PM: Evacuation from Gaza, northern West Bank to take 12 weeks
February 14, 2005
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on Monday told a Knesset panel that he expects the evacuation of settlements in the Gaza Strip and northern West Bank to last for a period of 12 weeks.
Sharon
also told a meeting of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee in Jerusalem
that he would seek cabinet approval on Monday for the evacuation of Gaza and
four settlements in the northern West Bank.On Sunday night, the Knesset
Constitution, Law and Justice Committee approved the penal clauses of the
evacuation-compensation bill in a vote of 10 MKs to seven.
The law is designed to provide arrangements for the compensation of settlers who
evacuate their homes in Gush Katif and the northern West Bank.
The approval of the legislation, required in advance of a vote in the Knesset
plenum, was guaranteed after MK Avraham Ravitz (Degel Hatorah) and MK Azmi
Bishara (Balad) voted in favor.
Other supporters were MK Michael Eitan (Likud), chair of the Knesset House
Commitee MK Ronnie Bar-On (Likud), three representatives from the Labor Party (Eitan
Cabel, Yuli Tamir and Raleb Majadele), two Shinui members (Reshef Chayne and Eti
Livni) and Avshalom Vilan (Yahad).
Seven MKs opposed the legislation: four Likud members (Gideon Sa'ar, Gilad Erdan,
Yuli Edelstein and Naomi Blumenthal), MK Nissim Ze'ev (Shas), Eliezer Cohen
(National Union) and Yitzhak Levy (National Religious Party).
Two months ago disengagement opponents managed to block the approval of two
sections of the evacuation-compensation bill in the Constitution, Law and
Justice Committee. The vote ended with a tie (8:8) because MK Azmi Bishara
abstained from the vote, and MK Ravitz voted against it.
The committee also decided Sunday night, in a vote of 10 to nine, to approve a
decision proposed by MK Eitan, which states that the evacuation warrants that
are to be issued to the settlers will be sent out 21 days after approval of the
legislation, to allow supporters of a referendum on the pullout sufficient time
to bring a bill proposing such a move to the Knesset.
Eitan told Haaretz on Sunday that he has no intention of bringing the referendum
bill to the Knesset for a preliminary reading on Wednesday, because there is
currently no majority within the Knesset favoring a referendum.
Eitan added that in the course of discussions about the evacuation legislation,
the committee members made many changes, aimed at safeguarding the rights of the
settlers in the criminal and civilian realm.
In addition, penalties that seemed superfluous to committee members were
omitted, punishments were reduced and it was stipulated that minors who are
arrested in demonstrations be allowed to be detained in prison with their
parents.
Following approval of the legislation in the constitution committee, the
complete law (as approved last week by the Finance Committee) will be put on the
Knesset table.
On Tuesday the plenum will begin to discuss the bill, and on Wednesday it will
be brought to a final vote, in second and third readings.
SOURCE: Haaretz