Subscribe to our daily e-mail newsletter

E-mail:

Israel News Feed Or subscribe to our RSS feed | What is RSS?
Israel News from Jerusalem Newswire
Peace Process

37 years after victory, Israel decides to retreat


By Jerusalem Newswire Editorial Staff
June 06, 2004

Thirty-seven years after regaining control over key areas of its biblical patrimony in the 1967 Six Day War, Israel’s cabinet Sunday decided the time had come to abandon the Gaza Strip and northern Samaria and uproot the Jews living there.

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s “disengagement” plan ran up against a wall of political chaos Sunday, but by the end of the day a compromise version of the retreat blueprint had garnered the support of 14 out of 21 cabinet ministers.

Several key Likud ministers who had originally opposed the plan said they voted in favor because the compromise reached did not include a firm decision to actually dismantle settlements.

But the key component remained the government’s intent to ethnically cleanse Gaza and Samaria of their Jews – a point which Sharon made perfectly clear just hours after the vote.

Whether ministers Binyamin Netanyahu, Silvan Shalom and Limor Livnat realize it or not, “the government decided today that by the end of 2005 Israel will leave Gaza and four settlements [in northern Samaria],” Sharon said.

Housing Minister Effi Eitam said the decision had doomed thousands of Jews to expulsion from their homes, and would lead to the establishment of a Hamas mini-state on “a platter of Jewish blood.”

Retreat approved

Sharon’s plan to ethnically cleanse the Gaza Strip and northern Samaria of their Jews in an effort to appease Israel’s Arab enemies and Western “allies” was approved by a 14-7 cabinet vote Sunday evening.

The comfortable margin of victory was made possible by a last minute compromise reached between the prime minister and three senior Likud ministers who say they oppose unilateral withdrawal.

According to the wording of the compromise plan, the government means to evacuate the Jewish communities of Gaza by the end of 2005, though a March 2005 cabinet vote must first ratify the decision.

In the meantime, those settlements slated for removal will continue to receive basic funding.

Housing Minister Effi Eitam told Channel One News the decision had doomed thousands of Jews to expulsion from their homes, and would lead to the creation of a Hamas-ruled mini-state on “a platter of Jewish blood.”

Likud ministers fold

Finance Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom and Education Minister Limor Livnat said they decided to vote in favor of the compromise version of the plan because it did not explicitly mandate the removal of any settlements.

But, while the approved plan only mentions the government’s “intention” to uproot the Jews of Gaza and Samaria, Sharon told a gathering of birthright participants following the vote that the meaning is clear.

"Disengagement is getting underway. The government decided today that by the end of 2005 Israel will leave Gaza and four settlements [in Samaria],” he said.

Their last minute submission to Sharon was seen by many as a political maneuver aimed at securing their jobs should the opposition Labor Party join the coalition.

Chaotic day

Prior to being approved, Sharon’s plan ran up against a wall of political chaos Sunday.

In a move many in Israel blasted as draconian, Sharon on Friday moved to ensure he would have a cabinet majority for his plan by firing right-wing ministers Benny Elon and Avigdor Lieberman.

On Sunday, several petitions were filed with Israel’s High Court over the legality of the sudden dismissals, though all were later rejected after the government rebuffed a court proposal that it postpone its vote on Sharon’s plan until Tuesday.

Ministers of the secularist Shinui Party then walked out of the cabinet discussion after it became apparent the compromise Sharon had reached with Netanyahu, Shalom and Livnat did not include a start date for the demolition of Jewish homes.

Later, Netanyahu, Shalom and Livnat walked out in protest over the inclusion of the letters exchanged between Sharon and US President George W. Bush in the overall package.

The letter Sharon gave to Bush last month promises the removal of Jewish Gaza by the end of 2005.

All the while, ministers of the National Religious Party (NRP) were left to debate whether or not they would bolt the coalition in light of the newly approved policies.

End of the Sharon regime?

The NRP’s exit from the coalition would leave Sharon with a minority government consisting of 55 Knesset Members.

NRP chief Effi Eitam was strongly in favor such a move, while the party’s number two man, Zevulun Orlev, argued in favor of remaining in the coalition until the government actually began dismantling settlements.

With a minority of MKs backing the government, Sharon would be in danger of losing a no-confidence vote, unless the opposition Labor Party offers him a safety net.

But commentators expected Labor to renege on that promise after Sharon pushed through what it sees as a “watered-down” version of the retreat plan.

If Sharon’s government falls, either the nation will move to early elections, or another MK, such as Netanyahu, would be chosen and given an opportunity to form an alternative coalition.

Meanwhile, Likud Central Committee members told Arutz 7 Sunday they were putting into action a plan to have Sharon dismissed from the party.

Like the article?
Help spread the word:
Jnewswire updates
Never miss another story
  • Inbox already too full?
    Subscribe to our
    RSS feed instead!