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| Israel-Palestine | ||
| Israel Approves Funds for Settler Pullout | ||
| 2005-02-17 | ||
| JERUSALEM, Feb. 16 -- Israel's parliament on Wednesday approved a nearly $1 billion financial package for the withdrawal of Israeli troops and Jewish settlers from the Gaza Strip and part of the West Bank, delivering a major victory to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and his plan to vacate settlements for the first time in 23 years. The 59-to-40 vote in the Knesset followed hours of emotional debate, weeks of street demonstrations by settlers who oppose the plan and a growing number of death threats and barbs aimed at Sharon and other leaders who support the pullout. Some opponents of the pullout, which would encompass Gaza and four small settlements in the most northern part of the West Bank, have distributed posters labeling Sharon "Hitler's partner." The prime minister, who was a chief architect of Israel's program to establish Jewish settlements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, has had to post security guards at his wife's grave; extremists have threatened to dig up her remains to protest the exhumation of other Jews' remains that would become necessary if the Gaza withdrawal takes place.
Wednesday's parliamentary vote was one of several that Sharon must win if he is to begin the Gaza pullout in July, as he has proposed. The withdrawal of about 8,200 settlers from 21 Gaza settlements and about 500 from the West Bank settlements of Ganim, Kadim, Sa Nur and Homesh is expected to take about three months. Thousands of Israeli troops who protect the settlers would also be evacuated. Israel has not decided what would happen to the houses and infrastructure left behind. The Gaza pullout would be Israel's first withdrawal from territory seized during the 1967 Middle East war since Israel left the Sinai Peninsula in 1982 under the Camp David peace agreement. Many of the relocated Sinai settlers moved to Gaza and now are faced with having to move again. Some settler families have raised children and grandchildren in Gaza. , surrounded by about 1.2 million Palestinians, and are bitterly opposed to giving up their homes and businesses despite frequent rocket and mortar attacks by militant Palestinian groups. Sharon has said Israel does not want to continue its rule over Palestinian-populated areas and, for strategic reasons, should quit the Gaza settlements because of the drain on the budget and the cost in Israeli lives. His aides have said that, while giving up settlements in Gaza, Sharon also aims to strengthen Israel's hold on settlements in the West Bank. About 243,000 settlers live in 140 settlements in the West Bank, which is home to about 2.2 million Palestinians.
The approved compensation package sets aside just under $1 billion to pay settlers for their homes, land, businesses and resettlement. Each family will be paid according to a formula that weighs the size of its household, the square footage of their home, the length of time they lived in Gaza, their salaries and the area where they are moving, among other factors. For instance, a family of four living in the Gush Katif settlement bloc for nine years in a house on a 1,500 square-foot plot could receive about $230,000, officials said. When the operational costs of the withdrawal are included, the total cost of withdrawal is expected to be about $1.6 billion; when presented to parliament in November, the compensation bill was estimated at between $450 million and $650 million. | ||
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #3 I think they have wisely tried to minimalize politicizing overseas fundraising, in either direction. Theres enough social needs in Israel. Besides if the peacenik types really want to give for dovish stuff only, theres plenty of places to give. Back when I used to volunteer to make calls for federation, and some jerk said he wouldnt give cause of the "poor palestinians" i sometimes said, thats ok, are you giving to American Friends of Peace Now? Hang-up was the usual response. |
| Posted by: Liberalhawk 2005-02-17 4:40:44 PM |
| #2 WHat is amazing is the Israelis haven't hit up the diaspora for money specifically geared for relocation. I think if they did they would get beaucoup bucks. They should hit up George Soros. And the Hollywood elite. |
| Posted by: Penguin 2005-02-17 2:12:24 PM |
| #1 The more land Israel gives up, the more the Palestinians will want. And we're springing for the check. |
| Posted by: shellback 2005-02-17 11:14:51 AM |