Finance Minister Binyamin Netanyahu clarified this morning his stance on the disengagement plan. Yesterday he set three conditions without which he could not support the plan, but upon their fulfillment "I would definitely consider supporting the plan in a positive light." The three conditions he laid down were:
* Israel must control all entrances and exits to the Gaza Strip, including the Philadelphi route separating Egypt and Gaza.
* The counter-terrorism partition fence around Judea and Samaria must be completed before the retreat begins. Included in the "Israeli areas" must be settlement blocs in Yesha.
* The Americans must issue public declarations against the so-called Right of Return for Arabs who left Israel in 1948.
Netanyahu also said yesterday - though he did not make this a formal condition - that we must not retreat under fire, but must rather ensure that Gaza-based terrorism is neutralized before a withdrawal. He also said that though he himself would not have initiated a unilateral withdrawal, "Sharon has decided upon it and we must go from there."
Netanyahu clarified this morning on a Voice of Israel interview that these conditions must all take place before the IDF begins to withdraw from the Gaza strip. Responding to criticism that he is relating to the plan as if it is already a fait accompli, the Finance Minister said, "The most convenient position for me to take, politically, would be to negate the plan totally and declare war upon it. But as a former Prime Minister, I know that a plan supported and pushed by the Prime Minister is not like an initiative pushed by someone like Beilin [a mocking reference to the Geneva Plan - ed. note]. A Prime Minister's plan is received seriously in the world and in the Israeli public. As such, we must set a simple principle, and that is that we give nothing without getting something in return. Every move that we make in Gaza must be balanced by concrete measures and steps towards us that will send a clear message to the terrorists that Israel is not losing by this move, but is rather gaining important things. My approach is to-the-point, and that is to make sure that we receive the best results that we can. As the program stands at present, I cannot support it; in order to consider it, these three conditions must be fulfilled."
The former Prime Minister said that previous U.S. declarations against the "right of return" are not sufficient, as "they are not anchored in official U.S. policy, with decisions and documents... The fantasy that the State of Israel will be liquidated by Arabs coming from Gaza to Ashkelon, Ashdod, Jaffa, and Akko will not happen - not only because Israel objects, but because the greatest power in the world has erased it from the international agenda."
Netanyahu explained that the "settlement blocs" to which the U.S. must agree in exchange for Israel's quitting Gaza must include the Ariel bloc - "not only the city of Ariel [in central Samaria], but also the communities around it - as well as Gush Etzion, Maaleh Adumim, and the Modiin Highway, which is the second entrance route to our capital. All these areas must be included within the partition fence, and must be fortified and strengthened. This is also part of our message to terrorism."
Cities of Israel spokesperson Susie Dym issued a sharp statement against Netanyahu, calling his position "a disgrace to his political persona." She said that Netanyahu's conditions "are irrelevant to the core issues - which are 1) that it is anti-Semitic to regard a peaceful Jewish presence anywhere - and certainly within the Land of Israel - as a problem; and 2) that running away from terror causes more terror." The grassroots organization also noted that Netanyahu "has been known to stipulate conditions and then ignore them. In the notorious cabinet decision in favor of the Road Map, for example, Netanyahu reneged on his clear position ruling out the establishment of a Palestinian state by agreeing to the setting of 14 conditions - which he afterwards proceeded to ignore."
Dr. Aaron Lerner of IMRA [www.imra.org.il] wrote that Netanyahu's condition regarding the settlement blocs does not preclude their being excluded from Israel's future final borders. "In fact," writes Lerner, "an American declaration concerning the route of the fence might even be balanced with wording that opposes their [the settlement blocs'] presence in a final arrangement." Lerner leaves open the possibility that Netanyahu is setting conditions that he does not expect to be met - but balances this with the possibility that the conditions will be all but forgotten.
Gush Katif spokesman Eran Sternberg expressed disappointment with Netanyahu's stance: "If he does not wish to take leadership of the campaign against this disgraceful unilateral withdrawal plan, then someone else will. There are plenty of rebel MKs in the Likud... In the meantime, Sharon has no meeting in Washington, he doesn't have a majority in the Cabinet, and we have lots of patience."
