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| Since it is obvious that the majority of Gush Katif residents will not be leaving voluntarily are you certain that army personnel will not crack psychologically after two or three days of smashing into homes and dragging residents out against their will? |
Eliezer Greenspan
Jerusalem, Israel |
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| Isaac Herzog: |
The challenge of the evacuation is enormous and painful. The feeling that you are evacuating your brothers and sisters from their homes is really tormenting. Yet I believe that it is also a major test for the capability of our democracy to take decisions and implement them after they have been taken.
I believe the army will meet this challenge and the deployment of 45,000 soldiers is planned for this operation and I believe we will get through it.
My only worry is that some lunatic will God forbid use weapons, and I am sure the army is taking this into account. I hope and pray that people keep their senses even in the heat of evacuation. |
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| Are the London bombings linked to the Middle East conflict? Isn't it something fundamental about clash of civilizations? |
Chaim Malka
Haifa, Israel |
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| Isaac Herzog: |
| I believe the London bombing is not directly linked to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and I am sorry it is used as an excuse. Al-Qaida is way beyond that conflict - it is only looking for an excuse - it is an international phenomenon. It is an international enemy of Western civilization, it is a threat to all peace loving nations and my thoughts and my condolences are with the British people and the bereaved families. |
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| To Minister Herzog, Shalom! I never heard one reason why your party so urgently wants to evacuate the Gaza Strip of Jews, at a cost of NIS 10 billion, while there are so many poor people in this country for whom you don't give a damn, while the security chiefs of this country say it is not a good idea now. No reason is ever given (except that Sharon wants to avert the allegations of wrongdoings in the Greek Island affair). The only other reason I can think of is to please the international community. I only hear arguments against the disengagement, but I hear none in favor. Do you have one? |
Zwi Goldberg
Netanya, Israel |
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| Isaac Herzog: |
I believe that the disengagement plan is essential for preserving an unequivocal Jewish majority in the Jewish state. Staying in Gaza is futile, costs a fortune and Gaza is an illegitimate area in the eyes of the world. Staying in this area is both futile and senseless.
Labor came to this conclusion long ago and it is only symbolic that the father of the settlement movement has come around to realize this too. |
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| Shalom, Why are the roads across the country, especially in the north, so bad? When will the state start investing in its infrastructure? |
Beatrice B
Rosh Pinah, Israel |
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| Isaac Herzog: |
| The government invests huge sums of money in road and infrastructure and I do not know which roads you allude to in the north as there is a huge improvement in road infrastructure in the north. Since I assumed office we are investing much more in the Galilee. |
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| Dear Mr. Herzog, after the disengagement, most expect Sharon to return to his old self and revive the construction of settlements in the West Bank. Is that true? |
Ronald Placid
Glasgow , Scotland |
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| Isaac Herzog: |
I'm not an interpreter and not a spokesperson for Sharon. I believe that he is facing a challenge that very few leaders are willing to face. All those critics who say, "evacuate settlements" have no clue how hard it is to evacuate a home of a family and take such painful measures.
The issue of construction in the West Bank is a sensitive issue on the international front. There are areas in the West Bank, such as the settlement blocs, which I believe should remain a part of Israel. As for other areas, it is my party's policy to encourage a peaceful agreement in this area. |
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| If fighting terrorism is so important, then why are we seeing the continual expansion of illegal settlements and the near total expulsion of the Palestinians from the lands they rely on for subsistence by the ongoing construction of the security fence? Does it not follow that such indignations will lead to further tensions, hatred, conflict and loss of innocent life on both sides? |
Rowan
London, U.K. |
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| Isaac Herzog: |
The settlement issue is a very complex one because it has legal, political and other ramifications. As opposed to the general image that Israel is all the time building in the settlements, I believe that one needs to differentiate between various governments.
The Rabin government put a total freeze on construction in the territories, apart from areas that are in the national consensus, such as the Adumim bloc and the Etzion bloc.
When you had a right-wing government, including the previous government, there was a concerted effort by my predecessors to develop settlements in areas that are futile for the wellbeing and security of Israel. I believe that Israel must focus for permanent status in preserving the two settlement blocs and I would like to point out that as opposed to the general image, the percentage in land of all the settlements is not as much as one would assume, and if Israel in a future peace agreement assumes sovereignty over the two settlement blocs, we are dealing with about 4.5 percent of the disputed land.
