The current most talked-about issue in Israel is \"Separation: Yes or No?\" Many left-wing leaders, though not all, feel that Israel could solve its current problems by unilaterally separating from the Palestinian Authority via the construction of a wall. The other opinion is that this would be a giveaway of land to no good advantage. President Moshe Katzav joined the fray today with his opinion that Israel should unilaterally separate from the Palestinians - but only if it does not involve forced evacuation of Jewish settlements in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza. Katzav said,
\"There is no need to dismantle Yesha towns; it is in fact often even easier to defend them than it is to defend places such as Netanya or Binyamina... There is no need to show the Palestinians that the Lebanon precedent is repeating itself.\"
A senior army source told reporters yesterday that the IDF is opposed to a unilateral separation between Israel and the PA. The source said that for various reasons, including the high monetary cost, the government should continue with its current policy vis-a-vis the Palestinians. Army officials feel that there are three unacceptable alternatives to current policy: declaring war on the PA, agreeing to resume the peace talks at the point they stopped in Taba, and unilateral separation - with the third one the most unacceptable.
Former Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami (Labor) is also against the idea. \"Instead of land for peace,\" Ben-Ami said, \"[those who favor a separation] are offering land for nothing, as well as the creation of conditions for a continued war with the Palestinians. Israel has no greater strategic weapon than legitimate borders recognized by international law.\"
Likud MK Michael Eitan, speaking with Arutz-7 yesterday, said that his support for a fence along most of the Green Line (the pre-1967 ceasefire line between Israel and Jordan/Egypt) is very different than the separation plan proposed by Labor party seniors Dalia Itzik and Chaim Ramon. Eitan said,
\"My plan is to totally separate between the terrorist strongholds of Shechem, Ramallah, and the like, and the territory that is under Israeli security control. It could be that we cannot enter Area A [under total PA control] for various reasons, but this doesn\'t mean that we have to allow the terrorists to enter the areas under our control! We should close off these areas in such a way that no terrorists can get out... The separation doesn\'t have to be a wall, but rather some array of military protection around all of Area A. If I want to protect [the Yesha town of] Dolev, we can\'t allow [the current situation to continue where] terrorists can go from Ramallah to Dolev while we are unable to enter Ramallah to get at the terrorists... \"Dalia Itzik\'s plan is to put a fence around 90% of the territory, except for Jerusalem, Gush Etzion, and Ariel. I am totally against this because there is no guarantee from Arafat that he will end the war; we might build a wall, and the war will still continue...\"
There is more to Eitan\'s plan, however:
\"In addition, there should be another fence - not a security fence, but one that would prevent illegal Arab immigration into Israel-proper. Only holders of Israeli passports would be allowed to pass through. Otherwise we have a situation where Arabs from the Palestinian Authority pass through and end up staying in Jaffa, Lod, Taibe, and implementing the Right of Return right under our noses. What, are we crazy?...\" He said that this fence would be established \"more or less where Dalia Itzik wants it,\" namely, roughly along the Green Line.
MK Tzvi Hendel (National Union-Yisrael Beiteinu) then joined the conversation and said,
\"I agree with Eitan\'s first plan, but the second fence I cannot accept - for although his motivations are pure, it must be 100% clear that any fence erected along what is called the Green Line will have political-diplomatic ramifications [i.e., it will determine the border between Israel and the PA]. If we don\'t want to get into this problem, we must suffice with a fence around Area A, which will solve the security problems... I don\'t have to feel bad about saying that I want them behind a fence, because when we have people who want to murder us, we have no other choice... The idea of Dalia Itzik and Chaim Ramon is no more than a public relations gimmick, for because everyone wants [some form of separation]. But it is totally unworkable, something that would determine the border without any negotiations, a way of giving away all the land to the Palestinians despite the fact that they continue to murder us. [Labor party senior] Yossi Beilin\'s integrity doesn\'t allow him to support this idea... I have proposed the idea of a separation between Areas A and the other areas to Prime Minister Sharon, and was told that a committee is considering it. I hope that it will be accepted.\"
Likud MK Gideon Ezra, a former Deputy Chief of the General Security Service, told Arutz-7 today,
\"I would advise you, Arutz-7, to do what you can to ensure that this topic of a unilateral separation is dropped from the public agenda. I am very much against it, for a number of reasons. The only place I would think of putting a stronger wall is around the external borders of Israel - such as Rafiach on the Egyptian border, along the Jordanian border, and even at the Ashdod port - in order to make sure that no weapons are smuggled in for the Palestinians.\"
\"There is no need to dismantle Yesha towns; it is in fact often even easier to defend them than it is to defend places such as Netanya or Binyamina... There is no need to show the Palestinians that the Lebanon precedent is repeating itself.\"
A senior army source told reporters yesterday that the IDF is opposed to a unilateral separation between Israel and the PA. The source said that for various reasons, including the high monetary cost, the government should continue with its current policy vis-a-vis the Palestinians. Army officials feel that there are three unacceptable alternatives to current policy: declaring war on the PA, agreeing to resume the peace talks at the point they stopped in Taba, and unilateral separation - with the third one the most unacceptable.
