Barak bevindt zich in goed gezelschap met dit voorstel. Niet alleen oud premiers Sharon en Olmert stelden dit eerder voor, ook Ben Goerion was fel tegen de bezetting en prefereerde een eenzijdige terugtrekking zonder vrede boven een bezetting zolang de Arabieren niet klaar waren voor vrede. In Baraks plan houdt Israel echter strategische plaatsen en de grote nederzettingen blokken, en zouden voornamelijk kleinere, meer geisoleerde nederzettingen worden ontruimd. Voor deze nederzettingen is geen toekomst weggelegd als er een twee statenoplossing zou komen; het zal voor Israel moeilijk genoeg zijn om de grote blokken te kunnen behouden en Joodse wijken in Oost Jeruzalem. Aangezien Israels officiële positie is dat er een twee statenoplossing moet komen en de Palestijnen het recht hebben zichzelf te besturen, is er weinig tegen dit plan in te brengen, en zou de regering het serieus moeten overwegen.
RP
"It would help us not only with the Palestinians, but with all the countries in the region, with the Europeans and with the American administration, and of course it would be beneficial to us," the defense minister said. "This is not an easy decision, but Yom Kippur is a good time to take a long hard look at the facts and say 'we are no longer a young country. We are 64 years old. We haven't been in Judea and Samaria for a year or two. We've been there for 45 years. It is time to make decisions not just based on ideology and gut feelings, but on an accurate reading of reality."
| Barak floats unilateral withdrawal from Judea and Samaria |
http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=5880
In an interview with Israel Hayom, the defense minister outlines a plan proposing that settlers outside of large blocs be evacuated, or allowed to remain under Palestinian rule.
Shlomo Cesana, Yoav Limor and The Associated Press
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Defense Minister Ehud Barak is urging the government to examine a plan for unilateral withdrawal from Judea and Samaria. Under the plan, secluded settlements and outposts in Judea and Samaria would be evacuated by the state, and any Jews wishing to remain in the region would be permitted to live there under Palestinian rule.
In a special interview with Israel Hayom, to be published in full on Tuesday, Barak outlined the details of his plan and explained the logic behind it. Under Barak's plan, the settlement blocs of Gush Etzion, Maaleh Adumim and Ariel would remain intact. These blocs house some 90 percent of Judea and Samaria's Jewish population. Strategic areas (such as the Samarian hills overlooking Ben-Gurion International Airport) would similarly remain under Israeli control, and an Israeli military presence in the Jordan Valley would be ensured. The remainder of the territory would be handed over to the Palestinians to establish a state. Dozens of small Jewish communities would have to be evacuated.
Barak's plan elicited a harsh response from the right on Monday, with Likud Minister Yuli Edelstein saying that "this is not a disengagement plan we are talking about. This is our survival. Ehud Barak is continuing to make rookie mistakes. After supporting the disastrous Oslo Accords, orchestrating the escape from Lebanon and advancing the withdrawal from Gaza, which put a million Israelis in bomb shelters, Barak is now willing to put millions more in harms way just to get more votes."
"Barak needs to understand that the State of Israel, and the residents of Judea and Samaria in particular, are not marionettes in his absurd puppet show. I hope that when the full interview with him is published on Tuesday, it will come with a note explaining that the remarks therein are (again) the product of the interviewee's feverish imagination and are not intended to offend the readers."
Meanwhile, Barak's evacuation plan proposes several options: One option would be to provide monetary compensation to individuals and families who would be evacuated from their homes. Another option would be communal evacuation to an existing community in the settlement blocs or within the Green Line. A third option would be to remain in the settlements, under Palestinian rule, for a five-year trial period.
"It would be best to reach an agreement with the Palestinians, but barring that, practical steps must be taken to begin the separation," said Barak. "It is time to look Israeli society straight in the eye and say 'we succeeded in keeping in Israel some 80% to 90% of the Jewish population that have come there over the years with the encouragement of the Israeli government. That is a huge accomplishment, if we manage to bring them inside Israel's permanent borders.'"
"It would help us not only with the Palestinians, but with all the countries in the region, with the Europeans and with the American administration, and of course it would be beneficial to us," the defense minister said. "This is not an easy decision, but Yom Kippur is a good time to take a long hard look at the facts and say 'we are no longer a young country. We are 64 years old. We haven't been in Judea and Samaria for a year or two. We've been there for 45 years. It is time to make decisions not just based on ideology and gut feelings, but on an accurate reading of reality."
Barak stressed the immense importance of maintaining dialogue with the population that would be slated for evacuation under his plan. "The settlers are truly people who arrived with the sense that they were on a mission on behalf of the various Israeli governments, or with the government's full approval. As defense minister, I cannot ignore their vast presence in the front lines of any combat unit in the Israel Defense Forces."
Barak insisted that he has consistently proposed this plan of action for the last 12 years and that he is not just pandering to voters in the face of early election talk. He argued that Israel must continue to bolster Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, saying that "he is definitely a partner. I don't know if this will work; I'm very realistic in that sense. I am not harboring any illusions. I don't think that a desire for peace is enough to make peace. In this regard I think the government is right. The onus is mainly on the Palestinian side."
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