Following the recommendations of Defense Minister Ehud Barak, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a meeting of Likud ministers on Tuesday that he will ask the cabinet to approve the status of the Bruchin, Sansana and Rachalim, respectively.

Several of the ministers also asked Netanyahu for updates regarding the Ulpana neighborhood of Beit El, which was slated for evacuation by May. Netanayhu, who informed the cabinet earlier this month that he had asked the Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein to find a solution that would legalize the outpost and prevent its demolition, said that such an evacuation is “not a decree that the public can stand by.”

Education Minister Gideon Sa’ar also commented on the Ulpana demolition, calling it a form of “abuse” against the settlers, and adding that should the issue not be resolved, he will support legislation to legalize the outposts.

It is still unclear whether there is a connection between Netanyahu´s announcement regarding Ulpana and the Hebron house affair, which caused a fiery debate between Deputy Minister Moshe Ya´alon and Barak earlier this month.

Netanyahu´s effort to legalize outposts built on private Palestinian land that was launched last October caused fierce debates between the prosecution and the various legal advisers of cabinet ministers. (© Copyright 2012 Ha´aretz 04/18/12)