The details of the heavy price Israel paid for the Bush letter are emerging more and more clearly. Yesha (Judea and Samaria) Council leader Bentzy Lieberman said today that Israel is to submit to the Americans in the coming days detailed commitments, including up-to-date aerial maps specifying the precise construction boundaries of each and every Jewish community in Judea and Samaria. "What this means is that not only are we giving up Gaza," he told Arutz-7 today, "but the entire future of the remainder of the settlements is in doubt. As usual, the Prime Minister is hiding certain parts of the agreement, and is in fact deceiving us - and the ministers are ignoring this. Contrary to the impression that he has safeguarded the future of the settlement blocs, they are actually in grave danger."
Lieberman acknowledged that the announcements by Ministers Livnat and others in support of the plan "complicate" the situation, "but the battle is far from lost. We have a lot of work ahead of us, particularly on the organizational front - getting out the vote, and the like." Lieberman said it would not help the situation were the right-wing parties to quit the coalition in the coming two weeks before the referendum, as "this would just irk the Likud members, which we have no interest in doing at this time."
"We know that we do not face an easy struggle," Lieberman told Arutz-7 today, "and in fact anything that happens over the next two weeks could tip the scales. We are trying to assemble as many volunteers as possible, from all over the country, who will visit the homes of those who are still undecided - we have many of their names - and will look them in the eye and tell them the following: 'Know that this is not a battle just for Gush Katif and four towns in the northern Shomron. We are facing a new White Paper period [when the British restricted Jewish immigration to the Holy Land in the 1940's - ed. note] and a freeze on Jewish construction, and it endangers the entire settlement enterprise.'"
Lieberman acknowledged that the announcements by Ministers Livnat and others in support of the plan "complicate" the situation, "but the battle is far from lost. We have a lot of work ahead of us, particularly on the organizational front - getting out the vote, and the like." Lieberman said it would not help the situation were the right-wing parties to quit the coalition in the coming two weeks before the referendum, as "this would just irk the Likud members, which we have no interest in doing at this time."
"We know that we do not face an easy struggle," Lieberman told Arutz-7 today, "and in fact anything that happens over the next two weeks could tip the scales. We are trying to assemble as many volunteers as possible, from all over the country, who will visit the homes of those who are still undecided - we have many of their names - and will look them in the eye and tell them the following: 'Know that this is not a battle just for Gush Katif and four towns in the northern Shomron. We are facing a new White Paper period [when the British restricted Jewish immigration to the Holy Land in the 1940's - ed. note] and a freeze on Jewish construction, and it endangers the entire settlement enterprise.'"