Landau to settlers: No return to Auschwitz borders

Protesters against renewal of freeze block entrance to J'lem; minister addresses thousands protesting outside PM's Office.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Settler Freeze Protest 311 (photo credit: Marc Israel Sellem)
Settler Freeze Protest 311
(photo credit: Marc Israel Sellem)
Thousands of settlers protested outside the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem on Sunday against a potential freeze on construction in West Bank settlements.
Dozens of young people also blocked the entrance to Jerusalem. Police dispersed the protesters and arrested two people.
Earlier, National Infrastructures Minister Uzi Landau (Israel Beiteinu), an opponent of an additional freeze, addressed the demonstrators.
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"The Oslo accords are a fatal disease whose traces we can still see inside of us today. Israel has changed its tune. We said said we wouldn't leave the Golan or the Bekaa. We said we wouldn't return to the '67 borders, which are Auschwitz borders. We said we wouldn't divide Jerusalem or evacuate the settlements. But each year we see the governments are ready to make concessions."
Landau equated evacuating settlements to "transfer" and blamed Netanyahu's government for playing into the hands of the left-wing, who have defined settlers as enemies of peace.
Many of those protesting were students, as schools in the Shomron and Binyamin regional councils, as well as the West Bank towns of Kedumim, Karnei Shomron, Efrat, Kiryat Arba and Beit El were closed. All municipal services also planned to strike.
The West Bank settlers are calling this a "warning strike," aiming to caution the government of the dangers of an additional construction freeze.
Over 70 buses of demonstrators were expected to reach the Prime Minister's Office on Sunday.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is on the verge of agreeing to another 90-day settlement moratorium to facilitate negotiations with the Palestinians in exchange for a squadron of planes and a package of written US commitments. He is expected to meet with Likud ministers opposing the proposal on Sunday morning.