Thousands of Israeli settlers demonstrate in Jerusalem: dismantling settlements is a surrender to terrorism
Palestine-Israel, Politics, 6/5/2003

The Israeli settlers vowed to confront any attempt aiming at eliminating any settlement, in the framework of implementing the Roadmap.

This, however, followed the al-Aqaba meeting which was considered by them as a perpetuation of "Israel's surrender before the Palestinian terrorism." The spokesman for "the council of the settlements of Euhoda and al-Samera" (the West Bank, and Gaza) Yashu Moor Youssef said, "we will stand against dismantling any settlement point and deliberately refuse the government to endorse the American Roadmap." This was in an immediate reaction to the commitment made by the Israeli prime minister to start dismantling "unlicensed settlements."

Sharon said in conclusion of al-Aqaba summit which brought him together with the US President George W. Bush and the Palestinian prime minister Mahmoud Abbas hosted by the Jordanian King Abdullah "concerning the areas of unlicensed settlement, I want to repeat that Israel is a society governed by law." He continued "therefore, we will start immediately to dismantle unlicensed settlement points."

Meantime, the council said in a statement issued before the end of the summit "al- Aqaba summit is humiliating during which a celebration is held on Israel's surrender to Palestinian terrorism." The statement added that "since the Oslo agreements ( 1993) until today some 1094 Israelis were killed in terrorist attacks. Regrettably our warnings have become true and terrorism increased as a result of these agreements. Today the government of Ariel Sharon is prepared to repeat the same mistake on a larger scale."

Thousands of settlers demonstrated in Jerusalem in protest of the Roadmap, at the invitation of the settlers council. The demonstration was attended by the leader of al-Mifdal party Eve Ettam, who is a minister in the Israeli government.

On the other hand, the Israeli daily Yediot Ahronot said that the settlers of Kfar Tabwah and Tiqwa ( in the West Bank) which are expected to be dismantled in the framework of a deal with the Palestinians announced that "there is no Israeli prime minister who can evacuate us from here.. the soldiers who can only evacuate us are pilots from the American air forces, the way they did in Baghdad." The council of settlements deals with this issue with a sort of negligence. The paper quoted other settlers saying that "the settlements of Kfar Tabwa' Yatsehar are not Yamit and Hafat Ghal'ad. No need for concern. We will stay here for long years."

The settlements of Yamit and Hafat Dhal'ad were in Sinai, Egypt which Israel had occupied in 1967 and were dismantled in the framework of Camp David agreements between Egypt and Israel.

Previous Stories:
  Amnesty international: Israel commits war crimes against the Palestinians   (5/31/2003)
  Sharon clings to principles, Abbas waits to meet Bush   (5/31/2003)
  Israeli government approves the roadmap by majority of 12 votes   (5/26/2003)

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