There is no such thing as an illegal outpost

Ariel Sharon instructed our youth to "charge the hilltops". The State allowed water and electricity link-ups, provided infrastructure and roads, encouraged the settlement of the outposts with grants and financial incentives. There is no such thing as an illegal outpost. Some were erected with the State turning a blind eye, some were authorized behind closed doors with a wink or a handshake. But there is no such thing as an illegal outpost.

It is true that Ariel Sharon, as Prime Minister, adopted President Bush's Road Map, and that one of the clauses in the agreement (out of 38 clauses) is that the government of Israel will dismantle settlement outposts erected since March 2001. It is also true that the Road Map is "Performance Based". The very first clause of the Road Map, to be carried out at the outset of Phase I, has yet to be met. It reads: "Palestinian leadership issues unequivocal statement reiterating Israel’s right to exist in peace and security and calling for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire to end armed activity and all acts of violence against Israelis anywhere. All official Palestinian institutions end incitement against Israel."

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