Israeli parliament OKs Sharon pullout plan

[The Game Is Up]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6237299/

Israeli parliament OKs Sharon pullout plan
Vote approves evacuation of settlers from W. Bank, Gaza


JERUSALEM - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon won a historic victory Tuesday when lawmakers approved his plan to withdraw from the Gaza Strip and parts of the West Bank next year.

It was the first time the parliament authorized the removal of Jewish settlements from lands the Palestinians claim for a state. The vote of 67-45, with seven abstentions, marked a complete break from Sharon’s long career as a champion of the settler movement.

Sharon won with the help of dovish opposition parties. Many members of his center-right coalition, as well as religious opposition parties, voted against him.

Immediate recriminations
The aftermath of the vote was bitter.

The vote meant Sharon could avoid a referendum on the question, which was demanded by hard-line opposition parties, but four Likud ministers — Benjamin Netanyahu, Limor Livnat, Yisrael Katz and Danny Naveh — voted for the plan and then immediately demanded that Sharon agree to a referendum or they would resign from the government.

For his part, Sharon fired Cabinet Minister Uzi Landau and Deputy Cabinet Minister Michael Ratzon after they voted against the plan, Israeli media reported.

Sharon had threatened to fire all Likud ministers and deputy ministers who voted against the plan. Both Landau and Ratzon were vehement opponents and had helped lead a Likud mutiny against it.

“He fulfilled his pledge. Those who opposed the vote were fired,” said Raanan Gissin, a spokesman for Sharon.

The developments put added pressure on Sharon to hold a referendum, but it was unclear whether they would threaten his government. However, they could give him added impetus to form a new governing coalition with moderate and dovish parties.

U.S. backs Sharon
In Washington, the State Department praised the vote as a step forward in peacemaking with the Palestinians.

Deputy spokesman Adam Ereli said: “We think the withdrawal plan presents an opportunity to advance the interests of both sides.”

The Bush administration is hoping the removal of all 8,000 Jewish settlers and the Israeli troops that protect them in Gaza, along with a partial withdrawal on the West Bank, will be only the first step to a bigger pullback and a Palestinian state on the land Israel relinquishes.

“We think that the plan as presented by Prime Minister Sharon is a good opportunity, and it is one that helps both parties achieve what we are all working toward,” Ereli said.

Security clampdown
Sharon’s victory Tuesday came on the nine-year anniversary, according to the Jewish calendar, of the assassination of former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin by an extremist Jew opposed to his peace efforts.

Sharon entered parliament Tuesday afternoon surrounded by 16 bodyguards, an unprecedented number. Outside, police cordoned off the building and restricted entry as thousands of settlers gathered in a nearby park to protest the plan. Protection for Sharon has been beefed up in recent weeks amid growing concern that he could by attacked by right-wing extremists.

Sharon defended his plan as debate opened Monday as the only way to secure Israel’s future. “This is a fateful moment for Israel,” he declared in a speech that was repeatedly interrupted by hecklers.

First step on long road
Tuesday’s vote is only the first of several required before the plan can be implemented next year. Sharon’s shaky government remains in danger of falling over other issues, including the budget.

The vote marked the first time parliament has approved the dismantling of Jewish settlements in Gaza or the West Bank. Opinion polls show that a solid majority of the public supports Sharon.

The plan marks a dramatic transformation for the man who spent decades leading the effort to build up the settlements. As recently as early 2003, Sharon said the Gaza settlements were an essential part of Israel.

But after four years of devastating violence, Sharon believes the continued occupation of Gaza — where 8,200 Jewish settlers live amid 1.3 million Palestinians — is untenable.

Sharon says his plan will boost Israel’s security. He also believes it will blunt international criticism of Israel and strengthen its hold over large parts of the West Bank and east Jerusalem — lands the Palestinians claim for a state.

Jewish settlers and hard-line lawmakers accuse Sharon of caving in to Palestinian violence and fear that the withdrawal will be the first step in a larger pullback.

Sharon “is the architect and the originator of the settlement enterprise. So to talk like this to the people he sent, there’s a name for it. It’s a kind of treason,” said Effie Eitam of the National Religious Party.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

[YuMi]

well...this decision is kinda odd...
because you can see it in both ways:
1) Israel decides to seperate itself from the palastiniens without an agreemeant in order to have a normal life in our country and to stop the fighting against them.
2)but you can also see it as a prize for the palastinien terror...
they terrorized Israel for 4 years and as a reward were (escaping as they see it) from Gaza and give them free land for their terror..

