Arutz Sheva December 16, 2004

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon delivered the keynote address at the Herzliya Conference Thursday evening. As he promoted his withdrawal plan, Gazan terrorists launched four mortar shells.

Sharon spoke about the benefits of his proposed Gaza withdrawal/expulsion plan, using language reminiscent of that which accompanied the 1993 Oslo Accords. ‘We will reach a time of tranquility not experienced since the beginning of the state of Israel,’ Sharon promised.

‘Last year I presented here the guidelines for the disengagement plan,’ Sharon said. ‘There are certain goals that have always been our focus. The aim of the disengagement plan is to achieve these goals.’

The Prime Minister enumerated several hopes for 2005 ‘ the year, he assured the audience, that Israel would leave Gaza. ‘In 2005 we have the opportunity to extract ourselves from the recession,’ he said. ‘In 2005 we will establish new, improved relations with the international community - Europe has begun to understand our need to fight terrorism. In 2005 Israel will have the opportunity for a historic breakthrough with the Palestinians ‘ a breakthrough for which we have been waiting many, many years.’

Sharon outlined several other priorities of his government, including the absorption of one million new immigrants in the next 15 years and the implementation of the educational reforms outlined in the Dovrat report, but stressed that the most important issue, in his view, is the withdrawal from Gaza and the northern Shomron. ‘Israel’s most important opportunity is leaving Gaza ‘ which we will implement next year. This decision is the cornerstone of these opportunities.’

Attacking the campaign being waged against his disengagement plan from within his own party and elsewhere, Sharon said, ‘I am a great believer in action within consensus.’ The PM went on to claim that the majority of Israelis support his plan and are not willing to continue to sacrifice ‘for unattainable goals. ‘

‘The decision that we will not be in Gaza and have no place there does not divide the people or tear the nation apart,’ Sharon said, referring to bumper stickers and placards across the country decrying the expulsion of Jews from their homes. Terming Land of Israel faithful ‘a small minority,’ Sharon insisted that his plan is in fact ‘bringing the nation together.’

‘Disengagement has already produced a long lists of benefits,’ Sharon said. ‘ Because of it, there is no criticism of Israeli actions against terrorism. It [also] makes it clear that when Israel says it will make painful compromises, it is serious ‘ very, very painful sacrifices.’

Sharon reiterated the fact that US President George W. Bush backs his plan and has promised that Israel will be ‘allowed’ to maintain some large blocs of Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria and not have to completely return to Israel’s pre-1967 borders.

The Prime Minister cited Israeli Druze Azzam Azzam’s release from an Egyptian prison as a sign of new Egyptian goodwill and expressed his hope for ‘ Egyptian cooperation with stopping the weapons-smuggling’ along the Egyptian-Israeli border, which ‘will allow Israel to leave the Philadelphi route as well.’

‘Both people can live on this strip of land in peace,’ Sharon concluded, ‘I believe it is within our grasp.’

Gush Katif Spkesman Eran Shternberg responded: “Sharon’s address was a carbon-copy of that delivered by Shimon Peres in Oslo and is another step in the strangulation of Israeli democracy.”

Eleven soldiers were lightly injured when four mortar shell were fired at the IDF’s Narkis Outpost near the Gaza community of Atzmona shortly after Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s address to the Herzliya Conference. The soldier are being treated and will be transported to hospital.

“The Israeli public threw the left out of power,” Shternberg added, “but through deceitful actions, has found itself returned to the hallucinations of Peres.”

Just a few hours prior to Sharon’s address, former Prime Minister Ehud Barak assured attendees that, ‘After Gush Katif and the northern Shomron will come the removal of Bracha, Itamar, Yitzhar and all the other isolated settlements in the Shomron.’

According to Barak, the Likud Party has been deceiving the nation ever since 1977 by building communities in places that they knew ‘would not remain in our hands.” Barak also called for what many fear is Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s ultimate goal is as well: the removal of all Jewish communities on the eastern side of the partition fence currently being erected.

Major-General (Res.) Yaakov Amidror, a former Deputy Head of IDF Intelligence, sharply protested the limited time that conference organizers allotted to speakers such as himself with opinions opposed to the Prime Minister’s plan. He pointed out that pro-disengagement speakers were granted large blocks of time to express their ideas, as opposed to mere minutes allotted for anti-disengagement views.

Professor Uriel Reichman, who heads the Herzliya Inderdisciplinary Center seemed to confirm statements made by Amidror when, upon introducing Sharon, he said: ‘Mr. Prime Minister, I am sorry you weren’t able to join us for the entire conference ‘ you would have enjoyed yourself. Nearly all the speakers gave you compliments on your handling of the political situation.’

This entry was posted on Friday, December 17th, 2004 and is filed under news.