I would like to point out that my party, the Labor Party, as well as myself, have come forward into the national unity government with Sharon with an agenda that focuses on the development of the Negev and the Galilee and changing all plans relating to West Bank construction. |
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| Dear Mr. Herzog, I made aliyah 2.5 years ago and have been in the construction industry for 24 years now. Mr. Sharon said at the opening of the Maccabiah Games to "make aliyah". This is nice, but I cannot find a job that pays more than NIS 6000 per month. I was making NIS 20,000 clean in America before I came here. This industry in Israel is corrupt, the wages are that of slaves and the quality of work is pathetic. The 'road map' stipulates the employment of Palestinian workers, which will further make it impossible in this field. What can be done to repair such a market? Do you have any suggestions on where we can turn? |
Shiloh David
Jerusalem, Israel |
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| Isaac Herzog: |
Thank you for your question and I wish you all the best in your aliya endeavor. It is difficult to understand whether you are an expert in any construction field or a worker. We are encouraging employment of Israelis in this industry. I suggest you try one of the following methods to look for a job:
1. Through the new Wisconsin Plan and the various agencies that work with unemployed.
2. Through the Employment Service that has recently come out with a special report regarding incentives to employees in the industry.
I am aware that the industry has suffered from a recession and I don't think it is relevent to employment of Palestinians, an issue which will not pick up quickly. |
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| Why has the Housing Ministry failed so much in preventing the building of illegal outposts? Even in the internal settlement debate the illegal outposts are agreed as fully illegal. Why has there been so little movement to enforce Israeli law since Labor took over from the extreme right that controlled the ministry before? Also, what is the plan to improve the completely failing construction industry of Israel? What is being done to lower the prices in the heart of Israel while creating real purchasing opportunity of NEW flats/houses in the rest of the country? Thank you. |
Gilad
London, U.K. |
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| Isaac Herzog: |
My ministry failed to prevent illegal outposts because it took part in creating them, as was seen in the Sasson Report. This is unacceptable, and since we assumed office, and following the government adoption of the Sasson Report, we have put a total freeze on all actions of my ministry in the illegal outposts - not one penny is to be funnelled towards them, and in addition, we have stopped works on over 50 sites and cancelled agreements with over 20 architects.
The government has also decided to iron out all of the rules applying and pertaining to construction activities in the territories and a special ministerial committee headed by Tsipi Livni is working on it.
And finally, it is for the prime minister and minister of defense to decide when they intend to remove illegal outposts. |
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| I was wondering what influence your grandfather has had on your life. Rabbi Herzog was a great man and scholar who had tremendous influence on the national religious Jews of his time. |
Cemmie Green
Tel Aviv, Israel |
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| Isaac Herzog: |
I am named after my revered grandfather chief rabbi Isaac Halevi Herzog and not one day passes by with out me thinking of him. Serving the people is really a motto in my family and I am very proud of my grand father, my late father Haim Herzog and my uncle Abba Eben and others in my family who served our people.
I believe my grandfather was a unique Jewish leader, a great sage of Halakha, a great statesman who defended the Jewish people and fought for their homeland and most importantly was a worldly man who had a PHD in marine biology from the Sorbonne. I keep receiving very interesting stories on him from people across the world.
I wish there were such rabbis leading the Jewish People today - tolerant, humane and well informed. I do hope from the depth of my heart that I will be able to serve my people like my father and grandfather. |
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| Have you received any hate mail over your opposition to settlement construction and what would you do if such a situation arose? (A similar question was asked by Johanes Franzen from Stockholm, Sweden) |
Uri
Tel Aviv , Israel |
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| Isaac Herzog: |
| We the ministers and the government, and especially the prime minister, find ourselves in one of the most difficult democratic challenges that Israel ever faced. I believe that no other democracy in modern days is facing such a challenge. This challenge arouses a certain lunatic streak in the Zionist camp, which led to the assassination of prime minister Yitzhak Rabin. We are aware of this and bare in mind the mail we receive and we are dealing with it in a very serious way. |
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| It seems that the Israeli/Palestinian contest is rooted in and remains vexed by land and demographics. The estimates are that the Palestinians will face "astronomical" population growth and the number of settlers in the West Bank is large. It is not clear if the area between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River contains enough land and resources to sustain two viable sovereign states. What do you see as a long-range solution for the conflict? |
Jonas Rabin
Morganville, U.S.A. |
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| Isaac Herzog: |
| I do not believe that we should view things in a paranoid or doomsday approach. It is true that the population and demographics are an important issue but it is a matter that is being dealt with in modern communities all over the world. I believe that the only solution is two viable states and I believe that the security fence is a vital tool in creating a clear separation between us and the Palestinians, which, until full peace prevails, is a very important matter. |
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Dear Sir, Do you feel there is a certain double standard in your party's justifiable complaints about Sharon's corrupt dealings, whereas there is silence regarding your refusal to cooperate with the police investigation over using your power-of-attorney to divert millions of dollars from various charity funds to make illegal donations to Ehud Barak's 1999 election campaign?
