ap, GIVAT ASSAF, West Bank — It began with a single tent at a busy West Bank junction two years ago. Now, a playground with a Donald Duck ride and neat lawns between trailer homes give this settlement outpost an air of permanence.
Israel has agreed to remove more than 100 such outposts as part of the U.S.-backed “road map” peace plan, but has taken little action. Instead, the government has quietly funded construction in some and plans to grant legal status to others.
It has been Israel's declared policy for several years not to build new settlements. However, peace activists fear outposts like the one at Givat Assaf are growing into exactly that.
“First a road is built, then a caravan goes up, a few months later there are a dozen trailers,” said Dror Etkes of Peace Now, a watchdog group that monitors settlement growth. He pointed to Maale Adumim, which started out as an archaeological camp and now has 28,000 residents.
Givat Assaf, near the Palestinian town of Ramallah, started with a protest tent near the site where Israeli motorist Assaf Hirschkowitz was killed by Palestinian militants. Today, it is home to 11 families.
The new playground was donated by a wealthy American supporter, said Ehuviel Nizri, 22, who lives in Givat Assaf with his wife and 9-month-old son.
Etkes, the Peace Now spokesman, said such construction is taking place in dozens of outposts. Government ministries either don't know the law forbidding construction on these unrecognized outposts or “pretend they don't,” Etkes said.
Many Orthodox Jews among the settlers believe Israel has a God-given right to the West Bank. Others believe new settlements are vital to Israel's security, establishing a presence along the roads where Israelis have been killed in Palestinian ambushes and in the hills overlooking their homes.
The debate over the outposts has also intensified because Israel is building a security barrier that dips deep across its frontier with the West Bank, sometimes surrounding the settlements.
The White House on Thursday renewed its criticism of the way Israel is constructing the security barrier. President Bush has said Israel had a right to defend itself, but has appealed to Sharon to make sure the fence does not interfere with the lives of Palestinians on the West Bank or take over territory that might be part of the state he has promised the Palestinians in 2005.
Israeli media reports said Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz — who has jurisdiction over the settlements — plans to legalize 30 of the more than 100 outposts. Mofaz met with Rice in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, and an Israeli official traveling with him said Rice had been expected to bring up the issue.
The first phase of the road map calls on Israel to remove the outposts and freeze all settlement construction, while demanding that the Palestinians dismantle militant organizations and end attacks against Israel.
However, Israeli media reports said Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz, who has jurisdiction over the settlements, plans to legalize 30 of the more than 100 outposts.
In June, soldiers and police got into a bloody fistfight with settlers as they dismantled an outpost called Mitzpeh Yitzhar and removed several other outposts.
Critics said the evacuations were a charade aimed at creating the appearance of compliance with the road map. Many of the evacuated posts were isolated, empty structures that were quickly replaced by the settlers.
