The ongoing dispute over the dismantling of the Ramat Gilad outpost came to an end this week. The Defense Ministry, leaders of the Yesha Council (the umbrella body of Jewish settlements in Judea and Samaria), and residents of Ramat Gilad reached an agreement whereby nine temporary structures built on private Palestinian property will be relocated to a different area of the outpost. In exchange for the residents' willingness to relocate the structures -- which include homes and warehouses -- the state agreed on Wednesday to retroactively authorize the outpost as a neighborhood within the Karnei Shomron Regional Council. The agreement was reached after several weeks of intensive negotiations between the Defense Minister along with MK Benny Begin (Likud), Yesha Council leaders including the organization's chairman Danny Dayan, and West Bank land dealer Moshe Zar, who claims he bought the land for Ramat Gilad from Palestinians. According to the agreement, the houses will be relocated, within two months, to a distance of less than 100 meters (about 110 yards) from where they are now, to land recognized as state-owned. Later on, a construction plan will be introduced to develop Ramat Gilad as a new, permanent neighborhood of the Karnei Shomron Regional Council. Meanwhile, the evacuated land will remain in Moshe Zar's possession and will be used for agriculture purposes. Yesha Council Chairman Dayan welcomed the agreement on Wednesday, saying the arrangement prevents any further disputes and strengthens the entire outpost and settlement, Israel Radio reported. In opposition to the agreement, Peace Now leader Yariv Oppenheimer said the government's "agreement of surrender" to the hilltop youth proves that violence and the outpost enterprise pays: First build illegally, then obtain authorization for the structures and establish a new settlement. The Ramat Gilad outpost was founded in 2002 in the memory of Samaria Regional Council Security Coordinator Gilad Zar, who was killed by terrorists in 2001, and is home to about a dozen families. The issue of unauthorized outposts has routinely caused tempers to flare on the Right. In September, the demolition of structures in Migron, another contested outpost slated for removal next year, led to clashes with settlers and even to suspected price-tag" retribution attacks in the form of vandalism on Arab property and Israeli army bases. Earlier this month, a group of settler youth stormed military compounds and historical landmarks on the Jordanian border in an effort to divert forces from a pending evacuation attempt, which was eventually aborted. This unprecedented action against what is perhaps the most cherished institution in Israeli society -- the IDF -- elicited widespread condemnation from both sides of the political divide.
Government, settlers make deal to save Ramat Gilad outpost
Settlers agree to relocate nine structures from private Palestinian land to land recognized as state-owned • In exchange, government agrees to authorize Ramat Gilad as neighborhood within Karnei Shomron Regional Council.
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