Prime minister, defense minister hold late-night meeting ahead of latter's upcoming visit to Washington, agree Israel will offer to dismantle the 26 illegal West Bank outposts in exchange for US approval of continued construction in larger settlement blocs http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3721554,00.html<
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"Israel will dismantle the 26 illegal outposts in the West Bank within a matter of weeks in return for the resumption of the 'natural growth' of existing settlement blocs. This is the offer Defense Minister Ehud Barak will present to the US administration during his visit to Washington next week.
The deal was agreed upon in a late-night meeting Sunday between Barak and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu."
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"Barak is scheduled to meet Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and National Security Advisor, former General James Jones.
Taking down the outposts, the defense minister will say, constitutes an tangible act of good will towards the Palestinians. In exchange he will ask for more flexibility on Washington's part in regards to their demand for a total freeze on all settlement construction – including natural growth."
Likud MKs angry as PM seeks to relocate settlers <
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"Tensions are rising in Likud over yesterday's comments by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the need to evacuate illegal outposts in the West Bank in order to allow the government to focus on the real priority - dealing with the Iranian nuclear threat.
Netanyahu caught his party colleagues unprepared yesterday when he backed Defense Minister Ehud Barak's stance on the outposts, saying that, "The Defense Minister and I work in a coordinated fashion. He does not run an independent policy. During the election campaign I said we are a country where the law reigns and that we would deal with the matter of illegal outposts, if possible through dialogue and agreements, as the defense minister is doing. These days are not normal. I am asking for your understanding, your trust and your support."
Likud colleagues believe Netanyahu is working on a political program that will include the evacuation of the outposts and that he is preparing the ground in the party for such moves. "We understood that the timetable is short and we are embarking on steps that will not be popular," a senior Likud MK said yesterday."
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"As the Likud faction was meeting in the Knesset, Labor chairman Barak echoed Netanyahu when he told his party colleagues that "we will work to remove the outposts through dialogue. If that fails, we will do so unilaterally with the use of appropriate force. There is no need to say any more - we will begin operations in the coming weeks. A country must maintain authority vis-a-vis its citizens."
Netanyahu placed his statements in a historic context: "We are living in unusual times. The danger is steadily approaching. The gravest danger lies in not identifying the danger. My job is to identify the danger to Israel. Our situation in 1996 and 1999 is nothing like the situation today. We need broad unity in order to counter the threat. Who will lead the defense against the threat? Unless we do so, no one else will. In this difficult situation leadership is needed."
In essence, Netanyahu defined his new priorities for his colleagues: the threat of a nuclear Iran tops the list, superseding settlement construction."
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1088179.html