"If someone thinks that the State of Israel will be able to hold on to most of the Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, he is making a bitter mistake," said Transportation Minister Meir Sheetrit at a seminar at Bar Ilan University yesterday. The topic under discussion was, "The Disengagement Plan – Democracy vs. Jewish Law."
Continuing to sound like a Labor Party minister of 10-15 years ago, Sheetrit – admittedly, one of the most dovish of Likud members – also said, "The Likud should never have sent the settlers to live there in the first place. If we would have invested all those resources in the Negev and the Galilee, the whole country would have looked different."
Last week, Vice Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said that "Disengagement-2" is on the way: "There is no option of sitting and doing nothing," he said. "Israel's interest requires a disengagement on a wider scale than what will happen as part of the current disengagement plan." Prime Minister Sharon's Bureau hurried to deny that there is such an intention – but Sharon has given plenty of hints that he does not see the withdrawal from Gush Katif and northern Shomron as the end of the process.
Sharon has long said, for instance, that Israeli policy would be coordinated with US policy – and Elliot Abrams, director of the U.S. National Security Council Middle East section, recently verbalized US policy in this regard. He told American Jewish leaders in Washington that the US demands that Israel evacuate and abandon all Jewish communities behind the anti-terror partition fence. Abrams explained that the Americans will support Israel's retention of "settlement blocs" only if Israel uproots everything else in the Biblical heartland of Judea and Samaria.
Former Herzliya Mayor Eli Landau told Arutz-7 several months ago that Sharon's withdrawal plan "would eventually take Israel all the way back to the anti-terrorism partition fence." MK Yitzchak Levy (National Religious Party) told Arutz-7 last month, "It's totally obvious that if he can, Sharon will continue withdrawing from more and more areas."
Continuing to sound like a Labor Party minister of 10-15 years ago, Sheetrit – admittedly, one of the most dovish of Likud members – also said, "The Likud should never have sent the settlers to live there in the first place. If we would have invested all those resources in the Negev and the Galilee, the whole country would have looked different."
Last week, Vice Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said that "Disengagement-2" is on the way: "There is no option of sitting and doing nothing," he said. "Israel's interest requires a disengagement on a wider scale than what will happen as part of the current disengagement plan." Prime Minister Sharon's Bureau hurried to deny that there is such an intention – but Sharon has given plenty of hints that he does not see the withdrawal from Gush Katif and northern Shomron as the end of the process.
Sharon has long said, for instance, that Israeli policy would be coordinated with US policy – and Elliot Abrams, director of the U.S. National Security Council Middle East section, recently verbalized US policy in this regard. He told American Jewish leaders in Washington that the US demands that Israel evacuate and abandon all Jewish communities behind the anti-terror partition fence. Abrams explained that the Americans will support Israel's retention of "settlement blocs" only if Israel uproots everything else in the Biblical heartland of Judea and Samaria.
Former Herzliya Mayor Eli Landau told Arutz-7 several months ago that Sharon's withdrawal plan "would eventually take Israel all the way back to the anti-terrorism partition fence." MK Yitzchak Levy (National Religious Party) told Arutz-7 last month, "It's totally obvious that if he can, Sharon will continue withdrawing from more and more areas."