as schools and synagogues, would be permitted to accommodate “natural growth” during the 10-month moratorium.
Israeli aircraft yesterday targeted a group of militants in the northern Gaza strip, killing one man and wounding three others. The Israeli military said the men belonged to an Islamic Salafist group linked to al-Qaeda, and were about to fire a rocket into Israel.
According to an army statement, the rocket launcher was destroyed, in addition to the militants being hit.
Sporadic rocket fire has continued despite last week’s announcement from Hamas officials in Gaza that they had reached agreement with representatives of the smaller factions to stop such attacks, which invariably lead to retaliatory air strikes from Israel.
The army statement said it viewed Hamas as being fully responsible for maintaining quiet in the south and that the army would continue to respond severely to any attempt to shatter the calm.
Rocket fire has significantly decreased since Israel’s three-week military operation in Gaza almost a year ago, but militants continue to smuggle rockets and other weapons via tunnels built under the border between Gaza and the Egyptian Sinai.
Hamas officials and Israeli representatives are due to resume contacts next Monday, via a German mediator, on a prisoner swap under which Israel is expected to release hundreds of prisoners in return for Gilad Shalit, the soldier captured by militants on the Gaza border 3½ years ago.