In response, Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely brushed off the US criticism and said that Israel has the legitimate right to solve the Amona problem by enlarging existing communities in Judea and Samaria.
“The government of Israel is certainly doing a legitimate act in broadening the Shilo community and at the same time is providing a super-legitimate solution to the complicated legal matter of Amona,” Hotovely said in an interview with Army Radio.
In a sideswipe to the Americans, she added, “The Americans would have been just as troubled if the government of Israel had left the inhabitants of Amona in their place. It’s important to understand that the present government is not continuing the legacy of Shimon Peres, but rather implementing right-wing doctrine.”
The new plan was approved last Wednesday by the Higher Planning Committee. The plan includes an option for a further 200 units to be built there as well as the construction of an industrial zone.