February 24th, '05
Lifting Our Voices

I fear for my country. It's not just the tragedy of "disengagement" - the recent adoption of a policy that calls for the total destruction of 25 Jewish communities. It's not even the fact that there's no guarantee that this enormous sacrifice, far from having a positive effect on Israeli security, is expected to put more Israeli population centers within striking distance of Palestinian missiles.

No. What scares me is that this entire retreat process is being shoved down the country's throat without any real discussion.

In a startling development, politicians and public figures have started to flood the airwaves with warnings about "dangerous incitement" - when what they're talking about is legitimate discussion of the issues. Just ten days ago, Minister of Transportation (and former Justice Minister!) Meir Shitreet was interviewed on the radio, and attacked one of the cornerstones of democracy: the right to vote for what you believe in.

"We should not take threats likely. It starts, by the way with threats that, prima facie, are not even threats."

"I will give you an example of a terrible thing: Say a group of members of the Central Committee of the Likud sends letters to ministers from the Likud and MKs from the Likud and tells them in the letters that 'we hereby advise you that we have decided that everyone who supports the disengagement will not receive our votes for the next Knesset.'"

"Prima facie you would say that this is not a threat and they certainly have the right not to vote for people who favor disengagement. But when it turns into an organized group that threatens members of Knesset not to vote for them then in my eyes this is a threat."

You can read a full report here.

The Israeli government just made the unprecedented move of firing the army Chief of Staff before the end of his first tour of duty. He was an outspoken critic who brought the dangers of disengagement up for discussion. His replacement, a Sharon loyalist, is not expected to stand in the way.

A selection of security assessments was recently made available by Sharon Katz, publisher of Gush Etzion's English-language newspaper, Voices. They make for sobering reading:

* Maj. Gen. Aharon Ze'evi, the head of IDF Intelligence, told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee in the beginning of the month that "any lull in terror attacks is merely a tactic being employed by the terror groups to help the Palestinian Authority extract more concessions from Israel."

* GSS head Avi Dichter, "usually a calm speaker" finally spoke his mind (it spelled his political demise). HaModia reported that Dichter "lashed out against the prime minister. 'I don't know what's happened to you. There is no 'calm' yet, there is no quiet, and as of yet, there isn't the slightest guarantee that Abu Mazen will ultimately be able to fulfill his promise of achieving calm on the Palestinian street, but here you're already rushing to give him things that he'll deserve when there will be peace…You're in too much of a hurry."

* Lt.-Col. Itamar Ya'ar, Deputy Chairman of the National Security Council, told the Knesset Interior Committee, last month, "It is very likely that the territory to be evacuated in the context of the disengagement plan will be taken advantage of [by terrorists],"

* Col. Uzi Buchbinder, the army's civil-defense officer, warned the Knesset Environment Committee last month, "The implementation of the Gaza disengagement/transfer plan will place 46 western Negev communities within range of Kassam rockets fired from northern Gaza….Other major Israeli population centers, including Afula, Hadera, and Ashkelon - the latter two of which host major Israel Electric Company power stations - will also come within range of Palestinian terrorists, if the pullout from Gush Katif and northern Shomron is carried out."

What? Did he mention Ashkelon?? Folks there are not afraid of a Sderot II scenario. They're fearful of much worse.

* "Ashkelon Mayor Roni Mehatzri warned, since the rockets are being improved all the time, Ashkelon's southern neighborhoods or even its downtown could come under threat. At the Katza station, there are gas containers that are stored above ground, only 1,500 meters away from residents, he said. He warned that 5,000 to 10,000 residents could be in danger from Kassam hits."

* The Knesset Interior Committee, according to INN, "assessed that the area threatened by missiles after a withdrawal would expand by 6-12 miles - and not 4-5 miles as has been previously assumed. Cities such as Ashkelon, Netivot, Ofakim and Kiryat Gat will be within firing range. The withdrawal from the northern Shomron, too, will place Beit She'an, Afula, Hadera and the towns of the Jezreel Valley within the sights of terror groups taking advantage of the newly evacuated areas."

* Mordechai Yogev from the conservative National Security Forum, confirmed those fears, and added Pardes Hanna to the Kassam-bound list of targets.

* Experts have told the media that there is no defense program in place or in development to protect any of the 46 communities in immediate danger from the withdrawal.

While many security officials have already announced that Israel's main power stations in Ashkelon and Hadera, as well as the Eilat-Ashkelon oil pipeline are vulnerable to Arab attack if Israel leaves Gaza, what about its abandonment of Northern Shomron?

* INN reported that according to the manager of the water utility, Dr. Yosef Dreizen, “The loss of control of the northern Shomron will likely create serious problems for Israel's water infrastructure.” He warned that “it could bring about the drying up of the Jezreel Valley water supply and the salination of the coastal aquifers."

"arguably the most controversial plan ever to be adopted by an Israeli government - is being bulldozed through to implementation without Sharon or his allies ever satisfactorily explaining how it will advance Israel's security or political interests….Sharon has not explained how turning Gaza over to the Palestinians will enhance Israeli security….He has not explained how Israel will protect itself from rocket and mortar attacks on Ashkelon, Ashdod or Netivot after the withdrawal….He has never explained why it is necessary to give the Palestinians the communities in northern Gaza - Dugit, Alei Sinai and Nissanit - which are geographically indistinguishable from Ashkelon and whose heights control the entire area….He has never explained how Israel will be able to defend the strategic sites like the Ashkelon power station and the Ashkelon-Eilat oil pipeline with Hamas roaming freely on those heights.....He has never explained why it is necessary for Israel to remove itself to the 1949 armistice lines, rather than retain the areas necessary for its security and what Israeli acceptance of these lines in Gaza means for future negotiations regarding Judea and Samaria and Jerusalem."

To close her article, Katz calls on her readership to resist the mounting pressure to remain silent:

Good luck to us all. Rocky waters ahead. May Hashem save His people. Especially in these times, when Am Yisrael needs you ...

Let your Voices be heard.

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