Housing Minister Effie Eitam, leader of the National Religious Party (NRP), intends to propose legislation barring the government from entrusting the Israel Defense Forces with the job of evacuating Jews from their homes in Judea, Samaria and Gaza. Eitam's law would stipulate that "political decisions" to uproot towns in Yesha would be implemented only by the regular police or Border Guard. The bill would be entitled, "The IDF Unity Act."
Although Maariv reported today that the proposed law would apparently exclude unauthorized outposts, Arutz-7 spoke with Eitam's spokesman and found out differently. "The purpose of the law is to define the functions of the army," he said. "The soldiers have been trained to defend the homeland, and not to take an active role in matters of such controversy. There thus need not be any difference between outposts or towns."
Eitam, who served as head of the Galilee Formation in the IDF with the rank of Brig.-Gen., says that the army is now much more religious than it was during the uprooting of Yamit in 1982. "Close to 40% of the junior officer level, from the rank of Lt.-Col. and lower, wear kippot (yarmulkes)," he said, "and we must not involve the IDF in such a sensitive matter that causes such a rift in the nation... I fear a situation in which tens of thousand of people will surround a town that the army is trying to remove. In addition, it's likely that the residents will try again and again to return to the evacuated territory, and it might drag out for a very long time."
Eitam will meet in the coming days with Prime Minister Sharon and Defense Minister Mofaz in an effort to have the ministerial committee on legislation adopt the plan and present it as a cabinet proposal. Otherwise, he will present it as an NRP bill.
Although Maariv reported today that the proposed law would apparently exclude unauthorized outposts, Arutz-7 spoke with Eitam's spokesman and found out differently. "The purpose of the law is to define the functions of the army," he said. "The soldiers have been trained to defend the homeland, and not to take an active role in matters of such controversy. There thus need not be any difference between outposts or towns."
Eitam, who served as head of the Galilee Formation in the IDF with the rank of Brig.-Gen., says that the army is now much more religious than it was during the uprooting of Yamit in 1982. "Close to 40% of the junior officer level, from the rank of Lt.-Col. and lower, wear kippot (yarmulkes)," he said, "and we must not involve the IDF in such a sensitive matter that causes such a rift in the nation... I fear a situation in which tens of thousand of people will surround a town that the army is trying to remove. In addition, it's likely that the residents will try again and again to return to the evacuated territory, and it might drag out for a very long time."
Eitam will meet in the coming days with Prime Minister Sharon and Defense Minister Mofaz in an effort to have the ministerial committee on legislation adopt the plan and present it as a cabinet proposal. Otherwise, he will present it as an NRP bill.