“I am against soldiers refusing to follow orders. But I can accept their moral objection to carry them out,” National Religious Party (NRP) leader Effie Eitam said.
He explained he can accept the fact that many soldiers will ask their commanders to free them from participating in any evacuation of Jews, but that they should not outright snub Army orders.
The former Army officer reiterated his fierce opposition to the disengagement plan but vowed he would “stand and bodily block violence.” Eitam made his remarks to the Hebrew Maariv newspaper.
He accused Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of “repeating the mistakes of Yitzhak Rabin” and added that Sharon’s plan is destructive.
Promising to avoid civil war, he said, “We will not spare any means that are legal to prevent this craziness” of removing Jews from four northern Samaria communities and all of the southern Mediterranean coast. “There will be anger and frustration, but there will not be civil war.”
Eitam also said he is “fed up” with NRP Knesset members who are against Sharon’s disengagement plan but want to remain in his coalition. “This is terrible. The NRP cannot stop the plan by staying in the government. We fought like lions and dropped like flies.”
He vowed to join forces with the National Union party in the next elections if Sharon’s plan passes the Knesset and the NRP decides to remain in the coalition.
“I believe that if the Prime Minister continues to steamroller everyone, there will be many Likud members who will join us. Sharon had a stable government. Instead, he zigzagged and created strange and unnatural policies.”
He explained he can accept the fact that many soldiers will ask their commanders to free them from participating in any evacuation of Jews, but that they should not outright snub Army orders.
The former Army officer reiterated his fierce opposition to the disengagement plan but vowed he would “stand and bodily block violence.” Eitam made his remarks to the Hebrew Maariv newspaper.
He accused Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of “repeating the mistakes of Yitzhak Rabin” and added that Sharon’s plan is destructive.
Promising to avoid civil war, he said, “We will not spare any means that are legal to prevent this craziness” of removing Jews from four northern Samaria communities and all of the southern Mediterranean coast. “There will be anger and frustration, but there will not be civil war.”
Eitam also said he is “fed up” with NRP Knesset members who are against Sharon’s disengagement plan but want to remain in his coalition. “This is terrible. The NRP cannot stop the plan by staying in the government. We fought like lions and dropped like flies.”
He vowed to join forces with the National Union party in the next elections if Sharon’s plan passes the Knesset and the NRP decides to remain in the coalition.
“I believe that if the Prime Minister continues to steamroller everyone, there will be many Likud members who will join us. Sharon had a stable government. Instead, he zigzagged and created strange and unnatural policies.”