The settlers who make an outcry, threaten violence and desecrate the memory of the holocaustvictims are not quiet inhabitants living in their homes. Therefore, their evacuation fromthe occupied terriotires does not constitute ” expulsion ” or ” ethnic cleansing. ” Thefounders and leaders of the settlement movement, starting with Rabbi Levinger (“the rabbiwith the pistol”) who led settlers to the heart of Hebron immediately in 1967, have come tothe occupied territories as invaders, in order to rob from the Palestinian people the remnantof its land, and suffocate the inhabitants of Palestinian towns and villages in narrowenclaves.
The settlers were not ” sent ” by the government of Israel , but sent themselves in order tocreate ” facts on the ground ” and implement a mad nationalist-messianic project not shared bymost Israelis – not even by most Likud voters. They have used a mixture of violence,threats and manipulation of government weakness in order to gradually obtain generousfinancing for their settlements from the public purse, and close guard by the army.
Later they were joined by ” quality-of-life settlers ” who were seduced to move intoheavily-subsidized villas on occupied land. But they, too, knew very well from the firstmoment that there act is highly controversial. From the creation of the first structure in thefirst settlement, and on every single day in all the years since, there was an unrelentingcampaign by a considerable part of the Israeli political spectrum expressing outspokenopposition to the entire settlement project. This, aside from the fact that the entireinternational community, including Israel ‘s main ally the United States , made abundantlyclear that they were opposed to the creation of settlements in occupied territory, whichconstitutes a severe violation of International Law.
The settlers knew full well that sooner or later the government may decide to evacuate themfrom the territories they invaded, but they arrogantly ignored all protests and allwarnings. They have gambled in the casino of history, gambled that they will succeed to imposetheir view and messianic dream upon the whole people and upon the whole world. This gamble theylost. Unlike ordinary gamblers, they find the state of Israel is ready to give them fullfinancial compensation for their losses. More than that the settlers have no right to ask.
If indeed the Prime Minister intends to implement his declared plan and evacuate the settlersfrom the Gaza Strip – which is not at all to be taken for granted, in spite of Sharon ‘s piouspledges – such an act would get the support of the large majority of the Israeli public. TheIsraeli public is ready and ripe for a long time already to the evacuation of the settlements -in the Gaza Strip as well as in the West Bank .
For more information :
Gush Shalom Spokesperson Adam Keller: 03-5565804 / 050-6709603