The Netanyahu government isn't serious about stopping settler violence.
This is the only possible conclusion. While Netanyahu and his cohorts denounce Jewish extremists and promise to get tough, actions speak louder than words. And their action this week on outposts sent an unmistakable message to the settlers: not only won't you pay a price for terrorism, but you'll be rewarded.
If you felt that somebody has been stealing your country in the past few weeks, it's apparently true. If you thought that you are trapped in a nightmare and will soon wake up and forget about it in the morning, it won't happen. This nightmare is reality. This is our life.
....Let's make no mistake about it: What we saw was not a one-time event or a fleeting episode; an incident that one can look away from and forget about. This is a rolling process. These young people are fuelling each other and stretching the boundaries to see how far they can go.
Israel's release of 550 prisoners on Sunday concluded a controversial two-stage swap that freed Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in exchange for 1,027 Palestinians....As the prisoner release was being carried out, Israel's Housing Ministry said it would construct another 1,028 housing units in the West Bank and Jerusalem area. The expansion includes 500 units in Har Homa, 348 in Beitar Ilit and 180 in Givat Zeev.
"Some countries around the world may not be happy about this, but they shouldn't be surprised," Housing Minister Ariel Atia told the Israeli news site Ynet. He said the move would lower home prices and increase supply, assisting young Israeli couples looking for affordable housing.
