A senior Israeli source reported on Monday evening that the Israeli Attorney General Menachem Mazuz denied media reports which claimed that the state had signed a deal with Hebron settlers enabling them to voluntarily leave the Hebron’s wholesale market to be allowed to return their legally later on.
Mazuz issued a press released and harshly slammed the media reports regarding reaching an agreement. The reports roused harsh criticism from the Israeli political left.
Member of Knesset, Ran Cohen, from the Meretz-Yahad party called on Mazuz to cancel the deal.
Cohen said that the evacuation should be carried in accordance with government notification to the High Court of Justice, and added that the army does not have any authority to interfere in issues that extend beyond its jurisdiction.
"The evacuation must be carried as planned", Cohen stated, "It should be conducted without any conditions or compromises".
Mazuz released a statement later in the day and said that there is no compromise proposed by the Israel on the evacuation of the whole sale market in Hebron.
He added that the evacuation should be voluntary, and that it does not involve any compromises.
Mazuz also said that the state has made no obligation to repopulate the structure which should be evacuated.
Meanwhile, settlers of the illegal outpost claimed that they have an agreement to legalize the outpost.
In accordance to the claimed agreement, the state promises to speed up legal proceedings "that will make them return to the market".
On Sunday, some 4000 Israeli policemen and 2000 soldiers conducted evacuation training on Sunday.
Also on Sunday, Brigadier General Yair Golan, commander of the Israeli forces in the West Bank, met with Hebron settlement leaders to present the Israel’s final offer.
Israeli online daily, Haaretz, reported that under the terms of the deal, which has been approved by Acting Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, and Defense Minister, Shaul Mofaz, settlers would voluntarily evacuate the stores which they occupied, and in return, the military establishment would speed up a legal examination of the possibility of expropriating the market from the Hebron municipality and leasing it to the settlers.
Israel claims that the Palestinian wholesale market was originally owned by Jews and was seized by Jordan in 1948, and then it was transferred to the Hebron Municipality.
Haaretz said that the state has told the High Court that the squatters themselves would not be allowed to return; "The buildings would only be leased to settlers who were not there illegally".
Meanwhile, the Israeli Labor Party sharply slammed the deal on Monday and considered it surrender to Hebron rioters".
The party said that Olmert was exposed "in all of his weakness", and surrendered to the settler rioters.
The agreement was also slammed by Meretz-Yahad Chairman Yossi Beilin who said that this deal is considered a "submission to the violent settlers".
He also considered the deal as an embarrassing compromise which showed submission to the settlers who broke the law.
Also, Shinui party slammed the deal and said that Olmert failed his first test and presented his weakness. The party added that the state should not compromise with those who break the law.
