While close to 2,000 people waited with tension at the Gilad Farm near Kedumim for army forces to begin dismantling the site, Moshe Zar - unofficial leader of the farm - suddenly made a surprising announcement: "We will leave peacefully." People had been continuing to arrive all morning - on foot, as the army had closed the roads to motorized traffic, and some of them were disappointed that they would not be given the chance to take part in preventing or at least passively objecting to the uprooting.
Zar said that he and the Yesha leaders did not come to any "deals" with Ben-Eliezer: "Ben-Eliezer's motives are entirely political, so we have no deals to make with him. He wants to have scenes of settlers being dragged away, and we won't give these to him… We will convene later and decide our next steps - whether to return very soon or not…"
Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer had shown no indication of softening his position against the outpost, despite pleas by other government ministers and public figures. Neither did he respond to claims, echoed in an Israel Radio poll by over 70% of the public, that his main motive for taking down the Yesha outposts is to bolster his political standing within the Labor Party.
Among those at Gilad Farm this morning were National Infrastructures Minister Effie Eitam (NRP), Yesha Council leaders, Kedumim Mayor Daniella Weiss, and members of the Zar family - after whose son, security officer Gilad - felled by terrorist bullets - the farm was established. Moshe Zar, Gilad's father and a legendary figure in the history of the Yesha settlement enterprise, first made an emphatic call on soldiers not to refuse orders, and asked that the visitors prevent the uprooting only passively. The army originally announced that it would begin the uprooting at 10 AM, but did not do so, and Zar made his announcement shortly before noon. O.C. Central Command Maj.-Gen. Moshe Kaplinsky has not yet explained why he is not abiding by the Supreme Court ruling that requires a 72-hour warning and a hearing before evacuating residents from their homes.
Zar said that he and the Yesha leaders did not come to any "deals" with Ben-Eliezer: "Ben-Eliezer's motives are entirely political, so we have no deals to make with him. He wants to have scenes of settlers being dragged away, and we won't give these to him… We will convene later and decide our next steps - whether to return very soon or not…"
Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer had shown no indication of softening his position against the outpost, despite pleas by other government ministers and public figures. Neither did he respond to claims, echoed in an Israel Radio poll by over 70% of the public, that his main motive for taking down the Yesha outposts is to bolster his political standing within the Labor Party.
Among those at Gilad Farm this morning were National Infrastructures Minister Effie Eitam (NRP), Yesha Council leaders, Kedumim Mayor Daniella Weiss, and members of the Zar family - after whose son, security officer Gilad - felled by terrorist bullets - the farm was established. Moshe Zar, Gilad's father and a legendary figure in the history of the Yesha settlement enterprise, first made an emphatic call on soldiers not to refuse orders, and asked that the visitors prevent the uprooting only passively. The army originally announced that it would begin the uprooting at 10 AM, but did not do so, and Zar made his announcement shortly before noon. O.C. Central Command Maj.-Gen. Moshe Kaplinsky has not yet explained why he is not abiding by the Supreme Court ruling that requires a 72-hour warning and a hearing before evacuating residents from their homes.