Thank you |
Judy Ben-Yaakov
Tel Aviv, Israel |
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| Isaac Herzog: |
| I've always believed and I was proven correct that I had full legal justification for the way I acted in the Barak Labor campaign. My action was based on a clear interpretation of the law as was specified in a legal report of the Attorney General. This was the basis for his decision to close the file against me and others. I believe that there was a lot of political hatred and persecution in this story. |
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| Israeli housing planning over the past 30 years has been an absolute disaster. Instead of investing in urban infrastructure, we continue to plan this country as though we were conquering the Wild West. Government planning ignores the fact that Israel is an urban country and the highest paying jobs and opportunities are in the center of the country. Why not revitalize and re-develop new housing in Lod and south Tel Aviv instead of destroying open space? As housing minister, your choices will have an impact on the economic future of this country for the next 30 years. |
Jonathan
Tel Aviv, Israel |
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| Isaac Herzog: |
I tend to disagree that the planning of the country is as if it were the Wild West. In fact, the more I tour around the country the more I believe there is a very professional approach to projects and development. The whole country is a small village, therefore effort should be invested in infrastructure. It is my priority to strengthen the Galilee and the Negev, which are yearning to be developed and which should be.
In addition, we are putting a huge emphasis on urban renewal by promotion of over 200 plan of evacuating dilapidated area in city centers and developing new projects that would bring new citizens to the communities. |
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| Hi Isaac, There seems to be a certain irony in the move yesterday to close off the settlements. The settlers are screaming about being placed under siege. But isn't that what the army has been doing to their Palestinian neighbors for years? |
Mike
London, U.K. |
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| Isaac Herzog: |
| The decision to close off Gaza was the only possible decision the prime minister could have taken in light of a major wave of possible civil disobedience and rule breaking by the opposers of the disengagement. Yes, democracy and demonstrations are more than legitimate but there are certain red lines that must not be crossed: Not to use Holocaust symbols, as seen in recent days; not to use violence against the police, as we have seen in recent days; not to plant fake bombs in order to scare the lives of people and create havoc. All of these are illegitimate. As to your comparison between the Israeli army and Palestinian situation, I beg to differ on some elements. |
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| Aren't you worried that the disengagement will strengthen Palestinian extremist groups like Hamas and weaken Palestinian moderates? Hamas has been opposed to any negotiations with Israel - unlike Palestinian moderates who have called for talks as the best way to solve the conflict - and now Israel is getting out of Gaza unilaterally. Hamas will rightfully present this as a great victory. |
Dov
Jerusalem, Israel |
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| Isaac Herzog: |
One needs to look at the disengagement from a bird's-eye-view and this is very difficult to do on such a painful evening when there is an Israeli causality from a Qassam.
The importance of the pullout is that it secures an unequivocal Jewish majority in a Jewish democracy, which is the most strategic threat to Iisrael's well-being. By separating from the Palestinians and dividing the land we are securing Israeli interests.
There are pros and cons to this plan, and naturally I would have preferred an agreement with a viable Palestinian partner, but failing that there is no other choice.
I do not believe the disengagement would strengthen Hamas. The majority of Palestinians today would like to keep the relative clam we've seen recently. This week's events were to be expected because the Palestinians tend to ignite the situation when Israel is seen taking steps to secure its future. The Palestinians should act swiftly against terror or they may loose their own capability of operating freely. |
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| Why is the Labor Party so intent on blocking the candidacy of Amir Peretz? He seems to be Labor's only real chance of unseating the Likud, yet Labor's senior leadership still seems to be infected with a desire to self-destruct and an inability to rid itself of a deep-seated and longstanding racial prejudice (against Mizrahi Jews like Peretz). |
Brian K.
Tel Aviv, Israel |
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| Isaac Herzog: |
I respect Amir Peretz, I think he is a very impressive person and a true leader. This does not derogate from my utmost support that labor member registration should be fare, so as to prevent future legal battles that will lead us to an internal deadlock.
I assume that the elections will take place in November and I believe that Peretz will have a very interesting campaign. |
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| Of the current candidates for the leadership of the Labor Party, Shimon Peres, Amir Peretz, Matan Vilnai, Ehud Barak and Benjamin Ben-Eliezer, who has the best chance of beating Sharon or Netanyahu in the next election? Whom do you favor, and why? Whom do you think the Likud will run as its candidate, Sharon, Netanyahu, or someone else? |
Samuel Kalman
Philadelphia, U.S.A. |
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| Isaac Herzog: |
So far, I have not declared my support for any of the candidates for leadership of the party, as I was quite confident that the elections would be postponed due to the need to adjust the registration process. I believe Labor has five main potential constituencies it can operate in and bring new voters:
1. Disappointed Likudniks (both from the internal mess in the Likud as well as Netanyahu's policies)
2. Disappointed Shinui voters as Shinui showed it is a futile party with no results
3. Young voters who relate to the young ministers of Labor in a very positive way
4. Russian speaking Israelis whose top of the agenda is employment, higher education and culture and
5. The minorities sector which is pounding on the door of a mainstream party such as ours and who have come to realise that it is futile to support an Arab party.
I believe that we are the real alternative to manage Israel and we offer a good team and a real agenda. |
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