Netanyahu and Dagan
Netanyahu and DaganGPO

A senior official in Judea and Samaria responded to a statement made by a political source in Jerusalem that the construction demands of the head of the Samaria Regional Council, Yossi Dagan, would harm relations between Israel and the United States.

"Netanyahu, unfortunately, is not really building the settlements," said the official. "His intentions are good, but the results are indeed poor."

"After eight years of 'construction drought', half a million people are expected to stand and applaud the approval of only 3,000 construction units, and these numbers are inflated as each stage of authorization. A house in Judea and Samaria is counted five times, it seems, because if you actually divide the publicized number into five, only then do you get the actual number of issued building permits.

"Half a million people cannot be satisfied when the number of building permits stands at half a percent of the population per year. It's ridiculous by any measure, and certainly absurd when the percentage of growth in Judea and Samaria stands at an average of eight percent a year.

The source added, "The head of the Samaria Regional Council, Yossi Dagan, is correct in his arguments, and it is strange that the prime minister chooses, through 'senior political officials', to attack the head of the Samaria Regional Council instead of answering his arguments in a matter-of-fact way, dealing with the construction issue instead of squaring personal accounts."