With peace talks going nowhere, is Netanyahu planning a unilateral withdrawal?
Incredibly, with 'peace talks' with the 'Palestinians' going nowhere, a government minister has come out and said that Binyamin Netanyahu plans to annex the 'settlement blocs' and
abandon the rest of Judea and Samaria.
In his comments, Eitan was referring to a speech by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to the Knesset in mid-May. In the wake of that speech, several right-wing MKs expressed concern over the fact that Netanyahu stressed that Israel would keep the settlement blocs in any final-status settlement with the PA – but that “painful concessions” would need to be made. This was taken by many as a sign that Netanyahu was prepared to give them away to the PA for establishment of an Arab state in Judea and Samaria.
After the speech, government Minister Benny Begin said in several interviews that he “knew for certain” that Netanyahu had not intended to imply an Israeli withdrawal from non-bloc areas of Yesha. A report on Arutz 7 said that following the speech, Likud MK Tzipi Hotovely approached Netanyahu and said, "The rule that you set implies the exception to the rule," meaning that his insistence on retaining the settlement blocs means that the other towns are expendable. Netanyahu responded, "That is not the intention.”
Although Eitan seemed to imply that he was speaking for Netanyahu in his statement, he is considered to be one of the Likud's left-leaning MKs. Speaking at a Likud faction meeting earlier this year, for example, Eitan advised against an Israeli annexation of parts of Judea and Samaria, saying it would “boomerang” against Israel. “All Likud Prime Ministers have been against such a move, which would further isolate Israel and cause great damage. It would act as a boomerang, and prevent further Israeli development in the settlement blocs,” he said.
If what Eitan says is accurate, tens of thousands of Jews could be evicted from their homes, says National Union Chairman MK Ya'akov Katz (Ketzaleh). In a recent interview with Arutz 7, Ketzaleh said that based on his analysis of the speech, the Prime Minister would likely seek the removal of over 120,000 Jews from their homes. In his analysis, Ketzaleh named dozens of towns that are outside the settlement blocs he believes Netanyahu is referring to – with large towns like Beit El, Karnei Shomron, Givat Ze'ev, Kedumim, Kiryat Arba, and many others on the “chopping bloc,” since they are outside the “settlement blocs.”
Mind you that this would not bring peace, and that six years after the Gaza expulsion, most of the 10,000 or so Jews expelled from Gaza are still jobless and homeless.
What could go wrong?
Labels: Binyamin Netanyahu, Gaza expulsion, Michael Eitan, unilateral concessions
Israeli government admits Rightist demonstrators treated differently
I have written about police brutality against Rightist demonstrators - and how they are treated differently from Leftist demonstrators - several times on this blog. See, for example
here,
here,
here,
here and
here.
Now, for the first time, the government of Israel has admitted that it intentionally acted with brutality against demonstrators who were protesting the Gaza expulsion in 2004-05. And it did so with the approval of three Likud Knesset members, only one of whom - Michael Eitan (pictured) - is still with the Likud.
The occasion for the admission is a challenge by the Left to a
general amnesty that the current government has granted to all those arrested in protests against the Gaza expulsion. The government has argued that the amnesty is necessary to heal the rift between Left and Right. The Left has argued that the amnesty is discriminatory and that their demonstrators should also have their records expunged.
Three Likud Knesset members authorized the use of force against the Jews of Gush Katif in the 2005 Expulsion (Disengagement), according to documents recently filed before the High Court by Col. (res.) Moshe Leshem.
The three are Michael Eitan, who headed the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee at the time and is now a minister; Ronny Bar-On, who is now an MK for Kadima, and Naomi Blumenthal, who is no longer a Knesset member.
Leshem's papers were filed in a response to a motion by left-wing groups against the law that pardoned anti-expulsion protesters for offenses they had been charged with. The petitioners said that the law is non-egalitarian and should also be applied to leftist demonstrators charged with illegal acts.
Attorneys for the state replied to the motion, stating that the expulsion was a unique event in the history of the state, and that in view of the heavy price paid by the expelled citizens, the unusual law should be allowed to stand.
Col. (res.) Leshem's response to the court, filed by attorneys Nadav Ha'etzni and Adi Brener, includes documents that show that the state used a large-scale program of enforcement against the expellees, and in fact discriminated against them in comparison to other protesters.
"The law does not go against the constitutional right to equality," Leshem stated. "On the contrary, it wishes to correct, if only in a partial way, the serious blow to equality that was dealt against [Leshem] and many other citizens of Israel, who opposed the step called the 'Disengagement.'"
The state's preparations for the expulsion were based on a false premise, Leshem explained, according to which the protesters planned to use serious and widespread violence. "The false warnings gave rise to harsh results," the response states.
Discriminatory legislation against the expellees was, in part, carried out in secret. "Special patterns of enforcement" were instituted, constituting "systemic, establishmentary, overriding discrimination on a large scale." Knesset members were apprised of at least some of these measures and asked to approve them in secret.
MKs Eitan, Bar-On and Blumenthal allegedly took part in an "internal and secret" discussion as members of a limited forum within the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, and received the right to go over the special measures that had been prepared against the expellees.
Read the whole thing. Blumenthal was forced out of the Knesset when she was
convicted of corruption. Although what the trio did might also be considered corruption in other countries, in Israel, unfortunately, it is part of the ordinary modus operandi.
I'd love to see some of the people who were beaten at anti-expulsion protests file lawsuits against the State for civil damages. Maybe if there's a heavy financial penalty to be paid, the government will think twice the next time before they send in the clowns.
Labels: Gaza expulsion, Michael Eitan, Naomi Blumenthal, police brutality, Ronny Bar-On
Incredibly, with 'peace talks' with the 'Palestinians' going nowhere, a government minister has come out and said that Binyamin Netanyahu plans to annex the 'settlement blocs' and abandon the rest of Judea and Samaria. 
