Israel’s cabinet voted to expel Israeli settlers from the Gaza Strip and from parts of the West Bank, which led militant settlers to vow to fight the relocation. Some Israeli Army units have promised to disobey orders to forcibly remove the settlers from their homes, which heightens the possibility of fighting between the government and the settlers.
Israeli Prime Minister Sharon is hoping to prevent an Israeli civil war and to move the peace process forward. It looks like Sharon has the support of the general Israeli public, though he has made enemies of many settlers, who are heavily armed.
Former Prime Minister and current Finance Secretary Benjamin Netanyahu voted no on the resolution and has indicated he will run against Sharon in their party elections to fight the peace agreement.
Until Yitzak Rabin was assassinated by an Israeli militant in November 1995, it was generally thought that Israelis did not kill Israelis, but Rabin’s murder threw that notion out the window. Hopefully Sharon won’t be targeted in the same way by a vocal minority who don’t want to leave their homes. An Israeli civil war won’t further the peace process, which many settlers oppose. It’s too bad that it has to be this way.
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