Israeli ministers' opinions to the Bush-Sharon summit were mixed. Finance Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, whose opinion is said to be critical for other ministers - and probably many Likud members in the upcoming referendum - has not yet come out with a clear statement. After meeting with Sharon last night, he said that two of his conditions had been met: those that concern the Arab refugees and Israeli control over the Gaza air and seaports and land-entrances. Regarding the third condition - the completion of Israel's counter-terrorism fence and its enclosure of settlement blocs even before the evacuation of Gaza - Netanyahu said that Bush did not provide a clear answer. Netanyahu added, though, that this is "not a matter between Israel and the U.S, but rather an internal Israeli issue" - thus leaving room for Sharon to maneuver and thus obtain his approval.
Another minister whose opinion has not yet been formulated is Education Minister Limor Livnat. She said that she would meet with Prime Minister Sharon, see the documentation on the plan and the American and Israeli commitments, and then decide. Ministers Shalom, Naveh, Katz, Lieberman and others have declined to comment publicly.
Some ministers reacted predictably: Sharon-ally Defense Minister Sha'ul Mofaz lavished effusive praise on the understandings reached between Bush and Sharon, calling them "important" and "unprecedented" that "anchor Israel's most important diplomatic and security interests." Minister Uzi Landau continues to be against the withdrawal, while Minister Ehud Olmert continues to favor it.
Minister Tzippy Livni said immediately after the Bush-Sharon press conference that her demands had been met, and that she in fact saw Bush's statement regarding the so-called Arab "right of return" as her own "personal accomplishment." She said that for many years she has been waging a campaign to ensure that the Arab refugees of 1948 "return" only to PA-controlled areas. Some, however, saw this "accomplishment" as a demographic drawback for Israel, as it encourages the influx of hundreds of thousands of additional Arabs into Judea and Samaria.
Minister Natan Sharansky (Likud): "There is nothing that Bush can promise or deliver that will justify the uprooting of Jews from their homes, the creation of a split in the nation, and the granting of new opportunities to the terrorists there. What, do we really think that the terrorists will use the new areas to grow lettuce like our settlers did?" Sharansky said he was cutting short his visit in Los Angeles to return to Israel and take part in the campaign against the evacuation.
Another minister whose opinion has not yet been formulated is Education Minister Limor Livnat. She said that she would meet with Prime Minister Sharon, see the documentation on the plan and the American and Israeli commitments, and then decide. Ministers Shalom, Naveh, Katz, Lieberman and others have declined to comment publicly.
Some ministers reacted predictably: Sharon-ally Defense Minister Sha'ul Mofaz lavished effusive praise on the understandings reached between Bush and Sharon, calling them "important" and "unprecedented" that "anchor Israel's most important diplomatic and security interests." Minister Uzi Landau continues to be against the withdrawal, while Minister Ehud Olmert continues to favor it.
Minister Tzippy Livni said immediately after the Bush-Sharon press conference that her demands had been met, and that she in fact saw Bush's statement regarding the so-called Arab "right of return" as her own "personal accomplishment." She said that for many years she has been waging a campaign to ensure that the Arab refugees of 1948 "return" only to PA-controlled areas. Some, however, saw this "accomplishment" as a demographic drawback for Israel, as it encourages the influx of hundreds of thousands of additional Arabs into Judea and Samaria.
Minister Natan Sharansky (Likud): "There is nothing that Bush can promise or deliver that will justify the uprooting of Jews from their homes, the creation of a split in the nation, and the granting of new opportunities to the terrorists there. What, do we really think that the terrorists will use the new areas to grow lettuce like our settlers did?" Sharansky said he was cutting short his visit in Los Angeles to return to Israel and take part in the campaign against the evacuation.