Arutz-7 called a number of local Likud chapter heads to discuss their opinions on the disengagement plan and whether there is feverish activity for and against in their towns:
* The head of the Likud chapter in a growing city in the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv area said that he's against the evacuation, but, "I'm making sure that there's not too much activity here regarding the plan, if you understand me." MK Omri Sharon has reportedly threatened local Likud leaders who refuse to support the plan with the loss of their jobs. Asked to detail the main reasons he opposes the withdrawal, the Likud leader explained, "I am generally opposed to taking people out of their homes, and it is not in keeping with the Likud platform."
* In Bnei Brak, too, "things are quiet," but the chapter head said he himself favors the plan: "I trust the Prime Minister; we voted for him so that he can decide these things. In this way we can make sure that the settlement blocs in Judea and Samaria won't be harmed; I would never cooperate with any attempt to remove the towns in Judea and Samaria."
Arutz-7's Yosef Meiri asked him, "What do you think, then, of the letter from Sharon's aide Dov Weisglass to U.S. National Security Advisor Condoleeza Rice, in which he promised 'restrictions on settlement growth... in Judea and Samaria'?" The letter states, "An Israeli team, in conjunction with [U.S.] Ambassador Kurtzer, will review aerial photos of settlements and will jointly define the construction line of each of the settlements," ensuring that even the settlements that are to remain in Israeli hands will not be able to grow beyond their current lines. The local Likud chapter head responded, "I cannot respond to something I didn't see."
* The head of the Likud chapter in a northern coast city said, "I'm in favor of the plan, but I'll tell you, it looks like there are a lot of people who are opposed. It's a very difficult battle." Asked why he's in favor, he said, "We in the Likud all have ideals, but the reality is stronger, and the reality states that we should live here and they should live there." Meiri said, "According to the plan and Israeli commitments, even more Arabs of Gaza will come to work in Israel [after the withdrawal] than currently do. So apart from the 'disengagement' of Jews from Gush Katif, where's the 'disengagement' of us from the Arabs?" "I don't know," he said.
* The head of the Likud chapter in a growing city in the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv area said that he's against the evacuation, but, "I'm making sure that there's not too much activity here regarding the plan, if you understand me." MK Omri Sharon has reportedly threatened local Likud leaders who refuse to support the plan with the loss of their jobs. Asked to detail the main reasons he opposes the withdrawal, the Likud leader explained, "I am generally opposed to taking people out of their homes, and it is not in keeping with the Likud platform."
* In Bnei Brak, too, "things are quiet," but the chapter head said he himself favors the plan: "I trust the Prime Minister; we voted for him so that he can decide these things. In this way we can make sure that the settlement blocs in Judea and Samaria won't be harmed; I would never cooperate with any attempt to remove the towns in Judea and Samaria."
Arutz-7's Yosef Meiri asked him, "What do you think, then, of the letter from Sharon's aide Dov Weisglass to U.S. National Security Advisor Condoleeza Rice, in which he promised 'restrictions on settlement growth... in Judea and Samaria'?" The letter states, "An Israeli team, in conjunction with [U.S.] Ambassador Kurtzer, will review aerial photos of settlements and will jointly define the construction line of each of the settlements," ensuring that even the settlements that are to remain in Israeli hands will not be able to grow beyond their current lines. The local Likud chapter head responded, "I cannot respond to something I didn't see."
* The head of the Likud chapter in a northern coast city said, "I'm in favor of the plan, but I'll tell you, it looks like there are a lot of people who are opposed. It's a very difficult battle." Asked why he's in favor, he said, "We in the Likud all have ideals, but the reality is stronger, and the reality states that we should live here and they should live there." Meiri said, "According to the plan and Israeli commitments, even more Arabs of Gaza will come to work in Israel [after the withdrawal] than currently do. So apart from the 'disengagement' of Jews from Gush Katif, where's the 'disengagement' of us from the Arabs?" "I don't know," he said.