Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has announced, in line with speculation over the past few days, that he will present his new withdrawal plan at the next Cabinet meeting, only six days from now. It is not yet clear how Ministers Netanyahu and Shalom will vote, thus placing the plan's passage in jeopardy. If either of them supports it, the plan will pass.
Speaking at the dedication of a memorial to the legendary Alexandroni Brigade - whose soldiers, including Sharon himself and refugees from Europe who had just arrived in Israel days before, fought in the Latrun battle during the 1948 war - Sharon said he is determined to carry out the diplomatic steps he deems important.
The plan he is proposing is essentially the same as the one that was defeated three weeks ago in the Likud Party referendum. However, instead of uprooting all 21 Jewish communities in Gaza and four more in the northern Shomron all at once, the new plan calls for them to be removed in four stages. This element renders the plan even worse than the previous one, according to Brig.-Gen. (res.) Amos Gilad (see article 3 below).
Minister Netanyahu said last week that he would support the uprooting of three relatively isolated communities in Gaza. His aides say, however, that this is the extent of his willingness to support a withdrawal, and that he would not vote for any plan that involves the uprooting of more than these three. It should be noted, however, that an abstention on his part will not necessarily defeat the plan.
Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom is in a precarious position. Though he tends to oppose the plan, he is aware that his political career could the first casualty of its defeat. This is because its rejection will lead to attempts by Sharon to draw Labor into the coalition, and that Labor's first demand will be for Shimon Peres to replace Shalom as Foreign Minister. On the other hand, if the plan is approved, the same scenario could occur, as it is almost certain to lead to the resignation of the right-wing parties from the coalition and the subsequent need to replace them with Labor.
Sharon was to meet today with Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom and Education Minister Limor Livnat.
The staged plan, according to latest reports, is set to work as follows: Netzarim in central Gaza, and Kfar Darom and Morag - each of which is slightly set off from the Katif bloc of Jewish towns - would be first to be uprooted; the next stage would see the end of the four northern Shomron towns of Kadim, Ganim, Sa-Nur and Chomesh; stage three would mark the eviction of 15 towns in Gush Katif, including N'vei Dekalim and Atzmona; and the last stage would signal the destruction of the three northern Gaza settlements of Elei Sinai, Dugit and Nisanit.
Following the success of grassroots efforts in stymieing the previous unilateral withdrawal plan, residents of Yesha (Judea, Samaria and Gaza) plan to utilize their personal resources and convictions to stop Sharon's intentions once again. In addition to staging protests vigils outside the homes of ministers whose votes might be able to be swayed, they plan to visit the homes of hundreds of Likud Central Committee members. The Committee comprises some 3,000 party stalwarts who determine the Likud's list of Knesset candidates and, indirectly, those who will become Cabinet ministers. The Yesha residents will call upon them to insist that Sharon bring the plan for Committee approval, and/or to "remind" the ministers who vote in favor of the plan that such a vote stands in opposition to the party platform.
The Prime Minister met this morning with MK Yuval Shteinitz, who heads the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. Sharon has canceled three straight scheduled appearances at the committee, drawing the ire of opposition MKs. Shteinitz, for his part, said that, "It's not pleasant, but it's not terrible."
Speaking at the dedication of a memorial to the legendary Alexandroni Brigade - whose soldiers, including Sharon himself and refugees from Europe who had just arrived in Israel days before, fought in the Latrun battle during the 1948 war - Sharon said he is determined to carry out the diplomatic steps he deems important.
The plan he is proposing is essentially the same as the one that was defeated three weeks ago in the Likud Party referendum. However, instead of uprooting all 21 Jewish communities in Gaza and four more in the northern Shomron all at once, the new plan calls for them to be removed in four stages. This element renders the plan even worse than the previous one, according to Brig.-Gen. (res.) Amos Gilad (see article 3 below).
Minister Netanyahu said last week that he would support the uprooting of three relatively isolated communities in Gaza. His aides say, however, that this is the extent of his willingness to support a withdrawal, and that he would not vote for any plan that involves the uprooting of more than these three. It should be noted, however, that an abstention on his part will not necessarily defeat the plan.
Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom is in a precarious position. Though he tends to oppose the plan, he is aware that his political career could the first casualty of its defeat. This is because its rejection will lead to attempts by Sharon to draw Labor into the coalition, and that Labor's first demand will be for Shimon Peres to replace Shalom as Foreign Minister. On the other hand, if the plan is approved, the same scenario could occur, as it is almost certain to lead to the resignation of the right-wing parties from the coalition and the subsequent need to replace them with Labor.
Sharon was to meet today with Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom and Education Minister Limor Livnat.
The staged plan, according to latest reports, is set to work as follows: Netzarim in central Gaza, and Kfar Darom and Morag - each of which is slightly set off from the Katif bloc of Jewish towns - would be first to be uprooted; the next stage would see the end of the four northern Shomron towns of Kadim, Ganim, Sa-Nur and Chomesh; stage three would mark the eviction of 15 towns in Gush Katif, including N'vei Dekalim and Atzmona; and the last stage would signal the destruction of the three northern Gaza settlements of Elei Sinai, Dugit and Nisanit.
Following the success of grassroots efforts in stymieing the previous unilateral withdrawal plan, residents of Yesha (Judea, Samaria and Gaza) plan to utilize their personal resources and convictions to stop Sharon's intentions once again. In addition to staging protests vigils outside the homes of ministers whose votes might be able to be swayed, they plan to visit the homes of hundreds of Likud Central Committee members. The Committee comprises some 3,000 party stalwarts who determine the Likud's list of Knesset candidates and, indirectly, those who will become Cabinet ministers. The Yesha residents will call upon them to insist that Sharon bring the plan for Committee approval, and/or to "remind" the ministers who vote in favor of the plan that such a vote stands in opposition to the party platform.
The Prime Minister met this morning with MK Yuval Shteinitz, who heads the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. Sharon has canceled three straight scheduled appearances at the committee, drawing the ire of opposition MKs. Shteinitz, for his part, said that, "It's not pleasant, but it's not terrible."