Housing minister: Government policy not to build in West Bank

Housing Minister Yoav Galant (Kulanu) reportedly told US Jewish leaders last week that the official Israeli government policy was not to build in the West Bank.

Galant’s comments represented a break with the right-wing government’s support for Israeli settlement in the West Bank, though he admitted that building was ongoing under the aegis of other government ministries.

“Basically – I am following the policy of the government and it is that we are not building in Judea and Samaria. But I am not the only one with the ability to build,” Galant said, according to Haaretz. “There are private people and other segments of the government that work according to different ministers.”

Speaking in a closed meeting of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, Galant said the Israeli government was complying with its agreements reached with the Bush administration, under which Jerusalem may build within the settlement blocs. The Obama administration has denied any such agreements between Washington and Jerusalem exist.

While the Housing Ministry controls building tenders within Green Line Israel, most building in the West Bank must go through the Defense Ministry, which until recently was run by Moshe Ya’alon, who supports settlement building.

The Peace Now settlement watchdog has said that the number of West Bank settlement homes Israel plans to build more than tripled in the first quarter of 2016 compared to the same period last year.

In April, Peace Now said the government gave the green light for at least 229 West Bank homes, which are at various stages in the process of approval.

The Defense Ministry and Prime Minister’s Office denied the report, saying the “nearly all the approvals are for upgrading of existing buildings.”

The housing minister did not address construction in East Jerusalem, which has been condemned by the US, but is supported by the government, which effectively annexed the eastern half of the city in 1967.

Galant, a former general and member of the centrist Kulanu party, also signaled support for unilateral steps vis à vis the Palestinians.

“On the other hand there is a question of what happens if we take our hands off the stick and let this plane keep gliding. What will happen in a generation. We know the numbers,” Galant said. “Those numbers are not very promising. A one-state solution is a very bad idea for Israel – we saw what happened in the Balkans …. Thinking about the future obliges us as a government to bring a solution even if the other doesn’t like it.”

The ex-IDF general also praised Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi whom he described as ““Mubarak with a facelift” who is “much more liberal than Morsi,” and “as powerful as Nasser and smart like Sadat.”

“I think Sissi is the right man in the right place in our eyes but he is dealing with dramatic problems. We would love to help him. We are working for the Egyptians in the US regarding the military aid. We want Egypt to be strong and under the right regime. Sissi is part of the solution and we are lucky to have him.”

The minister also addressed reconciliation efforts with Turkey, saying “We have to keep Turkey on our side no matter how problematic it is,” he said. “We know the Turks sometimes don’t behave the way we want them to, but we know how important it is.”