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Disengagement Or Disaster?
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John Henry
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Feb 10, 2005 07:27 PST
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<div align="center"><font face="arial" size=5>DISENGAGEMENT OR DISASTER?
<br><br>
</font><font face="arial" size=2>By Serena Weil <br><br>
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No matter what your position on Israel's pending withdrawal from land won
in a defensive war, this article will make you think. <br><br>
Contains a number of unpopular, seldom reported facts. <br><br>
A must-read for activists and others not afraid to question
"conventional wisdom". <br><br>
Israel is presently grappling with a heart rending, soul-searching
dilemma. Some call it disengagement, redeployment, resettlement; others
call it evacuation, withdrawal, retreat. Living as we do in a mire of
misinformation, we are inundated with a never-ending tsunami of words and
images. At best, they portray the "news" bits and pieces of
information but they rarely present the entire picture in intelligent
context; at worst, they distort reality to the point where the consumer
of all this news cannot possibly differentiate between truth and
falsehood. And when the stakes are as high as they are in Israel today,
the lack of dependable information to inform public opinion is downright
frightening. <br><br>
Recently, in the Israeli paper Hatzofeh, Boaz Haetzni enumerated a number
of unpopular, seldom reported facts. They are worth repeating together
with the disturbing questions they engender. <br><br>
1. GAZA vs. KATIF: A Clearer picture. Historically, the city of Gaza (and
its surroundings) is part of Biblical Israel, included in G-d's divine
promise to the Jewish People. Jews have resided in Gaza from Biblical
times until 1948 when, as the result of Arab violence, they were forced
to leave. The city contains ruins of synagogues, a Jewish cemetery, and
archeological finds of Jewish origin. A Jewish presence in the Gaza area
(known as the Gaza Strip) was re-established in the wake of the Six Day
War after 1967. Known as Gush Katif (the Katif Block), it comprises 22
communities and numbers 8,500 inhabitants and comprises only 12% of the
Gaza Strip. <br><br>
2. CAN THE IDF LEAVE GAZA? The IDF already left the Gaza Strip (!) eleven
years ago as part of the Oslo agreements. Since then the Strip has been
governed by the Palestinian Authority (under Arafat). Israel remained in
Gush Katif. The IDF manned points of entry into Katif and at the
border-like road blocks. They enter Gaza itself only when terrorist
activity makes their entry necessary. Meanwhile, a monstrous terror
network of worldwide proportions has surfaced in Gaza. Constant shelling
of nearby Israeli settlements and cities, suicide bombers, shootings, and
mines have become daily fare. (Many, thank G-d, miss their mark.) The
media barely mentions them before going on to more
"interesting" news. <br><br>
Retreating from Katif would bring the cities of Ashkelon, Netivot, and
Ofakim into the range of Arab missiles in the south. As it did in
Lebanon, the Hezbollah terrorist organization intends to bring thousands
of missiles into Gaza as well. The highly successful results of the
terrorist organizations in the recent Palestinian Authority elections in
Gaza do not bode well for peaceful intentions or resolutions. With
additional, far ranging weapons in Gaza, the long arm of Hezbollah will
bringing not only Ashkelon, but the port of Ashdod, Beersheva and the
nuclear reactor in Dimona within firing range. Israel has to be utterly
insane to allow this to happen. <br><br>
3. WHOSE WATER IS TASTIER? Israel is presently supplying Gaza with water.
After Oslo and the Israeli retreat from Gaza, as a result of total Arab/
Palestinian Authority mismanagement and greed, vast amounts of water were
pumped from the wells in the area, the salt level rose drastically, and
the water is no longer potable. Humane Israel, unwilling to deny water to
thirsty Arabs, now provides for their needs from its own water supply.
The IDF also forces the Arabs to treat their sewage and refrain from
pouring it into the sea. In addition to severe pollution, the sewage
destroys the filters from a large purification plant in nearby Ashkelon.
