Bentzy Lieberman, Chairman of the Yesha Council of Jewish Communities in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza, spoke this morning with Arutz-7's Emanuel Shilo about tonight's mass rally in Tel Aviv. "We will see tonight that the People of Israel is strong," Lieberman said, "and as Arik Sharon himself said, 'it's not the people who are tired, it's their leaders who are tired.' The nation will be out there tonight to yell out that they will not allow unilateral moves, nor those that will uproot Jews from their homes."
Asked when Sharon made these statements, Lieberman said that it was during the election campaign a year ago: "When Labor Party leader Amram Mitzna proposed a unilateral retreat from Gaza, Sharon said that ideas of this nature were folly and the work of 'political beginners.' ... Similarly, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Moshe Yaalon said that if we retreat from Netzarim, it will require many more soldiers to guard it than the number presently guarding it. People have a tendency to think that if a terrorist is ten meters away from him, but behind a wall, then he doesn't exist - like a child who closes his eyes and thinks that no one sees him. People who are tired feel this way, and we will show tonight that we are not tired. We are in an intense struggle, and we must not blink."
Tonight's event, entitled, "The People of Israel Don't Want to Fold!", will be held at Rabin Square at 7 PM. Deputy Yesha Council head Hisdai Eliezer said this morning that "pessimistic estimates" speak of 150,000 attendees, including half of the Likud's 40 MKs.
Lieberman said that the issue is not just a matter of isolated outposts in Yesha. "The long list of outposts that Sharon wants to destroy is proof that this is not a matter of legality, and that he just wants to get rid of the illegal ones. It's beyond that. There are permanent houses in at least two places that have received all the proper authorizations that are also on the list, and we see that Sharon's goals are not just a few outposts here and there... Out of 100 outposts, some 97 are totally legal. But the problem is that Sharon does not want to talk to us. It's as if he just wants to clash with us. It's very strange that with Barak and Ben-Eliezer, we were able to reach understandings, even if they had to take some very strong measures - yet with Sharon, who often played a major role in the establishment of many Yesha communities, he doesn't want to talk to us - possibly out of a feeling of shame..."
Asked when Sharon made these statements, Lieberman said that it was during the election campaign a year ago: "When Labor Party leader Amram Mitzna proposed a unilateral retreat from Gaza, Sharon said that ideas of this nature were folly and the work of 'political beginners.' ... Similarly, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Moshe Yaalon said that if we retreat from Netzarim, it will require many more soldiers to guard it than the number presently guarding it. People have a tendency to think that if a terrorist is ten meters away from him, but behind a wall, then he doesn't exist - like a child who closes his eyes and thinks that no one sees him. People who are tired feel this way, and we will show tonight that we are not tired. We are in an intense struggle, and we must not blink."
Tonight's event, entitled, "The People of Israel Don't Want to Fold!", will be held at Rabin Square at 7 PM. Deputy Yesha Council head Hisdai Eliezer said this morning that "pessimistic estimates" speak of 150,000 attendees, including half of the Likud's 40 MKs.
Lieberman said that the issue is not just a matter of isolated outposts in Yesha. "The long list of outposts that Sharon wants to destroy is proof that this is not a matter of legality, and that he just wants to get rid of the illegal ones. It's beyond that. There are permanent houses in at least two places that have received all the proper authorizations that are also on the list, and we see that Sharon's goals are not just a few outposts here and there... Out of 100 outposts, some 97 are totally legal. But the problem is that Sharon does not want to talk to us. It's as if he just wants to clash with us. It's very strange that with Barak and Ben-Eliezer, we were able to reach understandings, even if they had to take some very strong measures - yet with Sharon, who often played a major role in the establishment of many Yesha communities, he doesn't want to talk to us - possibly out of a feeling of shame..."