Netanyahu quits 'irresponsible' pullout regime

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By Jerusalem Newswire Editorial Staff
August 07, 2005

Israeli Finance Minister Binyamin Netanyahu officially resigned from the government of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon Sunday in protest over the latter's plan to forcibly uproot some 10,000 Jews from their homes in Gaza and northern Samaria.

In his resignation letter, Netanyahu accused the prime minister of ignoring reality, and said all his warnings regarding the security and political implications of implementing a unilateral withdrawal were coming true.

?I am not prepared to be a partner to a move which ignores reality, and proceeds blindly toward turning [the Gaza Strip] into a base for Islamic terrorism which will threaten the state,? he wrote.

He insisted the planned withdrawal was ?an irresponsible step which will endanger Israel's security, split the people, institute the principle of return to the 1967 borders, and in the future, endanger Jerusalem as well.?

?There is a way to achieve peace and security, but a unilateral withdrawal under fire and with nothing in return is certainly not the way,? wrote the former prime minister.

Netanyahu quit the government at the last possible moment before ?disengagement,? believing his departure would do little to thwart the plan and desiring to implement as much of his economic recovery plan as possible.

Despite his surprise move, the cabinet voted 17-5 in favor of starting the evacuation of three Gaza communities next Monday. Likud ministers Danny Naveh, Yisrael Katz, Limor Livnat and Tzahi Hanegbi joined Netanyahu in opposition.

Following Netanyahu's announcement, Israel's stock markets registered significant losses. Over the past year, his economic austerity plan had garnered international praise and restored the confidence of foreign investors.

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