Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer had bad news for many Yesha residents today. He said that he has issued orders to dismantle 15 outposts that have been established over the past few weeks. Most of the outposts were built in response to terrorist attacks at or near the sites, representing a deterrent presence. Ben-Eliezer said in the Knesset today, \"These points represent a security danger. I will not remove them by force, but rather with dialogue; but if that doesn\'t work, then it will be by force, because I can\'t look at these families in the eye when I know that they are alone there with just one caravan…\"
Yesha Council spokesman Yehoshua Mor-Yosef responded to the announcement with astonishment: \"Most of the 15 outposts are manned by IDF soldiers. I can\'t understand how he expects to protect Jews in Yesha by removing these outposts. Why doesn\'t he just announce outright that he is simply abandoning the security of the civilians of the State of Israel? I live in Ofrah; I simply cannot comprehend how it will increase my security if tonight, when I return home, the Tal Binyamin outpost [named for Binyamin and Talya Kahane, who were murdered there six months ago] will no longer be there, south of Ofrah... I call upon Prime Minister Sharon to return home right away - there is nothing new that President Bush can tell him, since everyone knows who the bad guys in the Middle East are - and give the order to defeat the Palestinian Authority. The entire nation is waiting for this, and even the Palestinians are waiting for it...\"
Other responses:
Foreign Minister Shimon Peres: \"I am happy that the Defense Minister has made this decision, because the government made a decision, and we must adhere to the law. Believe me, if we don\'t keep our commitment regarding settlements, we will have no chance of enlisting international support, and on this we will fall.\"
MK Benny Elon: \"It\'s easy to prove you are a lawful state on the back of those poor people who get shot at all the time and build outposts in order to protect themselves. If we\'re really a lawful state, then let\'s see the government stop the constant terrorism.\"
MK Zevulun Orlev (National Religious Party)\'s response: \"It is strange that precisely when terrorists are murdering Jews in Yesha, the Defense Minister finds the time to allocate soldiers and resources to fight the Yesha residents.\"
In a related item, Foreign Minister Peres said that a settlement freeze already essentially exists, even though it is required only in the third \"stage\" of the Mitchell-Tenet process, following a ceasefire and a cooling-off period.
Yesha Council spokesman Yehoshua Mor-Yosef responded to the announcement with astonishment: \"Most of the 15 outposts are manned by IDF soldiers. I can\'t understand how he expects to protect Jews in Yesha by removing these outposts. Why doesn\'t he just announce outright that he is simply abandoning the security of the civilians of the State of Israel? I live in Ofrah; I simply cannot comprehend how it will increase my security if tonight, when I return home, the Tal Binyamin outpost [named for Binyamin and Talya Kahane, who were murdered there six months ago] will no longer be there, south of Ofrah... I call upon Prime Minister Sharon to return home right away - there is nothing new that President Bush can tell him, since everyone knows who the bad guys in the Middle East are - and give the order to defeat the Palestinian Authority. The entire nation is waiting for this, and even the Palestinians are waiting for it...\"
Other responses:
Foreign Minister Shimon Peres: \"I am happy that the Defense Minister has made this decision, because the government made a decision, and we must adhere to the law. Believe me, if we don\'t keep our commitment regarding settlements, we will have no chance of enlisting international support, and on this we will fall.\"
MK Benny Elon: \"It\'s easy to prove you are a lawful state on the back of those poor people who get shot at all the time and build outposts in order to protect themselves. If we\'re really a lawful state, then let\'s see the government stop the constant terrorism.\"
MK Zevulun Orlev (National Religious Party)\'s response: \"It is strange that precisely when terrorists are murdering Jews in Yesha, the Defense Minister finds the time to allocate soldiers and resources to fight the Yesha residents.\"
In a related item, Foreign Minister Peres said that a settlement freeze already essentially exists, even though it is required only in the third \"stage\" of the Mitchell-Tenet process, following a ceasefire and a cooling-off period.