<br><br>
Sharon speaks of further withdrawals in northern Samaria which sits atop
one of Israel's largest aquifers and main sources of water. Once in Arab
hands, it is expected that the Arabs will, as they have done throughout
the rest of Judea and Samaria, pump water without plan or thought for the
future, thus endangering vital water sources in the Jezreel Valley. The
oft-bandied solution of treating sea water would cost billions of
dollars. Can Israel afford to place her precious and limited water supply
in the hands of her Arab neighbors? <br><br>
4. DEMOGRAPHY & GEOGRAPHY and other fraudulent claims: Gaza, we are
told, is the most crowded place in the world. The Arabs, they say, need
land, living space! Well, so does Tel Aviv. The population density in the
city of Tel Aviv is eleven times higher than in Gaza! <br><br>
Not only that. The much maligned Katif area, on only twelve percent of
the Gaza Strip, covers approximately ninety square miles! Does anyone
really think that giving this pittance of the Strip as a gift to the
Arabs will solve their demographic problems? (It is highly suggested that
the reader open a map of the Middle East to verify the size of Israel, of
the Gaza Strip and of Katif. If Israel is infinitesimal, then Katif is
infinitely more so!) <br><br>
Perhaps Egypt, a huge country, would like to contribute a portion of its
vast holdings in Sinai to its fellow Arabs. Sinai was never officially
part of Egypt (just as Judea and Samaria were never officially part of
Jordan). It is devoid of settlements absolutely empty except for
several tourist locations (originally built and set up by Israel) and
best of all, it borders Gaza. Could there be a more perfect, fitting,
humane solution to lessen the population density in Gaza? <br><br>
Gush Katif was built on virgin sand dunes which even the Arabs had never
exploited. The constantly attacked and bombarded community of Kfar Darom
was built on swampy land which was purchased at full price by Jews during
the time of the British Mandate. The Jews have turned the entire Katif
area into a mini Garden of Eden. Eleven percent of all Israeli
agricultural exports come from this tiny spot on the map. No wonder the
Arabs living in their squalid cities nearby have dreams of inheriting it!
<br><br>
5. ECONOMICS What's the Price? According to government assessments,
direct costs for disengagement will be upwards of six billion NIS (one
and one half billion U.S. dollars). Since this figure was released, the
Knesset upped it by offering larger restitution to the settlers. (The
previous amounts were rather parsimonious and it was felt that a bit more
generosity would make things easier for all concerned.) Add to this
related expenses such as additional security for settlements within the
Green Line which will now be within Gaza's firing range; unemployment for
the several thousand evacuated families; establishing new communities,
new schools or classrooms for the thousands of Katif children who will be
evacuated; new social services; and the necessary psychological
counseling and help for those evacuated (this promises to be a highly
traumatic experience, to put it mildly), Etc., etc. <br><br>
No country, and surely not the U.N. or the E.U., is offering to reimburse
or assist Israel with disengagement. The Israeli taxpayer will be
expected to foot the entire bill. All the advances Israel has so
painfully made in the past ten years on the economic front will be wiped
out. And the price of real estate all along the shrunken new border will
fall drastically. (Who will want to live next to Gaza?) Disengagement
promises to be an economic disaster. <br><br>
6. THE ARMY What affect will disengagement have on it? Is the Israel
Defense Force here to evacuate Jews from their homes, or to protect them
from their enemies? Discomfort at the idea of the army forcefully
evacuating peaceful citizens is widespread. So much so that the
government changed gears and decided the police would be given the job
while the army stood guard to make sure the Arabs don't take advantage of
the evacuation and aim their missiles in the direction of the evacuees.
<br><br>
There is also the well founded fear that a large number of soldiers and
police will refuse to take part in the disengagement. And if nonetheless
it does take place, it is feared that tens of thousands of young people
across the country will be so disillusioned that many of them will refuse
to serve when they are called up. Huge numbers of youngsters from youth
movements and yeshivas, the ones you see at the demonstrations and on
street corners passing out flyers, are passionately anti-disengagement.
These youths tend to be some of our best soldiers and a high percentage,
out of all proportion to their numbers, of officers. Which is why the
government is taking such a hard stand against conscientious objectors
whom they view as a "threat to democracy". Many older people
will refuse to continue to serve in the Reserves as well. <br><br>
7. DEMOCRACY or DICTATORSHIP? Sharon ran for office on a platform
diametrically opposed to this plan. His own Likkud party overwhelmingly
rejected the proposal in an internal Likkud referendum. After much
political wrangling and the firing of two cabinet ministers, Sharon
finally managed to obtain Knesset approval for his plan although the law
approving the financial restitution has not yet been passed. <br><br>
No legitimate government, however, has the right to oust people from
their legal homes by means of a highly questionable order and without
recourse to due process of law. No government has the moral right to make
historic changes and cede parts of its historic homeland with only a slim
majority and a highly unstable minority coalition. Just as no government,
even with a large majority, has the moral right to legitimize murder,
rape or robbery. Years ago, Yossi Sarid, one of Israel's extreme, leading
Leftists, proclaimed: The day that an order is given to transfer [Arabs]
from their homes, an order which is patently illegal and immoral, will be
the Day of Refusing Orders. … We will not fulfill an order to transfer
[Arabs], nor will our children or our students fulfill such an order.
How, then, can he legitimize transferring Jews? <br><br>
Democracy does not mean the dictatorship of the many over the few.
Democracy is built on a shared set of values; its laws are supposed to
give form to these values. Destroying the basic values underpinning
democracy, and ripping apart the social fabric and shared values of a
nation destroys democracy itself. <br><br>
Where might all this lead? The papers are rife with reports of detention
centers being set up for reluctant settlers, their wives and children; of
special, speedy courts of "justice" to deal with resisters;
with special police training courses hastily organized to program the
police to deal with the expected, traumatic expulsion. (All this while it
was just announced that over nine hundred convicted terrorists will be
released from Israeli jails as a sign of Israel's "good will").