[RoM]

Well Yumi, those were probably several of the things Sharon had to consider before going forward with his plan, its true, it can looked both ways but weve got to reach some kind of decision, staying and living the same ritual over and over again is simply impossible, we cant let ourselves keep going like that, I agree territories shouldnt be given as a result of terror..........but well there are goods and bads in every decision I suppose

[YuMi]

Well Yumi, those were probably several of the things Sharon had to consider before going forward with his plan, its true, it can looked both ways but weve got to reach some kind of decision, staying and living the same ritual over and over again is simply impossible, we cant let ourselves keep going like that, I agree territories shouldnt be given as a result of terror..........but well there are goods and bads in every decision I suppose

wow ron....i wish i had your English!
you are so smart and handsome! oh dear god..i was i burn as me and not as you..! :rant:

[fandango]

Oh aren't you israelis nice, give yourselves a pat on the back for throwing the dogs a bone.

[[MakkabI]]

Oh aren't you israelis nice, give yourselves a pat on the back for throwing the dogs a bone.
Listen dude, you are really ignorance and annoying us... if you dont like Israel so please stop visit the threads of news about Israel and skyscrapers in Israel... Please stop it... that's simple..!!!
cause we dont wanna to hear or read any ignorance posts or bullshit posts... so your post is full of bullshit... absolutely bullshit!

seriously, you are retard... you gootttta doctor to check on ya... hope you will get better education as soon as possible so then ull stop posts which is against Israel...

[Benni]

I hope, this will be a step on the long way in the right direction! Maybe this will bring some more sympathies for Israel, especially if there should still be more suicide-bombers...We'll see, when Sharon will be shooten, like Rabin...

[612bv3]

This is great, I'm glad that Israel is taking smalls steps for peace.

[Vinaboyz]

The Israeli generosity is steeling from the Palestinians 10 and giving them back 1. You Israelis should congratulate yourselves for your barbaric behaviour and oppression of the Palestinians.

[Gendo]

Since the Israeli government is about one third of the way done with the Apartheid Wall, they should start to pull out of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

I'm still amazed at the lack of international attention that wall has gotten. That's surprizing for a wall that's twice as high as the Berlin Wall and almost 400 miles longer. Especially since this $1.5 Billion (US) wall is called a temporary measure to stop terrorism.

The Hebrews and Palestinians shared the land in ancient times. There is no archeological evidence that either side lived on the land first. Yes the Hebrews were more organized with Kingdoms and developed one of the first written languages on Earth called Armaic which became Hebrew eventually. That is beyond the legitimate point. Both sides have lived there for thousands of years. Both sides lived in peace for at least the past several hundred years up until the aftermath of WWII. Up until WWII most of Palestine was occupied by Palestinians and other Arabs with a small minority of Jews.

Maybe it's not fair that the U.N. just handed Palestine over to the Zionists in 1948 which in turn caused a mass migration of Jews into Palestine/Israel (57.3% of all Israelis were Jews born in other countries as of 1996), but that is history and what matters is here and now. Both sides should stop the insanity and work out a way to co-govern the country in a 2 state, 1 parliament system where both sides are represented roughly by population, and there are 2 prime ministers (one from each side) who work together with that parliament.

I think if Palestinians had a defined State and a say in the merged Israel-Palestine governments, as well as Israel being able to have a say in this Israel-Palestine government, it would create the checks and balances necessary to be successful. Both sides would have a voice in the overall governing, and both sides would have their Statehood. It creates a shared interest in the well being of the nation, something Israel desperately lacks right now because the Palestinians don't feel they have any influence at all with the government that is in control of them. That's why Araffat was such a popular figure to the Palestinians. He forced a Palestinian influence in Israeli government for better or worse.

[Gendo]

The Israeli generosity is steeling from the Palestinians 10 and giving them back 1. You Israelis should congratulate yourselves for your barbaric behaviour and oppression of the Palestinians.

The Israelis didn't really steal anything. The United Nations took Palestine and gave it to the Hebrews. I think it's hard for anyone to understand why if they weren't alive and at least a teenager in the 1940s. The Allies didn't really know about the atrocities that became known as the Holocaust until after the war in Europe ended. The Allies were very shocked and traumatized by these discoveries. For the Christians it seemed like the right thing to do at the time for everything the Jews suffered. Israel-Palestine is the holy land for over half the world's religious population. Islam, Christianity, and Judaism all share the prophet Abraham. All three peoples should realize they are brothers and sisters, and stop this immature bullshit bickering from continuing on any further. We should all realize the value of having a world full of different and fascinating cultures because if there was only one culture the world would be a living hell.

