Friday, November 26, 2010

Referendum Law

The Referendum Law that passed the Knesset on Wednesday is quite a revolutionary development in Israel. The origin of this law was the traumatic events that resulted in the unilateral evacuation of Gaza by Israel under PM Sharon.

PM Sharon, after a lifetime of being a right wing hawk, changed his policy and decided to withdraw or disengage all Israeli settlements (22) and IDF positions in Gaza unilaterally. Not only was this a traumatic event for those forced out of Gaza, but it was a traumatic experience for the whole of Israeli society. The scene of IDF soldiers forcing settlers from their homes of 30 years was very unsettling to most Israelis. Further, the concept that after disengagement the Palestinians would be grateful and engage in peace negotiations was absolutely 180 degrees wrong. Not only did they destroy most of the property that the Jews left, including synagogues and hothouses that could have been used for growing vegetables, but they also started shooting rockets and mortars over the new Gaza border into Israel. This continued for a further 8 years until finally Israel launched Operation Cast Lead, that has largely resulted in a ceasefire, broken periodically by the Palestinians firing rockets into Israel. But, worse was the fact that after the elections that were supported by Pres. Bush, Hamas won and then proceeded to carry out a coup, murdering hundreds of Fatah operatives, some thrown from tall buildings. So the unilateral disengagement from Gaza proved to be a disaster for Israel. Also, when Ehud Barak was PM he was prepared to divide Jerusalem, even though this was not accepted Israeli policy, mainly because he wanted to please Pres. Clinton. Luckily at the time Yasir Arafat refused to accept this present.

When PM Netanyahu was elected it was on a Likud platform of no more unilateral disengagements. In other words, any Israeli withdrawal from "occupied territory" must be by mutual agreement with the Palestinians, Israel will not withdraw unless it gets something in exchange. However, the imposition of a 10 month building freeze on the West Bank under pressure from US Pres. Obama, made many Israelis nervous. Then Netanyahu said that there would be no further freezes, but now another one is being considered as a result of inducements by the US, in other words Netanyahu is being bribed. Israelis are always suspicious of these blandishments, hence the public support for the Referendum Law, that easily passed the Knesset with Netanyahu's support.

The Law requires that if the Government wants to give up any portion of Israeli land including the Golan Heights or East Jerusalem, then it is conditional on a referendum of the Israeli population, unless the Knesset vote is 80% in favor. This is a safety net that gives Israelis confidence that no Israeli Government, like that of Sharon's, after getting into office, will change its policies around and give up territory in exchange for whatever inducements might be offered. The Palestinians and their supporters have labelled this law a proof that Israelis are not interested in peace. That is not true, it merely limits the action that any politician can take in any particular circumstances and emphasizes that in this matter it is the people of Israel who are sovereign.

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