The chairman of the Yesha Council of Jewish
settlements has called on the public to violate the transfer law, en masse, and to be ready to pay the
price of mass imprisonment.
Pinchas Wallerstein says he is not afraid of jail and he expressed the
hope others would be willing to join him.
Mr. Wallerstein denounced Prime Minister Sharon's plans to evacuate all
Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip and four small outposts in the West Bank as an
injustice. The settler leader also says plans for a national unity
government bringing together Mr. Sharon's Likud Party and its traditional
opponent, Labor, are illegitimate.
Mr. Sharon is close to signing a coalition agreement with Labor that
would stabilize his government and guarantee strong political support for
the Gaza withdrawal.
Settler leaders had been confident they could stop the Gaza plan with
political lobbying and perhaps even bring down the Sharon government, if
it came to that.
But, despite the departure of pro-settler members of the government,
last summer, and significant support in the Israeli parliament, Mr. Sharon
managed to outmaneuver his
opponents and appears to be emerging in a strong position.
A coalition with Labor and several small religious parties would give
him a 67-seat majority in the 120 seats in parliament. The left wing Yahad
Party, which considers the settlement withdrawal crucially important, says
it will throw its support behind Mr. Sharon, despite the fact it is
ideologically opposed to nearly ever other Sharon policy.
The withdrawal plan is accompanied by special legislation making it a
crime, punishable by three years in prison, for anyone to physically
resist the dismantling of the settlements. The disengagement bill must
pass two more parliament votes before it becomes law.
Ariel Sharon, once the settlers' strongest ally, calls Mr.
Wallerstein's words harsh. He says he understands the pain of the
settlers, but cautions that they must not break the law. |