Former Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami (Labor) is also against the idea. \"Instead of land for peace,\" Ben-Ami said, \"[those who favor a separation] are offering land for nothing, as well as the creation of conditions for a continued war with the Palestinians. Israel has no greater strategic weapon than legitimate borders recognized by international law.\"
Likud MK Michael Eitan, speaking with Arutz-7 yesterday, said that his support for a fence along most of the Green Line (the pre-1967 ceasefire line between Israel and Jordan/Egypt) is very different than the separation plan proposed by Labor party seniors Dalia Itzik and Chaim Ramon. Eitan said,
\"My plan is to totally separate between the terrorist strongholds of Shechem, Ramallah, and the like, and the territory that is under Israeli security control. It could be that we cannot enter Area A [under total PA control] for various reasons, but this doesn\'t mean that we have to allow the terrorists to enter the areas under our control! We should close off these areas in such a way that no terrorists can get out... The separation doesn\'t have to be a wall, but rather some array of military protection around all of Area A. If I want to protect [the Yesha town of] Dolev, we can\'t allow [the current situation to continue where] terrorists can go from Ramallah to Dolev while we are unable to enter Ramallah to get at the terrorists... \"Dalia Itzik\'s plan is to put a fence around 90% of the territory, except for Jerusalem, Gush Etzion, and Ariel. I am totally against this because there is no guarantee from Arafat that he will end the war; we might build a wall, and the war will still continue...\"
There is more to Eitan\'s plan, however:
\"In addition, there should be another fence - not a security fence, but one that would prevent illegal Arab immigration into Israel-proper. Only holders of Israeli passports would be allowed to pass through. Otherwise we have a situation where Arabs from the Palestinian Authority pass through and end up staying in Jaffa, Lod, Taibe, and implementing the Right of Return right under our noses. What, are we crazy?...\" He said that this fence would be established \"more or less where Dalia Itzik wants it,\" namely, roughly along the Green Line.
MK Tzvi Hendel (National Union-Yisrael Beiteinu) then joined the conversation and said,
\"I agree with Eitan\'s first plan, but the second fence I cannot accept - for although his motivations are pure, it must be 100% clear that any fence erected along what is called the Green Line will have political-diplomatic ramifications [i.e., it will determine the border between Israel and the PA]. If we don\'t want to get into this problem, we must suffice with a fence around Area A, which will solve the security problems... I don\'t have to feel bad about saying that I want them behind a fence, because when we have people who want to murder us, we have no other choice... The idea of Dalia Itzik and Chaim Ramon is no more than a public relations gimmick, for because everyone wants [some form of separation]. But it is totally unworkable, something that would determine the border without any negotiations, a way of giving away all the land to the Palestinians despite the fact that they continue to murder us. [Labor party senior] Yossi Beilin\'s integrity doesn\'t allow him to support this idea... I have proposed the idea of a separation between Areas A and the other areas to Prime Minister Sharon, and was told that a committee is considering it. I hope that it will be accepted.\"
Likud MK Gideon Ezra, a former Deputy Chief of the General Security Service, told Arutz-7 today,
\"I would advise you, Arutz-7, to do what you can to ensure that this topic of a unilateral separation is dropped from the public agenda. I am very much against it, for a number of reasons. The only place I would think of putting a stronger wall is around the external borders of Israel - such as Rafiach on the Egyptian border, along the Jordanian border, and even at the Ashdod port - in order to make sure that no weapons are smuggled in for the Palestinians.\"