INDIAN COUNTRY:

Withdrawal From Gaza Will Test Israeli Democracy (Uri Dromi, August 18, 2004, LA Times)

There is a group of Israelis who — regardless of any government or Knesset decision on evacuation of the settlements and regardless of the popular support for withdrawal — have vowed that they won't allow the pullout from Gaza to happen; these are the die-hard ideological settlers.

At stake is not only the future of the settlements, it's the future of Israel's democracy. Sharon's plan to pull out of Gaza is actually about the ability of Israel to turn the will of the people into political action in a democratic way. The execution of the plan will determine whether the Israeli democracy is still a functional one, or a democracy in name only, incapable of implementing its most important decisions because veto power has been surrendered to a few extremists.

How will the settlers react when it comes time to evacuate them? According to a survey conducted recently by the Israel Democracy Institute, a Jerusalem-based think tank, the vast majority will protest and use all means of legitimate resistance but will ultimately yield to the democratic imperative.

However, the study warns of a small group of radical settlers — many of whom are young and rebellious — who might engage in a civil revolt, including damaging the equipment of the removal forces. Even more dangerous are those few among them who are capable of opening fire on the soldiers who come to evacuate them or of initiating preemptive terrorist actions, mainly against Arabs, to create havoc and disrupt the evacuation process. [...]

Israelis vitally need a working democratic mechanism because Gaza is only the beginning: When it comes to the West Bank — more densely populated and closer to the heart of Israelis — their elected government will have to take and carry out much more painful decisions.

If they're willing to live in Palestine why not let them?

Posted by Orrin Judd at August 21, 2004 4:22 PM