Anticipating more than 2,000 foreign journalists who will be covering the expulsion, the Foreign Ministry issued a press release Sunday, portraying the Jewish residents as "pioneers… who are paying the greatest part of the price for peace." It adds, "Israel’s ultimate goal is to establish good neighborly relations with a Palestinian state."
The government concedes that the residents were encouraged "to settle barren land and turn it into homes, gardens, and farms, in the same pioneering spirit that built the State of Israel. They are now being asked to relinquish these accomplishments for the greater good."
The campaign follows weeks of government and media reports that highlighted extremist actions by a tiny minority of opponents to the expulsion plan.
Following continuing attempts to restrict freedom of movement of people to attend rallies, along with police brutality against opponents to the expulsion plan, the government now is trying to contrast the image of protestors with a favorable image of families it wants to evict.
The campaign began two weeks ago when Danny Ayalon, Israel's ambassador to Washington, wrote an article in the Washington Post about "a terrible burden" on the residents being forced out of their homes. Ayalon sympathized with Jewish residents of Gaza and northern Samaria who have built "living, breathing communities [that] will simply vanish. The removal of graves, including those of terrorism victims, will be especially heart-wrenching."
Sunday's statement from the Foreign Ministry describes each of the 25 communities that the government intends to dismantle and turn over to the Palestinian Authority (PA). It portrays what "Israel's pioneers are giving up for peace."
Each community is portrayed in one or two paragraphs in terms that easily could serve as advertising for people to join the communities.
The plant nursery at Bnei Atzmon is described as "one of the most advanced in the region." On the community of Morag, the Foreign Ministry wrote, "Despite coming under constant terrorist attacks, Morag recently added seven more families and completed building a central structure for use as a synagogue."
However, it refers to Sa-Nur in northern Samaria as a community with 15 families although there are close to 100 families there.
The government, after a year of maintaining that Israel must tear down the communities, reports that 5,000 school children will have to find new schools, 36 synagogues will be destroyed and 48 graves, included victims of terrorists, will be moved.
The government concedes that the residents were encouraged "to settle barren land and turn it into homes, gardens, and farms, in the same pioneering spirit that built the State of Israel. They are now being asked to relinquish these accomplishments for the greater good."
The campaign follows weeks of government and media reports that highlighted extremist actions by a tiny minority of opponents to the expulsion plan.
Following continuing attempts to restrict freedom of movement of people to attend rallies, along with police brutality against opponents to the expulsion plan, the government now is trying to contrast the image of protestors with a favorable image of families it wants to evict.
The campaign began two weeks ago when Danny Ayalon, Israel's ambassador to Washington, wrote an article in the Washington Post about "a terrible burden" on the residents being forced out of their homes. Ayalon sympathized with Jewish residents of Gaza and northern Samaria who have built "living, breathing communities [that] will simply vanish. The removal of graves, including those of terrorism victims, will be especially heart-wrenching."
Sunday's statement from the Foreign Ministry describes each of the 25 communities that the government intends to dismantle and turn over to the Palestinian Authority (PA). It portrays what "Israel's pioneers are giving up for peace."
Each community is portrayed in one or two paragraphs in terms that easily could serve as advertising for people to join the communities.
The plant nursery at Bnei Atzmon is described as "one of the most advanced in the region." On the community of Morag, the Foreign Ministry wrote, "Despite coming under constant terrorist attacks, Morag recently added seven more families and completed building a central structure for use as a synagogue."
However, it refers to Sa-Nur in northern Samaria as a community with 15 families although there are close to 100 families there.
The government, after a year of maintaining that Israel must tear down the communities, reports that 5,000 school children will have to find new schools, 36 synagogues will be destroyed and 48 graves, included victims of terrorists, will be moved.