A trip to outpost land

Op-ed: Yoel Meltzer says so-called illegal Jewish outposts not what you may think

Yoel Meltzer
Israel Opinion/Ynet
04 October '10

Despite the recent termination of the freeze against Jewish construction in Judea and Samaria, it is clear that the future of Jewish settlement is still at risk. For even if the current round of peace talks fizzles away and with it yet another “window of opportunity” is missed, no one should assume for a moment that those working endlessly for the implementation of the two-state solution will cease in their indefatigable efforts.

Although the larger settlement enterprise may have received a short respite, the “illegal outposts,” a term pregnant with meaning and one that conveys a clear political leaning, don’t have such a luxury. It is a safe bet that in order to calm the international winds as a result of the renewed Jewish construction, all focus will be on the removal of these "thorny" outposts.

With these thoughts on my mind, I recently decided to participate in an organized tour of various outposts in the Samaria region. Although a staunch supporter of Jewish settlement anywhere in the Land of Israel, the truth is that like many people in Israel I’ve had very little first-hand contact with most places in Judea and Samaria and none at all with the outposts.

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