West Bank settlers demand compensation

JERUSALEM, Oct. 14 (UPI) -- Settler leaders in the West Bank are demanding compensation from the government for imposing a building freeze they say harms their communities, officials said.

Maaleh Adumim Mayor Benny Kashriel told Maariv Wednesday the government-imposed freeze on West Bank settlement construction has led to a drop in revenue and made it very difficult for officials to run their communities.

"The government asked me to stop building and therefore must compensate. We have hit rock bottom and have no money left to run the town," Kashriel told the newspaper.

Kashriel said since Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu was elected to office, there has been a significant drop in the construction of housing units in the settlements.

Gush Etzion Mayor Shaul Goldstein and Kashriel are acting on behalf of a number of settler leaders, and met with officials from the prime minister's office and the Finance Ministry to try to alleviate the cash crunch, the paper said.

The repercussions of imposing a settlement freeze are serious but the solution is not found by demanding funds, Knesset member Danny Danone, who opposes the settlers demand for compensation, told the paper.