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Politics : Stockman Scott's Political Debate Porch -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Skywatcher who wrote (19066)	5/14/2003 12:21:56 AM
From: ForYourEyesOnly	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 89467

Rightists planning campaign to push road map off course By Nadav Shragai The lobby against the U.S.-backed road map for Middle East peace, spearheaded by lawmakers from right-wing parties and by the Yesha council of Jewish settlements in the West Bank, is stepping up its activities aimed at stymieing the initiative. Representatives of the lobby will meet today with Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom for discussions on the road map, and a briefing on the minister's talks with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell. The Yesha Council, whose opposition to the road map is well known, published a particularly harshly-worded condemnation of the plan on Saturday. The council is demanding that the government state explicitly that "the settler movement is moral and just, and is an expression of the Jewish people's eternal connection to its historical homeland. At a time when terror is running amok, the government should recognize the contribution that the settlements make to national security." Yesha Council members plan to explain to Shalom their opposition to the road map, which they claim is more dangerous than the Oslo accords. They will also demand that, before any part of the plan is implemented, terror is completely eradicated from the territories. On Wednesday, the Land of Israel Front- the Yesha Council's parliamentary lobby, which has 32 members, including 20 from the Likud - will meet in Jerusalem. Another dozen or so Knesset members are expected to join the lobby, bringing the total to around one third of all MKs. The chairman of the group, MK Yehiel Hazan said yesterday that he objects the establishment of a Palestinian state, but is in favor of self-rule for the Palestinians. Hazan added that if the government decided to remove any outposts, it would discovered that he, and every other member of the lobby, would form an active opposition. Hazan stressed, however, that all protests would be within the framework of the law. One of the members of the Land of Israel Front is Public Security Minister Tzachi Hanegbi, and Education Minister Limor Livnat is also expected to attend Wednesday's meeting, where she will express her support of their planned actions. It is still not clear, however, if Livnat herself will join the lobby. Members of the front include lawmakers from the National Union, the National Religious Party, Shas and United Torah Judaism. Some sources within the Yesha Council have expressed concerns that, in its current form, the Land of Israel Front cannot effectively act against Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and the road map, without specifying lines in the sand that cannot be crossed without bringing down the government. "As long as we are acting on the level of declaration and talk," a senior Yesha Council figure told Haaretz last night, "the Land of Israel Front is not expected to take any practical actions. But, in order for the group to be effective, rather than just a platform for discourse, the members must be willing to use the parliamentary tools at their disposal, to pressure the government." He added that it would be that much harder for the group to act against Sharon, since most of its members are part of the coalition. "Membership of the coalition carries obligations, and will certainly have an affect. It is possible, therefore, that at some stage we will have to revert to protests in the street." This contrasts to comments made by Hazan, who said yesterday that he and his colleague would initiate actions "designed to strengthen Prime Minister Sharon, to allow him to reject external pressures and to remain true to his principles." haaretz.com