A panel discussion in the Leo Baeck High School in Haifa has yielded some surprising results. After both sides of the disengagement question were presented to a student audience, 52% stated they were against the disengagement. Ynet, which reported on the vote, did not reveal the numbers of those who favored the plan or who were undecided.
The results were surprising even to those who presented the pro-Gush Katif point of view, as the school is considered a bastion of liberal education.
Chananel Elul, 18, of Gadid in Gush Katif, used the half-hour allotted to him by the panel to present a short film on Gush Katif, talk about every-day life there, and explain why the expulsion is unjust and politically and militarily wrong. Representing the other side was a Peace Now member, who concentrated on the principles of a Jewish-democratic state.
"They told us that this was a bastion of secularism," Elul said, "so we were surprised that the results showed that most of the students supported our position."
A call to the Leo Baeck school by Arutz-7 produced a slightly different story. The spokesperson, named Tova, said, "First of all, the Ynet reporter did not speak with any authorized spokesmen of the school. The teacher told me that the results were not as reported, but rather 50-50."
Apparently trying to downplay the anti-disengagement trend, Tova said, "The entire 11th grade has close to 200 students, and only 140 took part in the panel vote... For us, what is important are not the results of the poll, which were not scientific and not representative of the whole school or even the 11th grade, but rather the educational process itself."
Anti-disengagement elements responded to the story by saying, "It's obvious why Sharon has not allowed a referendum on this issue - he knows he would lose."
The results were surprising even to those who presented the pro-Gush Katif point of view, as the school is considered a bastion of liberal education.
Chananel Elul, 18, of Gadid in Gush Katif, used the half-hour allotted to him by the panel to present a short film on Gush Katif, talk about every-day life there, and explain why the expulsion is unjust and politically and militarily wrong. Representing the other side was a Peace Now member, who concentrated on the principles of a Jewish-democratic state.
"They told us that this was a bastion of secularism," Elul said, "so we were surprised that the results showed that most of the students supported our position."
A call to the Leo Baeck school by Arutz-7 produced a slightly different story. The spokesperson, named Tova, said, "First of all, the Ynet reporter did not speak with any authorized spokesmen of the school. The teacher told me that the results were not as reported, but rather 50-50."
Apparently trying to downplay the anti-disengagement trend, Tova said, "The entire 11th grade has close to 200 students, and only 140 took part in the panel vote... For us, what is important are not the results of the poll, which were not scientific and not representative of the whole school or even the 11th grade, but rather the educational process itself."
Anti-disengagement elements responded to the story by saying, "It's obvious why Sharon has not allowed a referendum on this issue - he knows he would lose."