On the very day Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu conditionally recognized a demilitarized Palestinian state, construction continued apace in the West Bank, about 30 kilometers east of Bar-Ilan University, the venue of Netanyahu's speech. At the Nofei Nehemia outpost, construction workers completed four prefabricated homes on Sunday. Nofei Nehemia, about two kilometers east of Ariel, is one of 26 outposts the government of former prime minister Ariel Sharon promised the U.S. to evacuate.
For the past two years, settlers have avoided moving homes from place to place, as the Civil Administration and the military have upped their efforts to thwart such activity. In response, caravans have been "smuggled" in parts to outposts and settlements, where they are then assembled.
In his speech, Netanyahu skirted most controversies with the U.S. regarding settlement. He promised that no new settlements would be constructed and that no land would be appropriated to expand existing settlements. However, he did insist on the continued "natural growth" of existing settlements.
In the past few weeks, construction has been noted in several other outposts, too, including Mitzpeh Danny near Ma'aleh Michmash; Havat Yair, west of Ariel; and Havat Avigail in the southern Hebron Hills - all three included on the list Israel promised the Bush administration it would evacuate.
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