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Disengagement plan defeated

Ariel Sharon’s plan to unilaterally withdraw from Gaza was soundly defeated in today’s referendum in Israel, with exit polls indicating 60% of votes against and only 39% for:

In an initial response to the resounding defeat of his disengagement plan in a Likud Party referendum on Sunday, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said that while he and the Israeli public were disappointed with the results, he would respect them.

[ . . . ]

“I know that much of the Israeli public supports my plan. I know that they feel, as I do, disappointment with the results of the referendum. We have difficult days before us where difficult decisions need to be made,” Sharon said in a statement.

This could put Sharon’s job in jeopardy, although initially he said he would not resign. In fact, he vowed tonight to continue pushing the plan. Still, few politicians recover from this kind of defeat, and what will happen in the days and weeks ahead remains to be seen.

Results and reactions are, of course, mixed, as they tend to be with any controversial result. I’m not an Israeli Likudnik, so my opinion really doesn’t matter… but for the record, my reaction is more of a qualified disappointment. Disappointment that a plan that seemed like it might have a real chance of success will probably not have a chance to be put into place… but qualified because the terrorists will interpret any unilateral withdrawal as a sign of weakness.

What next? We’ll have to watch and see, I suppose.

{ 13 comments… add one }
  • Hanthala 05.03.04, 4:23 AM

    “This could put Sharon’s job in jeopardy,” Good. I’m sure the Palestinians will be pleased with this as it was only signalling stage one of Eretz Israel–minus Gaza.

  • Peter 05.03.04, 5:41 AM

    The only people who this vote hurts are the “Palestinians.” But, of course, most arabs are too stupid to realize this.

  • Hanthala 05.03.04, 12:45 PM

    And, of course, most of their critics are outright racist.

  • Ikram 05.03.04, 4:18 PM

    I’m suprised it was rejected. Especially since the important Likud leadership was almost entirely in favour. I did not realize how many Israelis deny the legitimacy of Palestine and want to drive Palestinians into the river. Though turnout was only 40%, so one can hope that there is a silent majority out there, unlikely though it seems.

    Sari, do you think GWB should withdraw the concessions he made to Sharon at their last meeting?

    But, of course, most arabs are too stupid to realize this.

    Peter, this kind of bigotry is offensive.

  • Jonny 05.03.04, 5:43 PM

    I’m waiting to see what the reactions of those who condemned the plan (Blair, Chirac etc..) in the first place will be. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.

  • DaninVan 05.03.04, 6:18 PM

    Hey! Horseradish!! Whereyabin?!

  • Jonathan Edelstein 05.04.04, 2:26 AM

    Ikram, keep in mind that it was only 40 percent of paid-up Likudniks, not all Israelis.

  • Knave 05.04.04, 8:13 AM

    But, of course, most arabs are too stupid to realize this

    Of course, his intention was to replace the word “arab” above with “people who support the actions of suicide bombers”

    That clears of both the offensiveness of the above statement and the inaccuracy, right Ikram?

  • Peter 05.04.04, 4:07 PM

    Ikram, perhaps I should have said that most arabs have never failed to miss an opportunity when handed one.

    Ikram and Hanthala, it is racist and bigoted to murder a 34 year old pregnant mother and her 4 children because they are Jews.

  • Josh 05.04.04, 8:12 PM

    It’s too bad that not too many people actually knew what was really at stake with the plan, especially Israelis and likudniks themselves. No surprise that the posts here show a general ignorance of the matter too.

    The separation plan was never about any separation, but rather only about expelling 8000 Jews from their homes. The Palestinian Arabs would receive everything left behind, including the houses and land owned by Jews since before 1948 even. Israel would continue to provide; electricity, water, phone service, transportation, and allow tens of thousands of them into Israel to work. It also stated that Israel would rehabilitate the Gazan economy that the Arabs hurt themselves.

    The separation plan was a lie and the tide turned because more likudniks were exposes to the truth as time went by. Everything stayed the same except Israel tearing Jewish families out of the homes, and Israel retreating in defeat.

    Hopefully, this signals Israel’s return to sanity.

  • Josh 05.04.04, 8:27 PM

    Now with regard to the Palestinian Arabs, they always win anyways, right? They can put a spin on any issue and come out the winners, even when the kill other Arabs by mistake and call them a martyr for the cause. The fact is that after 3.5 years of a war they started, they continue to be the big losers.

    It’s always win-win with them. On one hand, they compained that the ‘one-sided’ plan was not fair to them, but on the other hand, they were overjoyed that their choice of weaponary (terror) was much more successful than negotiating. They would have received all of Gaza including the Erez industrial zone and North Samaria too. All that for only over 1000 Jewish dead (including 17 pairs of parents and one 8month pregnant mother and her 4 children who had bullets pumped into their bodies and uterus to make sure that all six were dead) and 5000 Israelis wounded, many permanently. Unfortuantely, no one even cares about the Palestinian dead and wounded because neither to they.

    more

  • Josh 05.04.04, 8:30 PM

    It is documented that the rest of the Arab world used(es) them as ‘whores’ and menial workers, and they are so used to it, they continue to let their leadership treat them the same as well. The Palestinian Arabs are treated like crap, but only Israel is to blame. They depend on Arab unity, even they should have realized that befriending Israel would have advanced their situation exponentially. They still refuse to take advantage of Israel’s gullibility and embrace Israel, but perhaps the hate and demonization of the Jew is too powerful to rewind.

    Kill the Jew.

    Itbah al-yahud.

    Anybody ever wonder why the Palestinian Arabs never initiate a single ‘peace’ idea? No, it’s always Israels fault and now the likud too, even though it was Sharon who betrayed his own party platform and the one he got voted on last year.

  • Jonny 05.05.04, 12:13 AM

    Josh,

    “even they should have realized that befriending Israel would have advanced their situation exponentially.”

    I agree with that. Their so called brothers in Syria and Egypt seem to be more preoccupied with ridding the world of jews then they are with Palestinian welfare. Israel occupied the west bank and gaza in 1967. The arabs promised to “exterminate” the jewish community in Palestine in 1948, and they’ve been promising to throw Israel into the sea ever since.

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