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del.icio.us Digg It!  new Last update - 09:49 04/12/2007 Bring them home, gradually By Haaretz Editorial Tags: occupation, palestinians  Since the separation fence was built, thousands of settlers who live east of it find themselves in an unclear situation. Having to wait for a political settlement to determine the permanent border is nerve-racking for those who wish to lead a normal life. Polls show that some 20,000 settlers at least would at this point like to vacate communities east of the fence, if they receive enough compensation to buy a new home. The "compensation for evacuation" bill, which was brought before the Knesset half a year ago by Colette Avital and Avshalom Vilan, proposes a mechanism for immediate compensation for anyone who wants to leave his or her home right now. Labor Party Chairman Ehud Barak announced this week that his party will support this legislation, thereby giving the private members' bill a renewed boost. Construction of the separation fence has created a conjectural border between Israel and the Palestinians, and anyone who knows how to read the map understands that under any future agreement, there will not be Israeli sovereignty beyond this line. A fair arrangement for evacuation-compensation on an individual basis will provide a solution for those who wish to leave right now, and will also generate a political atmosphere for converging in the direction of the Green Line. Advertisement It is safe to presume that the ideologues of Greater Israel will always remain in situ, but all the others will be able to transfer ownership of their homes to the government and receive compensation that will enable them to build a new life. MKs Vilan and Avital founded the One House movement, whose goal is to encourage settlers to move to Israel voluntarily, and which has the backing of many MKs, including ministers Amir Peretz, Yuli Tamir, Ami Ayalon and Isaac Herzog. Although the government does not support the bill, it is enough that the Labor Party leader announced his support for it to receive a lift in the Knesset. Beginning an actual evacuation would signal to the world and the Israeli public that the Annapolis speeches were not just speeches. There is no reason to turn the settlers in the West Bank into bargaining chips in peace talks, when everyone knows that a majority of Israelis is not in favor of continuing to maintain settlements in the heart of a Palestinian population. A voluntary evacuation law for settlers can serve as an updated platform for the Labor Party when elections are held. An opinion poll conducted by the Dahaf Institute and Kalman Geyer found that 80 percent of the public supports this. Zvi Katzover, head of Kiryat Arba's local council, concedes that a voluntary evacuation law could tempt many to abandon the town of Kiryat Arba, which is home mostly to people who sought a housing solution. Ehud Olmert's claim that evacuation-compensation legislation for West Bank settlers is premature indicates his fear of the coalition breaking apart. The question is whether parties like Shas and Yisrael Beiteinu ought to oppose a law that does not compel evacuation, but rather provides a fair opportunity for those who wish to do so to receive proper compensation of around NIS 1 million per family. Evacuating settlements gradually is one of the lessons of the evacuation from the Gaza Strip, and it can reduce some of the drama and trauma of a general evacuation following a political agreement. Bookmark to del.icio.us Hostile environment Arab states reject a proposed UN environment center due to inclusion of Israel. Poverty report A study shows the number of poor asking for food has doubled in the last 5 years.   1.   Double standard 10:09  |  Matthias Roth 04/12/07   2.   