M I D - E A S T  R E A L I T I E S - LIE OF THE WEEK

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"THE ARABS KILL, WE BUILD"

Settlers Just Keep On Going

[Saturday - 4 Jan 1997] Scores of residents of Beit El, an Israeli settlement in the West Bank, worked throughout the night last night, and succeeded in establishing a new neighborhood - Maoz Tzur - on Mt. Artis, adjacent to Beit El. The neighborhood is named after Ita and Ephraim Tzur, who were murdered by Arab terrorists this past Chanukah (three weeks ago). Huge cranes, semi-trailers, and tractors worked until morning in pitch-darkness to level the rocky terrain and place seven caravans (mobile homes, minus the wheels) atop the hill. The vehicles worked with their headlights off; only a flashlight lit the way as each house made its way up the hill. As the cranes lowered the structures onto the ground, technical teams began connecting them to the water and electrical supply, while the selected families began moving in beds, baby cribs, and other necessities. "It was executed like a military operation," said community leader Yaakov Katz (Ketzaleh). "Complete secrecy surrounded the entire project - even most of the residents of Beit-El had no idea what they would wake up to." One of the families that moved in was that of Avi and Naava Zarbiv and their children. Mrs. Zarbiv is the sister of Ofra Felix, who was killedby Palestinian terrorists in a drive-by shooting just north of Beit-El twoyears ago. Despite numerous questions posed by Israeli and foreigncorrespondents, Beit El leaders had only one sentence to say: "This is the true Zionist response to the murders of Ita and Ephraim Tzur: The Arabs kill - We build."

[Sunday - 5 Jan} BEIT EL FULFILLS ITS OBLIGATIONS, DEMANDS MORE LAND: The community of Beit El has removed the seven trailer homes from Mt. Artis, according to the compromise reached on Friday. Beit El leaders, including Yoel Tzur and Yaakov Katz, will meet at 4:45 this afternoon with Minister of Defense Yitzchak Mordechai in Rabbi Zalman Melamed's office in Beit El to discuss immediate plans for the enlargement of Beit El. The community has three main demands: the transfer of portions of the adjacent IDF base to the community for construction of a new neighborhood; the establishment of an army outpost atop Mt. Artis; and the formation of a local municipal council for the joint community of Beit El and Beit El Bet. Our correspondent asked Yoel Tzur this morning, "Which of the three demands do you see being fulfilled?"

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