Former three-time Defense Minister Moshe Arens said today, "I don't want to suspect [Sharon] and believe that the timing [of his statement regarding Arafat] is connected to the referendum... I know that he and his aides are very determined to pass this thing, and bring up all sorts of claims in its favor, some of which are not valid..."
Arens says he plans to vote against the plan in the Likud referendum a week from today:
"We are in the midst of a 3.5-year war against the [Arabs of the Palestinian Authority], and as such, the most important considerations are those of security. We are right in the middle of the war, and we're making gains - we're even hearing various Arab spokesmen say that terrorism is not gaining them anything, and the like - and therefore this is not precisely a smart time to retreat. As the Chief of Staff said, a retreat from Gaza will strengthen and encourage the terrorists. Even President Bush has said that the main thing is to dismantle and destroy the terrorist infrastructure. - so now we should give them territory?!"
Arens said that the way the plan is being presented, "as if we're disengaging from and leaving Gaza," is not quite correct:
"Until 1994, we were really in Gaza - our forces were in Gaza City and Dir el Balah and Jabalya, and all the rest. In 1994, we left Gaza. The question now, therefore, is not whether to leave Gaza, but whether to uproot the Jewish communities in Gush Katif, which are mostly in southern Gaza and basically separate from the Arabs... I see no reason why land [such as the Golan and Gaza] from which attacks were launched against us, and which we then captured and settled, should have to be returned to the attackers... In any event, the main consideration is whether it will help our war against terrorism, and in my opinion, a withdrawal from Gaza now will merely encourage terrorists and will cause further terrorist attacks."
Mr. Arens had criticism of Sharon's threat against Arafat and of his warnings that American support for Israel is in danger:
"It's not smart to upgrade Arafat's deteriorating standing in the Palestinian public. I think we should not mention him at all, leave him alone, and let him be forgotten. That would be the best thing... The American policy is quite stable, long-standing, and does not change from day to day, and I don't think it will worsen if the disengagement doesn't pass."
Arens says he plans to vote against the plan in the Likud referendum a week from today:
"We are in the midst of a 3.5-year war against the [Arabs of the Palestinian Authority], and as such, the most important considerations are those of security. We are right in the middle of the war, and we're making gains - we're even hearing various Arab spokesmen say that terrorism is not gaining them anything, and the like - and therefore this is not precisely a smart time to retreat. As the Chief of Staff said, a retreat from Gaza will strengthen and encourage the terrorists. Even President Bush has said that the main thing is to dismantle and destroy the terrorist infrastructure. - so now we should give them territory?!"
Arens said that the way the plan is being presented, "as if we're disengaging from and leaving Gaza," is not quite correct:
"Until 1994, we were really in Gaza - our forces were in Gaza City and Dir el Balah and Jabalya, and all the rest. In 1994, we left Gaza. The question now, therefore, is not whether to leave Gaza, but whether to uproot the Jewish communities in Gush Katif, which are mostly in southern Gaza and basically separate from the Arabs... I see no reason why land [such as the Golan and Gaza] from which attacks were launched against us, and which we then captured and settled, should have to be returned to the attackers... In any event, the main consideration is whether it will help our war against terrorism, and in my opinion, a withdrawal from Gaza now will merely encourage terrorists and will cause further terrorist attacks."
Mr. Arens had criticism of Sharon's threat against Arafat and of his warnings that American support for Israel is in danger:
"It's not smart to upgrade Arafat's deteriorating standing in the Palestinian public. I think we should not mention him at all, leave him alone, and let him be forgotten. That would be the best thing... The American policy is quite stable, long-standing, and does not change from day to day, and I don't think it will worsen if the disengagement doesn't pass."