The ‘Deal of the Century’ has deepened the division among extremist Jewish settlers in the West Bank. Mayor of Ariel Eli Shaviro announced on Monday that he was rescinding his membership in the Yesha Council over the umbrella organization of settler mayors’ opposition to the Trump peace plan.
The Council responded with a decision to double the number of Jewish residents from half a million to one million.
Political sources said that these disputes are bigger than they seem, and they reflect deep conflicts among settlers not between only leaders.
The sources affirmed that the dispute extended to Likud Party, with ministers and deputies considering to rebel against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which is one of the reasons why the government’s cabinet session was delayed on Sunday.
“I feel that the council does not represent the views of many [West Bank mayors], my city and myself. Therefore I am announcing my resignation from the Yesha Council,” Shaviro said.
He added that the pretext is establishing the Palestinian state but this matter is not new. Many spoke about that: Yitzhak Rabin, Ehud Barak, Ariel Sharon, Ehud Olmert, and Netanyahu spoke also about the two-state solution. Anyone who wants a true settlement should be convinced that establishing a Palestinian state is a must, Shaviro stressed.
Beit El Local Council Chairman Shai Alon rejected to wait until the elections are over. He added that in case no actions were taken then the next government will be a left-wing govt that takes them years back in all matters of construction and settlement.
In 2019, the Israeli population of Judea and Samaria rose by 15,229, compared to a rise of 12,964 in 2018. Over the last decade, the population has increased by a total of 152,263 representing a 48 percent increase. By the end of 2019, the population in Judea and Samaria’s nearly 150 Israeli towns reached 463,901, with a total annual net growth rate of 3.4 percent, revealed Yesha Council.
