The government of Israel will try to evacuate unauthorized West Bank settler’s outposts before the U.S. presidential elections in November, sources in the PM office said Saturday.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is expected to receive the report of Justice Ministry attorney Talia Sasson in two months.
Sasson was charged with finding a legal solution for a speedy evacuation of the outposts.
Sharon Aids hope that Sasson’s recommendations would provide the government with “more effective tools to evacuate the outpostsâ€Â
As preparing the report would take around 8 more weeks, and as steps to approve it and prepare for implementing recommendations would take few more weeks, its hard to conclude that the actual evacuation of outposts is possible prior to the U.S. Presidential elections.
Defense Ministry officials dismissed Sharon’s aids criticisms over lack of action to remove outposts and over public bragging on settlement’s expansion, explaining that responsibility was shared and that “all decisions on outposts and construction in settlements were made by Sharon and Defense Minister Shaul Mofazâ€Â
According to the defense ministry reports, 23 outposts have been built in the West Bank since March 2001, when Sharon came to power.
The administrative and legal steps to evacuate the outposts were presented last Thursday to White House envoy Elliot Abrams.
Israel promised the U.S. administration to submit the list of unauthorized outposts and the plan to remove them by April 18.
American sources reported that the U.S. Administration was frustrated of Israel’s lack of action and failure to fulfill obligations.