Of course Israel is a living hell because the Hebrews are disobeying the Ten Commandments of Moses, the Muslims are disobeying the teachings of Muhammed, and the Christians are disobeying the teachings of Jesus Christ. These three men of God did not teach hatred, torment, and murder. They tried to teach us all to love our fellow man no matter what their religious beliefs are, but despite the whole point of the Torah, the Qu'ran, and the Bible, we are almost all guilty of betraying the word of these three men. The sick part is we are all using our religions to further this cause of hatred and murder.

Don't get me wrong. I am not pointing fingers at anyone here in this forum. I'm sure many of you agree with my points. These apply generally to everyone in these three religions. I am a Christian but that doesn't stop me from being interested in the other two religions I'm talking about. All three have righteous ideal goals. However, we have lost sight of those goals in recent decades.

[Dubai_Boy]

The Israeli generosity is steeling from the Palestinians 10 and giving them back 1. You Israelis should congratulate yourselves for your barbaric behaviour and oppression of the Palestinians.

The Zionists had to take thier anger out on some one , it would be too difficult to take over germany for killing 6 trillion jews , so instead they chose the already weak palastenians

[YuMi]

The Zionists had to take thier anger out on some one , it would be too difficult to take over germany for killing 6 trillion jews , so instead they chose the already weak palastenians

if it hurts you so bad we can replace them with you...

[Dubai_Boy]

What ? Didnt understand your statement !

[RoM]

Since the Israeli government is about one third of the way done with the Apartheid Wall, they should start to pull out of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

I'm still amazed at the lack of international attention that wall has gotten. That's surprizing for a wall that's twice as high as the Berlin Wall and almost 400 miles longer. Especially since this $1.5 Billion (US) wall is called a temporary measure to stop terrorism.

The Hebrews and Palestinians shared the land in ancient times. There is no archeological evidence that either side lived on the land first. Yes the Hebrews were more organized with Kingdoms and developed one of the first written languages on Earth called Armaic which became Hebrew eventually. That is beyond the legitimate point. Both sides have lived there for thousands of years. Both sides lived in peace for at least the past several hundred years up until the aftermath of WWII. Up until WWII most of Palestine was occupied by Palestinians and other Arabs with a small minority of Jews.

Maybe it's not fair that the U.N. just handed Palestine over to the Zionists in 1948 which in turn caused a mass migration of Jews into Palestine/Israel (57.3% of all Israelis were Jews born in other countries as of 1996), but that is history and what matters is here and now. Both sides should stop the insanity and work out a way to co-govern the country in a 2 state, 1 parliament system where both sides are represented roughly by population, and there are 2 prime ministers (one from each side) who work together with that parliament.

I think if Palestinians had a defined State and a say in the merged Israel-Palestine governments, as well as Israel being able to have a say in this Israel-Palestine government, it would create the checks and balances necessary to be successful. Both sides would have a voice in the overall governing, and both sides would have their Statehood. It creates a shared interest in the well being of the nation, something Israel desperately lacks right now because the Palestinians don't feel they have any influence at all with the government that is in control of them. That's why Araffat was such a popular figure to the Palestinians. He forced a Palestinian influence in Israeli government for better or worse.


I love your idea, it could definitely develope into something real and contributing, great post!

[everythingisone]

Oh aren't you israelis nice, give yourselves a pat on the back for throwing the dogs a bone.
You won't be happy until Israel no longer exists. I take it back. You will never be happy.

[everythingisone]

The Zionists had to take thier anger out on some one , it would be too difficult to take over germany for killing 6 trillion jews , so instead they chose the already weak palastenians
It is amazing how ignorant you are.

[asohn]

Contrary to popular belief, Palestine was NOT an independent nation before Israel was organized - Palestine was ruled by the British from 1917-1948 and the Ottoman Empire from 1516.

[everythingisone]

Contrary to popular belief, Palestine was NOT an independent nation before Israel was organized - Palestine was ruled by the British from 1917-1948 and the Ottoman Empire from 1516.
The French and British controlled the entire area. They created Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Jordan, and Saudi. The UN created the foundation for Israel and its eastern half to be divided into 2 countries in 1948. It was then the Arabs attacked Israel.

