Prime Minister Sharon told the members of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee today that there is no connection between the dismantling of outposts and the Road Map. In other words, the fact that the Road Map is not progressing as planned is no reason to stop dismantling outposts. Arutz-7's Haggai Segal asked MK Ehud Yatom (Likud), a committee member, to explain that point. Yatom said,
"Two years ago, then-Foreign Minister Shimon Peres made an agreement with the Americans that included three points: no new communities would be built in Yesha; land would be expropriated only for security use or for roads, but not for settlement; and third, that construction would only be within the communities, but not past their fences. The dismantling of the outposts now is in the framework of those agreements - even if in my opinion, with terrorism raging, now is not the time to do that."
MK Yatom explained why he is against a hudna: "The way I understand Islam, a hudna is just a time-out during which Hamas can re-group. [In addition,] if it is something that enables Hamas to carry out what they call 'small' attacks - such as the murder of 7-year-old Noam Liebowitz and that of Avner Mordechai in Sdei Trumot - then of course we have no use for it." The bottom line, according to MK Yatom, is that "as long as terror and incitement continue, and as long as Abu Mazen does not fight it, we will continue to do exactly what we are doing now - and that is to fight terrorism. I also received this impression when Prime Minister Sharon spoke to us [in the committee] today."
"Two years ago, then-Foreign Minister Shimon Peres made an agreement with the Americans that included three points: no new communities would be built in Yesha; land would be expropriated only for security use or for roads, but not for settlement; and third, that construction would only be within the communities, but not past their fences. The dismantling of the outposts now is in the framework of those agreements - even if in my opinion, with terrorism raging, now is not the time to do that."
MK Yatom explained why he is against a hudna: "The way I understand Islam, a hudna is just a time-out during which Hamas can re-group. [In addition,] if it is something that enables Hamas to carry out what they call 'small' attacks - such as the murder of 7-year-old Noam Liebowitz and that of Avner Mordechai in Sdei Trumot - then of course we have no use for it." The bottom line, according to MK Yatom, is that "as long as terror and incitement continue, and as long as Abu Mazen does not fight it, we will continue to do exactly what we are doing now - and that is to fight terrorism. I also received this impression when Prime Minister Sharon spoke to us [in the committee] today."