Winston sums up his article from the start in this way; “When you hear absolute, unqualified guarantees by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Vice Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Deputy Prime Minister Shimon Peres or Defense Minister Sha’ul Mofaz about Jewish land not – I repeat, not – to be transferred to Arab Muslims, be assured that transferring it is exactly what they are planning. Their a priori denials are their ‘trial balloons’ to see how much opposition the denied action will provoke.”
Remember Yitzchak Rabin? “We’ll never leave the Golan…” while negotiating with the Syrians through the back door. Then, under Barak, we had to fight like heck, but referendum-enabling legislation was passed by Knesset, huge rallies were held (back when a rally delivered a message which the politicians stood up and took notice of) and the whole Golan withdrawal scheme never got off the ground.
Here are some quotes from what I wrote in March, 2005 regarding referendum-enabling legislation when we were still hoping to stop the Expulsion via referendum;
2 March, 2005;
“Wasn’t there a referendum approved by Knesset re: The Golan which was never instituted?? Wasn’t this back when we had huge Hafganot in Tel Aviv in late 1999 and 2000 under Barak??? Is there not a (referendum) precedent in place already??”
“Efforts toward the referendum need to be focused toward the Chareidim, particularly Shas and particularly since it seems that they (Shas) may have voted previously in favor of enabling legislation toward a Golan Referendum.
“Why are people not raising this point with Yishai, with Rav Ovadia?? With Aguda/Degel HaTorah — Rav Eliyashev??
While it seems that a referendum law may never have passed into law, there is past precedent where enabling legislation was voted upon and received favorable votes, including from Shas.
If the reports below are true, and Shas was among those voting in favor of Golan Referendum enabling legislation, then the arguments of the Chareidim regarding precedents by which the chilonim might use existing precedent to go further (and pose referendums against Torah law, i.e. Shabbos, Kashrut, etc.) would seem to be but political smoke and mirrors.” (This relates to Shinui’s threat in March, 2005 to bring every religious issue to referendum if a referendum on the Expulsion were to take place.)
New Law Requires Golan Referendum
“On January 26, 1999, the Knesset passed a bill that requires a national referendum on any government decision to withdraw from the Golan Heights. It also stipulates that a return of the Golan would have to be approved by at least 61 of 120 members of parliament.
The legislation was introduced by the Third Way party, which supports peace with the Palestinians but opposes a withdrawal from the Golan. The measure was approved 53-30, and received the support of several members of the opposition Labor Party.”
Israeli-Syrian Treaty May Be Threatened by Referendum Law
“We don’t want to destroy the coalition,” Shas Cabinet minister Shlomo Benizri said in a radio interview. “We just wanted to vote as we believe in the referendum. It wasn’t against the prime minister, it was pro the Golan.”
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The point is that when we receive all of these assurances and unqualified guarantees — positive, negative or otherwise made by Sharon, his advance man Olmert, Peres, Mofaz, or anyone else in his “security cabinet”
Oh yes, and by the way, after Sharon’s “bold” statements immediately after the Expulsion about territorial contiguity between Jerusalem and Ma’alei Adumim, is it any wonder why Peres now says, “No need for Israel to build in E-1.”
And while uniting, mobilizing and preparing in advance, we’d better bulk-up the Manhigut Yehudit faction of Likud — FAST!
Perhaps a cue or two from board game Revava might help too.