RAMALLAH, August 15 (JMCC) - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday approved the installation of 23 mobile classrooms in West Bank settlements. There is no legal construction plan to allow for this decision. Israel had agreed to a 10 month partial moratorium on construction that is not set to expire until September.

The prime minister's decision comes in the wake of an aggressive debate between the Ministry of Justice and the Defense and Education ministries.

The Education Ministry has announced that there is a need for 23 new buildings, in 12 different West Bank settlements, to cater to the needs of the local education authorities. The Defense Ministry has confirmed these needs, but the deputy attorney general ultimately rejected the request due to the absence of proper construction authorization. He explained that even the most dire of educational needs mustn't circumvent the law.

Consequently, Education Minister Gideon Sa'ar approached the prime minister in his office on Saturday in a meeting with Justice Minister Yaakov Neeman, and the three decided that 23 caravans will be dispatched to the settlements and that the prime minister will simultaneously push for legal authorization.

Read more at Haaretz…