ABSTRACT
In theory, the cabinet level Interministerial Committee on Settlement oversees and approves activities related to settlement in all occupied territory. Ariel Sharon served as chairman of this committee from his appointment as Minister of Agriculture in 1977 until he became Minister of Defense. He was then replaced by another militant nationalist, Yuval Neeman, leader of the Tehiya party. Contractors, real estate agents, architects, construction companies, businesses and merchants are another important component in the extension of Israeli control on the West Bank. Their influence has grown since December 1982 when subsidization of private initiative began on a large scale. Real estate agents and land speculators have been active in detecting areas available for purchase. The Israeli government's water and land policies in the West Bank are crucial in making these two relatively scarce commodities available for Jewish settlement and in restricting their use by the indigenous Arab inhabitants.
