The Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon told the visiting US envoys on Tuesday that Israel intends to dismantle the unauthorized settlers’ outpost in the West Bank as soon as possible.
Sharon said he was ‘committed to the obligations Israel had undertaken, and would act to carry them out as soon as possible.’
Washington’s impatience at Israel’s delay of removing the outpost has been mounting. The White House said few weeks ago that Sharon has done nothing of the promises he made to President George W. Bush during their meeting on April 14, in which the second recognized the major West Bank settlement blocs and approved the current route of the Wall.
Sharon met for two hours with the American envoys to discuss the disengagement plan, construction of the West Bank wall and Israel’s obligations to evacuate settlement outposts and ease restrictions on Palestinian civilians.
Hadley and Abrams also met Tuesday with the Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz, his Chief of Staff Moshe Ya’alon and Shin Bet internal security chief Avi Dichter. They were also briefed by National Security Advisor Giora Eiland and by Justice Ministry Director General Aharon Abramovitz on developments in the unilateral disengagement plan.
Israeli sources said setters were trying to bring new residents to the outposts and have already resettled an evacuated unauthorized northern West Bank outpost of Ein Horon last week.
The Ein Horon outpost is on a list given to the American authorities two weeks ago as one of the unauthorized outposts the government had already evacuated.
