Opponents to the government's disengagement/expulsion plan have begun distributing recordings of Sharon's statement to soldiers throughout the country.
He said it in July 1995 when he was an opposition Knesset Member, speaking out against the Labor government's plan to remove army bases from Judea, Samaria and Gaza (Yesha). Speaking with Arutz-7 radio, heard on airwaves throughout Israel before the government shut it down just over a year ago, he said,
"As someone who has served in the IDF many years, I say that a soldier must follow orders, and if a soldier feels that an order given him is against his conscience, he personally - and I emphasize 'personally' - must stand before his commander, explain this to him and be prepared to accept the consequences."
Sharon, who by 1995 had been involved for over 20 years in building the Jewish presence in Yesha, strongly opposed the eviction of Jews. "I believe that in everything that concerns the crossing of red lines," he said, "the responsibility for this is the government's, and it must prevent situations of red lines."
Sharon, as an opposition member of the Knesset, added, "This government must realized that when it talks about majority rule, this is also a crude distortion. Democracy cannot be a tyranny of the majority. They can't just do whatever they want - certainly when we are talking about matters that will determine our fate."
Prime Minister Sharon is now leading a campaign to dismantle army bases and Jewish communities and transfer the Jews and their property out of a large area of Samaria and all of Gaza. Opponents to the plan have bitterly criticized him for relying on a presumed majority for the plan despite widespread and deep opposition. Sharon has fought off demands for a national referendum.
He said it in July 1995 when he was an opposition Knesset Member, speaking out against the Labor government's plan to remove army bases from Judea, Samaria and Gaza (Yesha). Speaking with Arutz-7 radio, heard on airwaves throughout Israel before the government shut it down just over a year ago, he said,
"As someone who has served in the IDF many years, I say that a soldier must follow orders, and if a soldier feels that an order given him is against his conscience, he personally - and I emphasize 'personally' - must stand before his commander, explain this to him and be prepared to accept the consequences."
Sharon, who by 1995 had been involved for over 20 years in building the Jewish presence in Yesha, strongly opposed the eviction of Jews. "I believe that in everything that concerns the crossing of red lines," he said, "the responsibility for this is the government's, and it must prevent situations of red lines."
Sharon, as an opposition member of the Knesset, added, "This government must realized that when it talks about majority rule, this is also a crude distortion. Democracy cannot be a tyranny of the majority. They can't just do whatever they want - certainly when we are talking about matters that will determine our fate."
Prime Minister Sharon is now leading a campaign to dismantle army bases and Jewish communities and transfer the Jews and their property out of a large area of Samaria and all of Gaza. Opponents to the plan have bitterly criticized him for relying on a presumed majority for the plan despite widespread and deep opposition. Sharon has fought off demands for a national referendum.