Israeli Defense Minister Vows to Dismantle More Illegal Outposts

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Sunday, October 20, 2002

Israeli Defense Minister Vows to Dismantle More Illegal Outposts

Israeli Defense Minister Binyamin Ben Eliezer said Sunday settlers were conducting an insurrection in resisting the army, and vowed to continue taking down illegal outposts "until the end."

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Israeli Defense Minister Binyamin Ben Eliezer said Sunday settlers were conducting an insurrection in resisting the army, and vowed to continue taking down illegal outposts "until the end."

"The revolt of the settlers against the government is a life-and-death danger. If they were not rebelling, we wouldn't need to waste time on this," Ben Eliezer told Israel Radio.

"There are two or three outposts left in this series of evacuations. I intend to carry this out to the end," he said.

Ben Eliezer also ordered police to arrest rioters and prosecute them, the report added.

Some 30 policemen and settlers were wounded Saturday night in clashes which erupted when security forces began the evacuation of the illegal Havat Gilad outpost near the West Bank city of Nablus.

Eighteen policemen were hurt by stones and objects thrown at them, and 10 settlers were injured during the forced evacuation.

The clashes sparked an exchange of verbal debate in Israeli politics. Israeli Infrastructure Minister Effie Eitam, chairman of the settler-dominated National Religious Party, accused Ben Eliezer of deceit, stupidity and cowardice for having allowed troops to be transported on the Sabbath in order to evacuate the outpost.

According to Jewish law, Jews refrain from all Sabbath travel unless obligated by pikuah nefesh, the commandment to save human life, even if the act involves religious transgressions.

Eitam charged that in ordering the removal by force, Ben Eliezer had broken an agreement with the protesters occupying the site, under which they would leave voluntarily.

"This is a form of cowardice diluted with lying. A figure like this, who is prompted by political panic to make decisions like this, cannot be defense minister in Israel," he said.

Ben Eliezer denied that he had ordered the troops to travel on the Sabbath, saying he had asked the Chief of Staff to investigate in the matter.

"But, as citizens, we must not forget for a second that the settlers are located in areas of pikuah nefesh, which takes precedence over (the laws of) the Shabbat, and that the soldiers spend their own holidays in defending them," said the defense minister.

He also denied that any agreement had been reached with settler leaders over the evacuation of the outpost, and insisted that the Israeli forces reserved the right to decide whether or not to post soldiers at the site.

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