<br><br>
Remember, we are not speaking of evacuating an enemy. We are speaking of
8,500 Israeli citizens who settled an empty, new area with full
government approval and are now being ousted after thirty years because a
prime minister, without the necessary democratic sanctions, has decided
they must leave. <br><br>
8. DID YOU SAY DISENGAGEMENT? From what? According to the government's
own declarations, Israel will continue to supply the Palestinian
Authority in Gaza with 1) water; 2) electricity; 3) communications (a
telephone system); 4) food, medical and other supplies, just as we do
now. Oh yes, and also employment in Israel. No one expects Gaza to
support itself or provide employment for its people. Everyone - the
entire world - expects Israel to help the new "fledgling state"
along. Israel assumes she will fill all these needs although she insists
that in case of trouble or terrorist activity, she will feel free to
re-enter Gaza whenever necessary. (Just imagine the world's reaction to
that!) <br><br>
What then will be different? What exactly is being
"disengaged"? Only one thing. Jewish communities in one small
corner of the Gaza Strip. They are being evacuated, transferred,
"resettled" all the things Israel would never allow to be
done to its Arab citizens or neighbors. Judenrein at the hands of the
Israeli government. <br><br>
9. WHAT IS SHARON THINKING? No one seems to know. If the above is an
accurate description of the situation, based on true, objective facts
(and it is), how could any normal, intelligent person choose this path?
<br><br>
Sharon has led us to a Palestinian state. He gave his approval to the
Road Map whose cease-fire cost scores of Jewish lives. He approved the
infamous prisoner swaps which put an end to hope for finding or releasing
Ron Arad, the missing Israeli pilot. And now he is taking us further
along the road to destruction with his new plan. Why? <br><br>
While there are a few souls who feel that Sharon is taking a brave step
forward and has the best interests of the country at heart, there are
many more who are doubtful. The rumors are that he is depressed,
demented, or wants to go do down in history as the great Man of Peace
after having been demonized as Israel's worst war-monger. There are
other, even more disturbing theories at large. <br><br>
Zvi Handel a Knesset member from Gush Katif, and a former friend of
Sharon who spent years working in close contact with the Prime Minister,
has an different explanation. Both of Sharon's sons were involved in
highly publicized, highly questionable, extremely lucrative,
international business transactions. There was grave evidence of
illegalities and the country was waiting for a judicial decision to
indict. Suddenly, when things became exceedingly uncomfortable, Sharon
dropped a bombshell and announced his disengagement plan. It immediately
replaced the stories of his sons in all the media and has kept them out
of the public eye. The indictments are also still on hold. <br><br>
It is believed by many that this sudden bombastic political decision,
which ran counter to Sharon's entire history and career (he was called
the "Father of the Settlement Movement" and was a close and
constant advocate of settlement activity), which conflicted with all his
previous statements, promises and campaign platform, was a way of turning
the public attention away from his private troubles. If the settlers had
to be the sacrificial lamb, so be it. Better them than Sharon's sons.
<br><br>
Handel's accusations were made publicly and were detailed. The media made
mention but chose not to dwell on them and they were "lost" in
the governmental tsunami of determination for the disengagement plan.
<br><br>
10. WHAT ELSE IS LOST? Much has been "lost" in the media
reports. Not only the legalities of the Sharon family affairs, but many
of the above uncomfortable facts and observations. The settlements in
Gaza have existed for more than thirty years. Families have four
generations in the area. There is rarely a family in Israel which doesn't
haveIsraelis all over the country have a a relative, a neighbor's
relative or a friend in Katif. Most of the population - truly a silent
majority is distinctly uncomfortable with disengagement although they
have few public avenues open to express their discomfort. (The media
gives expression primarily to the left.) The more active and vocal
section of the populace that supports Katif and the settlements and is
thoroughly opposed to "disengaging" is dubbed "the extreme
right" by the media. There is never or very rarely an
"extreme" left. Disengagement ("evacuation" is a more
accurate term) of Jews from the area is not a simple, administrative
decision. It is truly a moment of crisis for Israel. <br><br>
Nor is disengagement a legitimate legal, democratic decision. Sharon
consistently refuses to consider either a referendum on disengagement or
new elections, even though two years after the elections he still does
not have a stable, dependable coalition to pass . Nor has he been
successful in passing the annual budget (which is why he is turning
somersaults to put a coalition together. Without an approved budget, new
elections are in the offing whether he wants them or not.)which he needs
in order to assure funds for the evacuation of Katif. Yet he has engaged
the country in a disastrous process. Anti-democratic, anti-Zionistic,
militarily and economically incomprehensible. <br><br>
Add that to the national, emotional and religious issues which have been
stirred up and you wonder if the man has not gone mad? <br><br>
<a href="http://www.JewishWorldReview.com">
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com</a> <br><br>
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