Shamir for New Settlements in Occupied Lands

Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir on Saturday began revealing outlines of what may be future government policy in comments that combined a bow to a key religious demand with an aggressive stand on increased Israeli settlements in the occupied lands populated mostly by Arabs.

These positions would seem to bolster his ability to put his rightist Likud Party into a ruling coalition with religious and right-wing parties in the wake of last Tuesday’s elections.

In an interview broadcast on Israel Radio, Shamir affirmed settlement plans that run counter to U.S. concerns that the policy obstructs the way to a lasting peace.

“Settlements? Of course there will be settlements,” Shamir said. “I see no reason why the new government, when it is formed, will not make new settlements possible.”

100 Established Since ’68

Israel has set up about 100 settlements on the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip during the last 20 years. About 1.7 million Palestinians reside in the territories, compared to about 70,000 Israelis.

Shamir suggested that only lack of money could be an obstacle to building more settlements. “Budget problems determine every issue, this one as well,” he said.

During the interview, Shamir also predicted that a controversial measure to give Orthodox rabbis authority over Jewish conversions will likely pass Israel’s Parliament during his next administration.

“If there are more who are in favor of it, there are greater chances that it will be passed,” he said.

In the past, most Likud members of the Knesset, Israel’s Parliament, have voted in favor of the proposed law. It was defeated in 1987 on a close vote.

When the measure, known here as the “Who Is a Jew” law, was proposed in the past, it offended many Jews who live in the United States because, in effect, it relegates believers who follow the less-rigid Reform and Conservative strains of Judaism to second-class status. It is also seen by many Israelis as a step toward converting Israel into a fundamentalist state.

Shamir made light of likely American concerns about the measure. “Before every vote on some religious law, there is a big noise among American Jews. I think there is a lot of exaggeration. I’m convinced we’ll reach some understanding with the American Jews,” Shamir said.

Fundamentalist Fears

He also dismissed fears that religious demands for stricter public observance of Jewish customs are leading Israel to fundamentalism.

“I don’t foresee any decisive changes,” he said.

In last Tuesday’s elections, Shamir’s Likud Party won 40 seats out of the 120 at stake in the Knesset. The Labor Party, led by Foreign Minister Shimon Peres, won 39 seats. The balance of power is held by an array of smaller parties that include left-wing, right-wing and religious groups.

Shamir is given the best chance of forging a majority government and has been courting the right-wing parties and the religious bloc. His comments to Israel Radio seemed to appeal to both.

All of the far right-wing parties that Shamir is trying to woo--Tehiya, which won three seats; Tzomet (Crossroads); which took two, and Moledet (Homeland), which also gained two--all favor expanded Jewish settlement of the West Bank and Gaza.

Control 18 Seats

The religious parties--the National Religious Party, an Orthodox group; and three ultra-Orthodox organizations, the Sephardic Torah Guardians (Shas), Agudat Israel and Flag of the Torah--control 18 seats. They all favor increased roles for religion in public life and are lobbying for business closures on the Jewish Sabbath. They also want more public money directed to their religious schools.

They also say that there is nothing wrong with the “Who Is a Jew” law.

“All we are speaking about is public life,” said Avner Shaki, head of the ultra-Orthodox Agudat Israel party. “How should Israel look as a Sabbath? How should our identity look? Are we going to have non-Jews among us registered as Jews, which is, of course, a lie, which is, of course, a fraud.”

The question of who is legally Jewish is key to Israel’s Law of Return, which grants automatic citizenship to Jews from wherever they come. The law defines as a Jew anyone born to a Jewish mother or converted to Judaism.

Would Change Definition

The religious parties would like to change the definition to read “converted according to Orthodox Jewish law.”

As the potential coalition partners make some of their demands known, it appears that Shamir still faces roadblocks in his attempt to build a coalition.

For instance, the far-right Moledet, a new party, is calling for a national referendum on whether Israel should expel Arabs from the West Bank and Gaza. Likud opposes expulsion.

Tzomet, headed by Rafael Eitan, a former army chief of staff, wants religious students to be drafted into the army like everyone else. Any such move would probably alienate the religious parties.

Leaders of the National Religious Party tried to persuade Likud to reject joining forces with the other religious parties, which are classified as ultra-Orthodox in part because they reject the legitimacy of the state of Israel.

Instead, they suggested that Likud seek out dissident Labor Party members as partners and invite their party in as the only religious party in power.

In Saturday’s broadcast, Shamir said only: “I have not promised anyone anything. I am aware of the requests but am more aware of the country’s needs.”