Actually, Syria and Egypt, flying the same flag, attacked Jordan. Both of those countries were making a play for both partitions of the UN in what is now Israel. Both those countries 'knew' that Israel could not stand by itself against them. But they both wanted the whole territory. Once the British scuttled off to Egypt, leaving Israel to fend for itself, it was open hunting saeson in "palestine'. To the surpire of the Egypt/Syria and Jordan, Israel faught successfully. When the war ended in 48, Jordan had control of the eastern section, now called the west bank. Niether Egypt/Syria or Jordan ever had any intention of allowing the Palestinians of having their own country.

[YuMi]

of course theyy didnt, and now its for Israel to eat up all the crap.

[fandango]

Atleast Palestinians were integrated into Jordan. You treat them like 3rd rate people after the "real" jewish israelis, and then the arab israelis. And it doesn't change the fact that palestinians have human rights that you ignore. Why don't you stop violating the rights of millions of people who've done nothing to you?

[everythingisone]

Atleast Palestinians were integrated into Jordan. You treat them like 3rd rate people after the "real" jewish israelis, and then the arab israelis. And it doesn't change the fact that palestinians have human rights that you ignore. Why don't you stop violating the rights of millions of people who've done nothing to you?
Palestinians were expelled by Jordan.

And your last sentence is precious. It is also incorrect. But you have always shown the propensity to mix up facts with your personal bias and/or ignorance.

[fandango]

Palestinians were expelled from jordan? Then why is something like 40 percent of jordan's population palestinian? And every palestinian deserves their treatment?

[everythingisone]

Palestinians were expelled from jordan? Then why is something like 40 percent of jordan's population palestinian? And every palestinian deserves their treatment?
You should learn your history, son. If you do not know of the civil war in Jordan where the Palestinians and Arafat were expelled, you should go learn about it. The Palestinians who were expelled landed in Lebanon where they preceded to destroy that country too. The Israelis drove them out. The people of Lebanon cheered and viewed it as liberation.

[fandango]

Arafat may have been unwelcome in Jordan, but the average Palestinian in Jordan is integrated very well into Jordan, and the consist of 40% of the population of Jordan. Quite different to how they're treated in Israel.

And I don't think man Lebanese look at the Israeli occupation with rose coloured glasses like you do. Did they cheer when you bombed Beirut?

[everythingisone]

Arafat may have been unwelcome in Jordan, but the average Palestinian in Jordan is integrated very well into Jordan, and the consist of 40% of the population of Jordan. Quite different to how they're treated in Israel.

And I don't think man Lebanese look at the Israeli occupation with rose coloured glasses like you do. Did they cheer when you bombed Beirut?
Jordan should open their arms wide open and invite all the Palestinians in refugee camps (which the Arab countries strive to maintain) into Jordan. And you really do not know much about what happened in Lebanon, do you? There was celebration when Israel drove the PLO north and there was celebration when Israel drove the PLO onto ships in Beirut and out of the country.

[fandango]

You're talking garbage. Israel destroyed about 1/4th of Beirut's houses. the Palestinians never did any thing as bad to Lebanon as Israel did to Lebanon. Israel also encouraged anti Palestinian behaviour in Lebanon, let's not forget Sabra and Shatilla. The only people Israel tried to curry favour with are the Christians, in an attempt to create an ally, but they're certainly not the majority of Lebanon.

Jordan should open their arms wide open and invite all the Palestinians in refugee campsThe refugees should go back to wherever they came from, as it is their right.

[everythingisone]

You're talking garbage. Israel destroyed about 1/4th of Beirut's houses. the Palestinians never did any thing as bad to Lebanon as Israel did to Lebanon. Israel also encouraged anti Palestinian behaviour in Lebanon, let's not forget Sabra and Shatilla. The only people Israel tried to curry favour with are the Christians, in an attempt to create an ally, but they're certainly not the majority of Lebanon.

The refugees should go back to wherever they came from, as it is their right.
You are confused. Nor do you know your facts. The anti-Palestinian behavor was a grass-roots movement and the Israelis were welcomes throughout Lebanon as liberators, not just by Christians. However, the Christian population is significant in Lebanon and are true Lebanese, unlike the Pleastinians that wrecked and demolished the very fabric of lebanese society before they were driven out by Israel. The fortunes of Lebanon as a vacation resort and a liberal Arab society, and as a banking capital were already gone by the time Israel liberated Lebanon. The Palestinians left havoc in their wake in Jordan and then in Lebanon. Learn history. Let go of your bigotry and racism. You will be a happier person for it.