The government is poised to vote on a series of measures aimed at retroactively approving dozens of unauthorized outposts in Judea and Samaria, at a cost of several billions of shekels, Israel Hayom has learned.
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Under the coalition agreements signed between Likud and Otzma Yehudit in December, the government must start the process of formalizing the status of the small communities in Judea and Samaria, often set up by young settlers without official permits from authorities.
The deal stipulates that a ministerial forum headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will have to be formed within 30 days of the government being sworn in and that within sixty days, the cabinet will have to pass a resolution to have those communities get official recognition, launching an 18-month process that would culminate in them being connected to the electricity grid and water infrastructure, as well as other essential services and security.
Information obtained by Israel Hayom indicates that the first part of the agreement will be put into motion as early as Sunday when several major items will be on the agenda during the weekly cabinet session. The ministers will ask to approve a series of technical measures that would facilitate the communities' being linked to critical infrastructure and help them cut red tape for the construction of public buildings.
Although the measures in and of themselves won't constitute official state recognition of those communities, their approval would show that the coalition agreements are in fact being implemented.
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