Ariël
Ministerial committee on settlements with participation of Netanyahu and Barak approve further settlement building as response to the fatal stabbing in West Bank settlement in which family of five were slain.
The ministerial committee on settlement affairs decided Saturday night to approve the construction of hundreds of housing units in several West Bank settlements, a move that came in response to a deadly attack on a family of five in the settlement of Itamar on Friday.
The approval of further settlement building follows several long months wherein no construction was approved. The move involves measured construction of several hundred housing units within settlement blocs.
Some 500 housing units are due for construction in the settlements of Gush Etzion, Ma'ale Adumim, Ariel, and Kiryat Sefer.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak took part in the meeting on Saturday night. During the discussion, several alternatives to further settlement building were discussed, such as starting a new settlement, or widening the settlement of Itamar but the end the decision, supported by Barak, was to continue construction in settlement blocs.
The Fogel family was killed Friday night when a suspected terrorist broke into their home in the West Bank settlement of Itamar and stabbed them all to death.
The prime minister's office notified the White House on Saturday night of Israel's intention to approve new settlement construction. A government official said that this was a strategic decision to build in settlements that will remain in Israel's control in any possible peace agreement with the Palestinians.
Source: Haaretz
Prophecy:
"The Lord said, “son of man, speak to the mountains of Israel [Judea & Samaria] and tell them to listen to the message which I, the Sovereign Lord, have for them: Israel's enemies gloated and said, ‘Now those ancient hills are ours!’ [Palestinian land] “Prophesy, then, and announce what I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying. When the neighboring nations captured and plundered the mountains of Israel, everyone made fun of Israel. But on the mountains of Israel the trees will again grow leaves and bear fruit for you, my people Israel. You are going to come home soon. I am on your side, and I will make sure that your land is plowed again and crops are planted on it. I will make your population grow. You will live in the cities and rebuild everything that was left in ruins. I will make people and cattle increase in number. There will be more of you than ever before, and you will have many children. I will let you live there as you used to live, and I will make you more prosperous than ever. Then you will know that I am the Lord. I will bring you, my people Israel, back to live again in the land. It will be your own land, and it will never again let your children starve. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken. The land will no longer have to listen to the nations making fun of it or see the peoples sneer at it. The land will no longer rob the nation of its children. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken.” (from Ezekiël Chapter 36)
