(23 Nov 1999) Natural Sound
Jewish settlers have started work on a new outpost in the West Bank, in defiance of the Israeli government.
Construction of the settlement, in the Yehuda desert near the West Bank town of Bethlehem started on Monday night.
The Israeli controlled area is due to be transferred to Palestinian authority, as part of ongoing efforts to reach a final settlement between Israel and the Palestinians.
These settlers were evacuated a few weeks ago from the Maon settlement near Hebron.
But they've started again, this time building an illegal outpost near the West Bank settlement of Nokdim in protest at a planned West Bank troop withdrawal in the area.
A dozen young men from Dor Hahemsheh, a radical settlers' group which has clashed with traditional settler leaders over compromises on West Bank land, set up four tents and started building two rickety wooden shelters to claim the hilltop.
Wearing traditional prayer shawls, the men prayed in the open air, just a few hundred metres (yards) from Nokdim's buildings.
Israeli police with five army trucks stand on the side lines, for the time being.
Settlers' council spokesman Yehoshua Mor-Yosef rejected a request by deputy Defence Minister Ephraim Sneh to dismantle the outpost.
He says the government is behaving unfairly by overlooking illegal Palestinian building in the area.
Last month, the council encountered opposition from Dor Hahemsheh when it dismantled illegal outposts as part of a compromise allowing it to keep other hilltops.
Palestinian chief peace negotiator, Saeb Erekat said on Tuesday the Israeli government should evacuate the new outpost immediately.
Palestinian and Israeli negotiators are due to start detailed negotiations next week in an attempt to meet a February deadline for a final peace treaty framework.
So far the talks have touched in general on the sensitive issues of Jerusalem, refugees, final borders, Jewish settlements and water.
The two sides are hoping to make progress on a dispute over a delayed 5 percent Israeli troop redeployment from the West Bank.
The withdrawal was scheduled to go ahead on November 15th, according to peace accords revived in September with U-S help.
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