Peres Fearful Jewish Extremists Will Kill Sharon

[NATO AIR]

this is quite worrisome... they've done it once, will they do it again?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6237299/
Peres says Jewish extremists
could kill Sharon
Opposition leader 'very fearful'
of incitement over Gaza pullout plan
The Associated Press
Updated: 8:00 a.m. ET Oct. 19, 2004JERUSALEM - Opposition leader Shimon Peres said he is “very fearful” Jewish extremists may try to kill Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, as verbal attacks become more vociferous over a planned withdrawal from the Gaza Strip next year.

Senior army officials, meanwhile, said Tuesday they are concerned a significant number of soldiers will refuse to dismantle Jewish settlements during the withdrawal; several influential rabbis called on troops to disobey such orders.

The military will build a mock settlement to teach soldiers how to confront armed settlers, some of whom could be violent, the Yediot Ahronot daily reported.

Sharon is facing intense opposition to his “unilateral disengagement” from the Palestinians, which would remove thousands of settlers from their homes — 8,200 in Gaza and 600 in four small communities in the northern West Bank.


Withdrawal opponents are pushing for a national referendum, but Sharon has dismissed the idea as a stalling tactic.

Next week, parliament is to vote on the disengagement plan. Sharon lost his parliamentary majority several months ago over the withdrawal, but was expected to win the vote with the help of the moderate Labor Party, headed by Peres.

Rabin assassination
Peres said the divisive political climate reminded him of the atmosphere in Israel nearly a decade ago when then-Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin came under relentless attack from hard-liners opposed to his peace deals with the Palestinians. Rabin was assassinated by an ultranationalist during a 1995 peace rally also attended by Peres.

“I am very fearful of the incitement, from the grave things that are again being heard. I am afraid someone will try to assassinate the prime minister,” Peres was quoted as saying in the Israeli newspaper Maariv.

“There is a lot of similarity between the situation then and today,” Peres added.

Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom also drew comparisons. “We had enough a decade ago,” he said, referring to the Rabin assassination. “There is no way we can allow ourselves to experience the same trauma again.”

Sharon was among those who harshly criticized Rabin in 1995, and recently apologized for the statements he made then.

In recent days, posters have appeared across the country showing a picture of Sharon, the word “crazy” and three questionmarks written across his forehead. Posters on some city buses accuse Sharon of “tearing the nation apart.”

Rabbis call on soldiers
Several prominent rabbis have issued statements in recent days, urging soldiers to refuse orders to dismantle settlements as part of the disengagement plan.

A senior military official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the army is “very concerned” about the rabbis’ calls. Army chief Lt. Gen. Moshe Yaalon was to address the issue in a speech later Wednesday.

Jewish settlers say they feel betrayed by Sharon, who for decades was the main force behind settlement expansion in the West Bank and Gaza.


Sharon’s aides say the prime minister hasn’t changed his views on settlements, and is simply trying to get the best possible deal for settlers. Sharon’s top political adviser, Dov Weisglass, said in a recent newspaper interview that the disengagement plan will allow 190,000 of 240,000 settlers to remain in their homes.

However, the argument has not persuaded settler leaders, who after a meeting with Sharon earlier this week described him as stubborn and unresponsive. Gaza settlers said talking to Sharon is pointless and canceled a meeting set for Tuesday.

At a meeting of legislators from Sharon’s Likud Party on Monday, tension spilled into the hallways. Opponents and supporters of the withdrawal plan shouted and traded barbs in front of TV cameras.

Sharon has already lost two votes, both within the Likud, on his disengagement plan.

2 Palestinian militants killed, woman injured
In the Gaza Strip, meanwhile, troops killed two Palestinian militants east of the town of Beit Hanoun who were spotted crawling toward the border fence with Israel, the army said. The militants were trying to plant a bomb.

In a separate incident, soldiers shot and critically wounded a Palestinian woman as she was driving in a taxi near a checkpoint not far from the Gush Katif settlement bloc, Palestinian security sources and hospital officials said. The army was checking the report.

© 2004 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

 

[White knight]

Yes, it would seem that all is not well in the little paradise the size of Rode Island.

 

[dilloduck]

Yes, it would seem that all is not well in the little paradise the size of Rode Island.

I think you win the understatement of the week award for that--usually they try to keep their disputes more "amongst themselves".

 

[drac]

I think you win the understatement of the week award for that--usually they try to keep their disputes more "amongst themselves".

how is it? they have a very liberal press and they "leak" news out even better than we do.

people, the faster you realise that israel is a country similar to many other democratic countries and jews are people just like everyone else, the less chance you have of posting something strange imho like this <i>"Yes, it would seem that all is not well in the little paradise the size of Rode Island"</i>

 

[NATO AIR]

how is it? they have a very liberal press and they "leak" news out even better than we do.

people, the faster you realise that israel is a country similar to many other democratic countries and jews are people just like everyone else, the less chance you have of posting something strange imho like this <i>"Yes, it would seem that all is not well in the little paradise the size of Rode Island"</i>

well jews are just like everybody else (except just over 60 years ago, some madman and his ilk tried to exterminate them off the face of the planet)

but israel is like nowhere else in the world... there's an illegiatimate occupation, a legitimate war on terrorism and a brand of religious nutcases (jewish settlers) who get a free ride, money and even encouragment from an outside governmental body (the US CONGRESS)