Nationalists are conducting a campaign to pressure coalition ministers to oppose a plan by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to ask the Cabinet for approval to officially freeze building for Jews in Judea and Samaria for 10 months. National Union party chairman Yaakov (Ketzaleh) Katz called on Likud ministers Moshe Yaalon and Gilad Erdan not to remain silent and to help pressure the Prime Minister to forget about any freeze on building. “Why do you remain silent?” he asked. An Israeli television report of the proposed official freeze confirms statements attributed to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that the Prime Minister told her on a recent visit he agreed to the halt in construction that is strongly backed by U.S. President Barack Obama. The proposal would not affect eastern Jerusalem but is intended to coax Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas into returning to talks with Israel on establishing a new PA state, which it demands include all of eastern Jerusalem as well as Judea and Samaria. The de facto freeze already is in effect for new tenders in all of the areas despite the Prime Minister’s statements that building in the capital continues as usual. Housing Minister Ariel Attias (Shas) recently confirmed that the Netanyahu government has not approved any new tenders for building in eastern Jerusalem as well as Judea and Samaria, creating a de facto freeze. Construction continues on projects where tenders already have been published, but Abbas has demanded that Israel stop all housing developments. Zev (Zambish) Hever Prime Minister Netanyahu’s policies are similar to those of former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who executed a 180-degree turn in policies and carried out the destruction of Jewish homes and expulsion of Jews in Gaza and parts of northern Samaria, according to Amana director Zev (Zambish) Hever. Amana is an organization that helps finance and build homes in Judea and Samaria. He called on nationalists to help convince coalition MKs to oppose a building freeze and said, “There is no need to topple the government.” Jewish Home chairman Rabbi Dr. Daniel Hershkowitz, whose party joined the government coalition on condition of not sacrificing any parts of Judea and Samaria, admitted that “coalition members are not with us” in the struggle against a building freeze.
