At a meeting of the Knesset Government Audit Committee yesterday, Yaalon said that the IDF did not participate in most of the discussions that formulated the expulsion plan.
Yaalon, whose tenure as Chief of Staff ended last month - probably because of his objections to the expulsion plan - also said that the Americans knew about the plan before he did.
“The first time I was asked about a plan to evacuate one or two communities was in the summer of 2003,” Yaalon said. "I was asked to express my opinion in that regard, and I gave my opinion in relation to varying circumstances, [mentioning] the possibility of intensified terrorism, etc.”
Yaalon added that the first time he actually heard of the government’s intention to implement the plan was in a conversation initiated by Defense Minister Sha'ul Mofaz. “That update came after the Herzliya conference, in February 2004, after the plan had already been presented to the Americans and the Egyptians,” said Mofaz.
Mofaz told the committee:
“The first consultation with the Prime Minister was on February 12, 2004. The entire security establishment participated and opinions were heard regarding the plan. The first evaluation of the developing situation was on August 30, 2004. I understood that [the decision] was final, and was asked to analyze the situation on the level of dangers and possibilities. I thought that it was wrong to do it that way and expressed my opposition to the process.”
The committee meeting was called to discuss the allegations of the new book “Boomerang” by journalists Raviv Drucker and Ofer Shelah. The book indicates that the Sharon’s promotion of the expulsion plan was linked to police investigations into alleged corruption by Sharon and his family.
"Boomerang" also showed that Sharon and his confidantes bypassed the normal decision-making and analysis channels in the government as the disengagemetn process was decided upon. "There [was] no contact with those elements who were supposed to help Sharon decide about the plan, figure out what Israel would get in return, and help Israel get the best deal it could," the book states.
Yaalon, whose tenure as Chief of Staff ended last month - probably because of his objections to the expulsion plan - also said that the Americans knew about the plan before he did.
“The first time I was asked about a plan to evacuate one or two communities was in the summer of 2003,” Yaalon said. "I was asked to express my opinion in that regard, and I gave my opinion in relation to varying circumstances, [mentioning] the possibility of intensified terrorism, etc.”
Yaalon added that the first time he actually heard of the government’s intention to implement the plan was in a conversation initiated by Defense Minister Sha'ul Mofaz. “That update came after the Herzliya conference, in February 2004, after the plan had already been presented to the Americans and the Egyptians,” said Mofaz.
Mofaz told the committee:
“The first consultation with the Prime Minister was on February 12, 2004. The entire security establishment participated and opinions were heard regarding the plan. The first evaluation of the developing situation was on August 30, 2004. I understood that [the decision] was final, and was asked to analyze the situation on the level of dangers and possibilities. I thought that it was wrong to do it that way and expressed my opposition to the process.”
The committee meeting was called to discuss the allegations of the new book “Boomerang” by journalists Raviv Drucker and Ofer Shelah. The book indicates that the Sharon’s promotion of the expulsion plan was linked to police investigations into alleged corruption by Sharon and his family.
"Boomerang" also showed that Sharon and his confidantes bypassed the normal decision-making and analysis channels in the government as the disengagemetn process was decided upon. "There [was] no contact with those elements who were supposed to help Sharon decide about the plan, figure out what Israel would get in return, and help Israel get the best deal it could," the book states.