A farewell to "natural growth"
By HERB KEINON The Jerusalem Post Jul 19, 2009 2:37 | Updated Jul 19, 2009
2:49
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Say good-bye to "natural growth" in the settlements.

No, not because Israel has agreed to the very public US demand to freeze all
construction in the settlements, including for natural growth. Rather,
because Israeli spokespeople are now making a conscious decision to no
longer use that term.

Instead, they are preferring a more neutral-sounding phrase about
construction that will allow for "normal life" in the settlements.

The term "natural growth" has been overused in the last few months, and -
according to Israeli officials - brings with it a negative connotation of
Israel trying to pull the wool over the world's eyes when it comes to the
settlements.

Just as the term "Eretz Yisrael" does not just mean the "land of Israel,"
but is associated with a greater concept and has a deeper meaning than just
those two words would suggest, so too - according to the officials - does
the term "natural growth" bring to the listener a largely negative concept
of Israel playing semantic tricks to increase the settlement population.

It's a loaded term, the officials said, and one loaded with negative
connotations.

But, the officials said, construction in the settlements to enable a
continuation of "normal life" is void of the negative associations, and
simply sounds better.

Also, if Israel eventually agrees to a freeze except for "natural growth,"
then if anyone moved to a home in a settlement who was not a returning son
or daughter, or was not born there, then Israel could be accused of lying,
since this type of movement is migration, not natural growth.

However, "normal life" would seem to allow for the occasional family moving
across the Green Line, because what is normal life if not some people moving
in, and others moving out?

Although no official directive has been given to Israel's spokesman to
refrain from using the term "natural growth," it is understood by key
spokespeople that "normal life" is now the preferred term. Prime Minister
Binyamin Netanyahu, sources in his office have pointed out, has refrained
from using the term "natural growth" since taking office in late March.