Beit El Mayor Shai Alon on Sunday morning 24 Sivan joined the protest tent at the Knesset Rose Garden. The protesters are demanding the prime minister permit building in Beit El, in line with his promise to build a new neighborhood of 300 homes after residents of the Ulpana neighborhood left without a confrontation. However, it has been five hours but this is yet to occur, as is the case with residents of Migron, who evacuated their community voluntarily too, in the same year, also receiving meaningless promises from the prime minister and his cabinet. Migron residents have recently sent a message to the prime minister as well, citing it does not take five years for the government to obtain the necessary permits to build.

Persons manning the tent explain they were lied to and duped, citing the absurd, how 14,000 homes were approved in PA (Palestinian Authority) controlled Kalkilye while no building has been approved in Beit El. Alon threatens “If by the end of the week Netanyahu does not approve the building of the homes, I will call on all municipality leaders to cut ties with him. As he lied to us he will lie to them. I plan to head to the High Court of Justice against the Prime Minister for failing to fulfil a government agreement. Perhaps they will bring an end to the culture of lying that Netanyahu carries out with us”.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)