Forwarded with comments by Emanuel A. Winston, Middle East analyst & commentator

Many believe that having a referendum is wrong and that no one part of the public has a right to rule the other particular on the issue of territory. What do you think? By E. Winston

An independent initiative to launch a national referendum on Sharon’s disengagement plan is worrying government officials who plan to do everything they can to prevent the Israeli public from voicing their opinion on this critical issue.

The following is a translation of an article that appeared on the Hebrew msn site, Feb. 7, 05:

Survey Against Referendum Suspected of Incitement

The “Jewish Alternative Disengagement Plan” is the name of the new young competition that has arisen to challenge the Prime Minister’s disengagement plan. While The Prime Minister’s plan speaks of separation from the Palestinians, by way of a phased withdrawal from the territories of Judea, Samaria and Gaza, the new plan, that is being backed by “Mishalot Yisrael”, speaks, in reality, about the transfer of the Arabs.

The registered organization (Mishalot Yisrael), commissioned a survey (referendum), that has already been launched, known as the “Sderot Referendum”. The organizers represent themselves as those who will try “to bring a smile to the Jews in Israel and to permit them to voice their opinion”.

On the “Mishalot Yisrael” website (www.referendumforisrael.com or www.mishal.org) appears declarations requesting to propose the “Biblical Plan” as an alternative plan to the one known as “The disengagement plan”. According to the alternative plan the territories will be annexed to Israel and the Arabs who live there will be removed. According to the organizers of the referendum, Sderot is the starting point. 6500 referendum ballots (to every household in Sderot) have already been distributed, in which the citzens have been asked to vote their conscience.

Yekutiel ben Ya’akov, one of the leaders of the organization, explains about the initiative: “We have started in Sderot because those who are first to be affected by the disengagement should be the first to be polled, however we want every Jew in the world to vote and to express their view on the subject”.

The question, as it appears on the site (www.mishal.org or www.referendumforisrael.com):

Do you prefer the “Sharon/Peres Disengagement Plan” (which includes transferring Gaza and Northern Shomron to “Palestinian” control, and expulsion of all of the Jews who live there - A move that would bring “Palestinian” territory closer to major Israeli cities such as Ashkelon and Tel Aviv).

More than “The Jewish Alternative Disengagement Plan” (which includes annexing these territories and expulsion of the Arabs living there who refuse to an area outside of Israel, deep beyond a safe security buffer zone - A move that would effectively distance the “Palestinian” population from major Israeli cities like Ashkelon and Tel Aviv)?

On Saturday night February 5th 2005, police arrived at Ben Ya’akov’s Jerusalem residence, detaining him for several hours of investigation after which he was released. The official reason for the arrest: “Search for inciteful material”.

“I did not know why they were arresting me. Evidently, there was no grounds for the arrest and this is why I was immediately released. They told me they were searching for materials containing incitement, so I told them that if they were looking for the Sderot ballots they can collect them from 6500 houses in Sderot were they have already been distributed.”

Ben Ya’akov promises to publish the results of the survey in the near future and he is sure that the “biblical plan” - “The Jewish Alternative Plan” will win by a landslide. “We have to hope that the government will be sensitive to public opinion. We have already commissioned several national surveys from credible polling institutions and according to some of them, there is a majority for the Jewish alternative plan.”

Why are you really doing this referendum?

“The Israeli authorities are very scared of a referendum and we want to show the minority (the supporters of Sharon’s disengagement plan, according to Ben Yaakov) the true results of such a referendum”.

Isn’t it clear to you that you are proposing Apartheid that contradicts democracy?

“I don’t support Apartheid against Arabs. If Ariel Sharon wants to separate the Jews from the Arabs - this is Apartheid. Ariel Sharon has paved the way and given a stamp of Kashrut for the future expulsion of the Arabs, since he proposes expulsion of the Jews. As far as I am concerned, Arabs that are loyal can remain in our territories without any problems…”

If the reader’s comments to this article on msn.co.il are any indication, such a referendum as the one proposed by Mishal Yisrael, would result in an impressive victory for those who are offering the Jewish alternative plan. Over 80 percent of the comments were fully supportive of the Jewish alternative plan.

Andras Bereny who was a key member of the Italian referendum party in Brescia, and a former candidate for the Italian Senate, who has helped pass over 4 referendum packages in Italy has joined forces with the organizers of the Israeli Referendum Initiative from “Mishalot Yisrael” and will be in Sderot at polling stations together with attorneys to verify signatures and ballots. Bereny said, the Mishalot Sderot Referendum is very exciting to me as a Jew as it is the real thing with us contributing to determining the destiny of the Jewish people and not just some other nation in the Galut.”

“Mishalot Yisrael” has invited international observers to witness true Israeli democracy at work. “Our goal is to get a bigger voter turnout at our referendum than there is in national Israeli elections,” said Ben Ya’akov.

Ben Ya’akov rejects the type of referendum that Yesha is lobbying on behalf of for several reasons. Firstly, they offer no alternative to the Sharon/Peres proposal. Second, we have no time to wait for Sharon to agree to make a referendum. If Sharon should agree to such a referendum he will have the advantage as the one who words the referendum, wins the referendum. And according to every national poll that has been taken in Israel, Sharon has a firm majority if the question will be a Yes / No referendum on Sharon’s disengagement plan. The reason for this is that the average Israel wishes to be as far away as possible from the “Palestinians.”

“Our referendum that offers the Jewish alternative, actually offers an alternative that would distance the Arab threat further away, and not conflict with Torah and democratic values. Sharon’s proposal to drive out all of the Jews from Gaza and Shomron negates the Torah and democracy. Sharon calls for expulsion of each and every Jew from Gaza. That is as racist a proposal one could make.”

“Adding the alternative proposal that calls not to throw out every Arab because they are Arab, but rather to remove most of the Arabs who will likely refuse not to swear allegiance with Israel offers a Jewish and democratic alternative that is sure to win over the hearts of most Jews in Israel. When we publish the results that we have from the national omnibus surveys that we have already commissioned, people will be shocked to learn just how many people reject Sharon’s plan when given a viable alternative.”

People wishing to vote in this referendum can do so on line on www.mishal.org

Ben Ya’akov plans to shock the nation on Thursday when he releases the findings of the earlier surveys that he has already commissioned from national pollsters on this subject.

People wishing to find out more or to volunteer at polling stations can call 0544 876 709 or 0547910341 in Israel. In the USA calls can be placed to 718 874 2057.

Funds are needed to publish more ballots and posters and to finance this massive campaign to save Israel. Funds can be sent to Mishalot Yisrael - 210/14 Jaffa Road, Jerusalem, Israel.

Funds can be deposited in The Mishalot Yisrael bank account: Mishalot Yisrael - Yerushalayim at Bank Hapoalim, Branch 968, account number: 676769

Bank transfers/wires can be sent to: Mishalot Yisrael - Yerushalayim, Bank Hapoalim - Jaffa Rd.- Branch 968 - AC # 676769, Swift Code: Poalilit

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This entry was posted on Thursday, February 10th, 2005 and is filed under action.