Settlers fear razing of Ramat Gilad outpost

Defense Ministry says no deal to save the outpost is in the works.

By TOVAH LAZAROFF
Migron Demolition 311 (photo credit: Marc Israel Sellem)
Migron Demolition 311
(photo credit: Marc Israel Sellem)
For the second night in a row Monday, settlers said they feared the imminent demolition of the Ramat Gilad outpost, located just outside the Karnei Shomron settlement.
On Sunday, in an attempt to broker a deal to stave off the demolition, Dani Dayan – who heads the Council of Jewish Communities of Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip – and Moshe Zar, who claims to own a portion of the property on which the outpost is constructed, met with Minister-without-Portfolio Bennie Begin (Likud).
On Monday, the Defense Ministry told The Jerusalem Post no such deal was in the works.
MK Ya’acov Katz (National Union) reported the Defense Ministry had broken off negotiations toward a deal. He called on all government ministers to appeal to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on the matter. Katz asked the ministers to ensure no action was taken without Netanyahu’s consent.
In response to a petition by Peace Now to the High Court of Justice, the state had promised to remove those caravan homes on the outpost constructed on land classified by the state as private Palestinian property.
Zar, who lives in Karnei Shomron, has claimed he purchased the land from Palestinians, but to date the state has not accepted his claim.
The outpost was constructed in 2001, in memory of Zar’s son, Gilad, who was killed in a drive-by shooting by Palestinians that same year. The outpost is home to 10 families, but some of the homes are on state land.