Settler Leader Wallerstein: 'We Must Oppose Sharon’s Expulsion Without Violence And Be Ready To Go To Prison.'
Left-wing Critics Warn Wallerstein’s Call Could Lead To Civil War And Demand Prosecution By Attorney General MazzuzCombined Settlers Council: ‘We Support Wallerstein’s Call For Non-Violent Resistance’
Pinhas Wallerstein, the head of the Binyamin Regional Council on the West Bank, has sparked a political firestorm in Israel by calling on settlers to oppose Prime Minister Sharon’s plan to withdraw from the Gaza Strip and four settlements in Samaria. Wallerstein says the settlers should be ready to face prison sentences in defense of their homes. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon reacted by saying he took a grave view of Wallerstein’s statement. Left-wingers, and even some right-wing critics, charge that Wallerstein has crossed a dangerous red line and incited to violence. MK Yossi Sarid of Yachad says the bottom line is that Wallerstein is actually egging on the settlers to physically resist the evacuation. MK Yuli Tamir of Labor adds that in the explosive atmosphere over the withdrawal, Wallerstein’s comment about no violence is meaningless. On the other side, MK Benny Aylon, of the right-wing National Union, rejects the calls for prosecution. Aylon, who lives in the settlements of Beit El, argues that Wallerstein called for civil disobedience, a legitimate democratic device. Summing up the debate, Law Professor Claude Klein says although there may not be grounds for actual prosecution, Wallerstein has come close to crossing the line to incitement. In Jerusalem, the combined settlers council in Judea, Samaria and Gaza called an urgent news conference and issued a statement in support of Wallerstein’s appeal to resist the evacuation. David Essing has pro and con reactions, first from MK Sarid:
