It's being asked why the Gaza withdrawal should be delayed. Emad Gad writes Over the last few days, the disengagement plan -- Israel's plan to withdraw from the Gaza Strip and dismantle four settlements in the northern West Bank -- has taken precedence over all else in the Israeli media, particularly after the Sharon government decided to postpone the withdrawal by a month. The plan will now be implemented starting mid-August instead of mid-July so as not to coincide with Jewish commemorations of the destruction of the Second Temple by the Romans. The decision to postpone the plan grew out of a desire to avoid possible accusations by settlers and right-wing extremists that Prime Minister Sharon was expelling and transferring Jews while they were commemorating the painful remembrance of the destruction of the Second Temple. This would have allowed settlers and their supporters to make an overt comparison between the destruction of the Temple and the withdrawal from Gaza. Sharon accepted the postponement and decided to start the withdrawal on 16 August, but other voices have been heard demanding an additional six-month postponement to more fully prepare for the evacuation of settlers and peacefully accomplish the mission. Others have demanded that a time be chosen during which there are no Jewish holidays of any sort. The subject of the disengagement plan also coloured Sharon's visit to Washington to attend the annual conference of the biggest Jewish lobby in the US, AIPAC, as well as Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's (Abu Mazen) visit to Washington and his meeting with US President George Bush. Even though Sharon received the support and endorsement of AIPAC for the withdrawal, there were noisy demonstrations staged by Jews on the right, who carried posters saying, "Jews don't expel other Jews". Meanwhile, Abu Mazen stressed to the US administration the importance of playing an active role in the withdrawal and linking it to the roadmap. The debate over the disengagement plan inside Israel continued as well, as the public argued whether the plan should be implemented at the scheduled time regardless of Jewish holidays or whether such occasions should be considered. Although many believe that such a holiday should be considered, Shamai Leibowitz wrote an article published on www.nfc.co.il on 17 May arguing the opposite position. In an article entitled "Heroes over the Weak", he said the disengagement plan should be implemented as scheduled and that any discussion of holidays will mean not implementing the plan and giving in to the demands of militants who reject it. "Prime Minister Sharon's decision to postpone the disengagement plan until after 9 August is not an indication of his sympathy with the Jewish liturgical calendar, but rather submission to the dictates of the settlers," he wrote. "9 August is followed by September, when the settlers will demand another postponement, for who could give back parts of the nation during the month of mercy? After that comes Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Sukkoth. It is never ending, because there is always a holiday or a fast in the Jewish calendar." He added, "the holidays and fasts are an expression of ideas that should lead the public to think about its standards and actions. They should induce a self-reckoning to recognise mistakes, both public and private, particularly long-standing injustice. It is for this reason that the disengagement plan especially should be implemented before 9 August. "The Israeli public has committed no sin more habitually than the sin of the occupation and the repression practiced daily against the Palestinian people. The Israeli occupation army, with the help of the settlers, continues to steal their land and imprison them in ghettos. The murder of civilians -- including children -- the destruction of crops, arrests, and lack of access for medical treatment are still widely practiced. Everything said about 'the return to the peace process' is devoid of content. Since the declaration of the disengagement plan in December 2003 until this day, there has been no change in the lives of Palestinians; one day after another passes and the occupation only grows stronger and deeper. "We should be wary of the disengagement plan being reduced to simply the evacuation of people from their homes. The government must announce that on a particular date, sovereignty will be transferred to the Palestinians and that order will prevail in the area. The Palestinians must announce the form of their new order so that any Jews who wish to stay will know what their rights and duties will be." At the close of his article, Leibowitz cautions the government against letting the plan become a toy in the hands of the settlers by allowing to them to exploit the evacuation for their own interests before Israeli public opinion. "When our ancient wise men wanted to describe the ultimate in Jewish heroism, they wrote, 'who is the hero of heroes? He who can turn an enemy into a friend,'" Leibowitz wrote. "For 38 years, the settlers have been heroes over the weak. Now they must be allowed to become real Jewish heroes. They must quit acting like a superior race and live in equality and cooperation with the Palestinians." To read more about Israel's disengagement plan, please visit the website of Arabs Against Discrimination www.aad-online.org.