* Israel must control all entrances and exits to the Gaza Strip, including the Philadelphi route separating Egypt and Gaza.
* The counter-terrorism partition fence around Judea and Samaria must be completed before the retreat begins. Included in the "Israeli areas" must be settlement blocs in Yesha.
* The Americans must issue public declarations against the so-called Right of Return for Arabs who left Israel in 1948.
Netanyahu also said yesterday - though he did not make this a formal condition - that we must not retreat under fire, but must rather ensure that Gaza-based terrorism is neutralized before a withdrawal. He also said that though he himself would not have initiated a unilateral withdrawal, "Sharon has decided upon it and we must go from there."
Netanyahu clarified this morning on a Voice of Israel interview that these conditions must all take place before the IDF begins to withdraw from the Gaza strip. Responding to criticism that he is relating to the plan as if it is already a fait accompli, the Finance Minister said, "The most convenient position for me to take, politically, would be to negate the plan totally and declare war upon it. But as a former Prime Minister, I know that a plan supported and pushed by the Prime Minister is not like an initiative pushed by someone like Beilin [a mocking reference to the Geneva Plan - ed. note]. A Prime Minister's plan is received seriously in the world and in the Israeli public. As such, we must set a simple principle, and that is that we give nothing without getting something in return. Every move that we make in Gaza must be balanced by concrete measures and steps towards us that will send a clear message to the terrorists that Israel is not losing by this move, but is rather gaining important things. My approach is to-the-point, and that is to make sure that we receive the best results that we can. As the program stands at present, I cannot support it; in order to consider it, these three conditions must be fulfilled."
The former Prime Minister said that previous U.S. declarations against the "right of return" are not sufficient, as "they are not anchored in official U.S. policy, with decisions and documents... The fantasy that the State of Israel will be liquidated by Arabs coming from Gaza to Ashkelon, Ashdod, Jaffa, and Akko will not happen - not only because Israel objects, but because the greatest power in the world has erased it from the international agenda."
Netanyahu explained that the "settlement blocs" to which the U.S. must agree in exchange for Israel's quitting Gaza must include the Ariel bloc - "not only the city of Ariel [in central Samaria], but also the communities around it - as well as Gush Etzion, Maaleh Adumim, and the Modiin Highway, which is the second entrance route to our capital. All these areas must be included within the partition fence, and must be fortified and strengthened. This is also part of our message to terrorism."
Cities of Israel spokesperson Susie Dym issued a sharp statement against Netanyahu, calling his position "a disgrace to his political persona." She said that Netanyahu's conditions "are irrelevant to the core issues - which are 1) that it is anti-Semitic to regard a peaceful Jewish presence anywhere - and certainly within the Land of Israel - as a problem; and 2) that running away from terror causes more terror." The grassroots organization also noted that Netanyahu "has been known to stipulate conditions and then ignore them. In the notorious cabinet decision in favor of the Road Map, for example, Netanyahu reneged on his clear position ruling out the establishment of a Palestinian state by agreeing to the setting of 14 conditions - which he afterwards proceeded to ignore."
Dr. Aaron Lerner of IMRA [www.imra.org.il] wrote that Netanyahu's condition regarding the settlement blocs does not preclude their being excluded from Israel's future final borders. "In fact," writes Lerner, "an American declaration concerning the route of the fence might even be balanced with wording that opposes their [the settlement blocs'] presence in a final arrangement." Lerner leaves open the possibility that Netanyahu is setting conditions that he does not expect to be met - but balances this with the possibility that the conditions will be all but forgotten.
Gush Katif spokesman Eran Sternberg expressed disappointment with Netanyahu's stance: "If he does not wish to take leadership of the campaign against this disgraceful unilateral withdrawal plan, then someone else will. There are plenty of rebel MKs in the Likud... In the meantime, Sharon has no meeting in Washington, he doesn't have a majority in the Cabinet, and we have lots of patience."