I don’t think Prime Minister Netanyahu is reading this blog.

Nonetheless, yesterday he invoked former Prime Minister Begin’s “Simple and clear principle – there will not be a civil war.”

His statement to that effect, you may recall, greeted me at the Begin Center a few days ago.

The current Prime Minister was referring to a pending controversy over settlers at the Ulpana outpost.

The Israeli Supreme Court has ruled that they are living there illegally.

Netanyahu hopes that invoking Begin will reduce the chances of a violent confrontation between Israeli police and residents of Ulpana.

Late this afternoon, we visited Ofra, a settlement that is not likely to be within the redrawn boundaries of Israel if there is a two-state solution.

I asked one resident what he would do if a court ruled that he must give up his home.

“There is ownership by the Jewish people that came before any deed to an Arab individual,” he responded.

The more facts there are on the ground – the more Israelis living in disputed areas in the West Bank, the more difficult a diplomatic solution will be.

We have heard that from several speakers, but none more directly than this.