- The Israeli ministry of agriculture has drawn up plans
to double the number of illegal Jewish settlers living in the sparsely-populated
Jordan Valley area of the West Bank, a spokesman for the ministry said.
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- "The plan which has already won approval from within
different ministries will increase the number of residents in 21 settlements
by 50% in a year and then by a further 50% in the following year,"
spokesman Benjamin Rom said.
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- A total of 6,300 illegal settlers currently live in the
Jordan Valley, according to official figures.
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- According to Rom the plan would involve a major increase
in agricultural subsidies and the development of tourism in the area which
also incorporates the Dead Sea.
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- The plan would be submitted within two weeks to an inter-ministerial
commission on rural affairs which is chaired by Agriculture Minister Israel
Katz.
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- According to a report in the Israeli Yediot Aharonot
daily Katz had already co-ordinated the plan with Prime Minister Ariel
Sharon's office director general Ilan Cohen.
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- Furthermore, Israel's finance ministry's budget director
has approved by the plan.
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- The overall cost for the project, which will see at least
50 housing units built per year, is expected to reach $32 million, the
paper added.
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- Under the terms of the internationally backed road map
peace plan, Israel must freeze all settlement activity but the government
has continued to come up with expansion and illegal occupation schemes.
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- Sharon believes that Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza
Strip allows the Jewish state to strengthen its occupation of the West
Bank where the vast majority of the 245,000 illegal settlers live.
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- Katz, one of the most right-wing members of Sharon's
cabinet, has been a consistent sceptic on the Gaza withdrawal which is
due to begin in mid-August.
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- "The answer to(resistance fihgteres) is strengthening
Israeli settlements in the Jordan Valley," he told Yediot.
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- "Abu Mazen (Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas) and
the leaders of the (resistance) organizations will look out the Muqataa
(leadership compound) window every morning and see the Israeli Jordan Valley
flourishing."
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- U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who held talks
with Sharon in Jerusalem last weekend, has consistently warned Israel against
creating "facts on the ground."
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- http://www.aljazeera.com/me.asp?service_ID=8779
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