The National Religious Party (NRP) will form a select panel of “nationalist religious lawyers” to consider the legal status of the West Bank Jewish settlements and make recommendations to the party ministers on any required changes in the law. This was announced by NRP leader Yosef Burg, the Interior Minister, who is Israel’s chief negotiator in the autonomy talks. The party is under increased pressure on the settlements issue in part due to the continuing hunger strike by the heads of the Jewish district councils on the West Bank. The West Bank settlers demand legal changes that would prevent future court challenges to settlements on Arab lands, as was the case with Elon Moreh. Burg stressed that the lawyers chosen to consider the settlements problem would be “national” and “religious” minded.
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