Clearly, the major settlement blocs in Judea and Samaria will 10:15  |  Yardena 04/12/07   3.   We are Home 10:35  |  Beni 04/12/07   4.   WHOLE ARAB-ISRAEL CONFLICT EXPLAINED IN LESS THAN 20 LINES 10:42  |  G. Marcus 04/12/07   5.   Country roads, take me home...... 10:43  |  Swiss (Dino) 04/12/07   6.   "is nerve-racking for those who wish to lead a normal life." 10:45  |  Axel 04/12/07   7.   Honesty in declaring choice of two state solution vs APARTHEID 10:53  |  Ivar 04/12/07   8.   High time! 11:14  |  Esther 04/12/07   9.   Sweet deal 11:32  |  M. Franks-Lhermann 04/12/07   10.   When the rockets start falling 12:13  |  Zev 04/12/07   11.   Real deal 12:17  |  Josef 04/12/07   12.   so easy to talk from a distance 12:17  |  G 04/12/07   13.   it`s not going to happen voluntarily/smoothly 12:56  |  jerome 04/12/07   14.   Compensation 12:59  |  Jo Jo 04/12/07   15.   The "Real deal" is peace, accompanied by prosperity 13:05  |  Ivar 04/12/07   16.   #10 Zev: When the rockets start falling 13:13  |  Rami 04/12/07   17.   Settlements 13:19  |  Jacob 04/12/07   18.   Yardena # 2 Don`t you think Israel should finance 13:25  |  Nahum 04/12/07   19.   #11 Josef: Who is lying? 13:27  |  Galit 04/12/07   20.   The fate of the settlers. 13:28  |  sandra chitayat 04/12/07   21.   What about Arab compensation 13:30  |  SJ 04/12/07   22.   border 13:31  |  andoni 04/12/07   23.   Compensation for theft? 13:34  |  KK 04/12/07   24.   The New Israel -- 1967 Again 13:40  |  Trembling Palestine 04/12/07   25.   Unfair suggestion 13:45  |  Jan Elshout 04/12/07   26.   Wasn`t the fence built for security reasons? 14:06  |  Ilan 04/12/07   27.   Compensating thieves will encourage more theft 14:15  |  Gal 04/12/07   28.   Yes, Give them land to fire Kassams on Gush Dan Please! 14:23  |  Oiy va Voiy 04/12/07   29.   I thought the govt. had no money 14:26  |  g. 04/12/07   30.   Jan Elshout, your facts not correct. 14:31  |  Benjamina 04/12/07   31.   (Ex American) settlers want huge houses on free land 14:37  |  Sara 04/12/07   32.   For that we say the public Lefties are stupid for they pay . 14:37  |  Joseph E . 04/12/07   33.   Esther #8 14:53  |  GABE1 04/12/07   34.   Lefties Bribes You To Leave , Next Millions of Jihadists 14:55  |  Joseph E . 04/12/07   35.   Community fabric is not bought with cheap bribes!! 15:27  |  Dr Eric 04/12/07   36.   #26 Quite right, Ilan 15:35  |  Johnboy 04/12/07   37.   No Reason to Have a Judenrein West Bank-The Settlers Should Stay! 15:41  |  MIKE 04/12/07   38.   #35 DjEric: "Dream about people who love Israel" 15:45  |  DjBenny 04/12/07   39.   WAGON TRAIN & LONG ROAD HOME. 15:48  |  Stephen. 04/12/07   40.   Why Not Send Arabs "Home" As Well? 15:53  |  Ben Israel 04/12/07   41.   Ben Israel 16:12  |  jacob 04/12/07   42.   Wrong GALUT ONE (gabe1) #33 16:32  |  Ari ben Yisrael 04/12/07   43.   to esther, jacob, gal et al 16:45  |  Avraham Avinu 04/12/07   44.   The Wall needs to be moved EAST as well 16:50  |  Ibrahim 04/12/07   45.   wrong wrong wrong! 17:02  |  ralph 04/12/07   46.   Esther #8 17:59  |  S 04/12/07   47.   Detoxify the loony Left, gradually 18:13  |  Teez El-Nabi 04/12/07   48.   to Avraham Avinu #43 18:14  |  zeev 04/12/07   49.   Hold Everything NOT yet Pulleeze!!! 18:19  |  Woody Allen 04/12/07   50.   Home is in the Eyes of the Beholder 18:23  |  Yitzhak Sokoloff 04/12/07   51.   Editorialus Seek to Overpower Jews 18:24  |  Joseph E . 04/12/07   52.   It is Israel`s Land 18:37  |  Brod 04/12/07   53.   Please let the settlers stay! 18:37  |  Dutch Dirk 04/12/07   54.   WEST OF THE FENCE 18:40  |  daat y 04/12/07   55.   Teez 18:40  |  Jacob 04/12/07   56.   Yitzhak and co 18:46  |  Jacob 04/12/07   57.   Telling... 18:46  |  David 04/12/07   58.   Teez Teaser in safe (chilly) London 18:57  |  Trembling Palestinia 04/12/07   59.   majority against the settlers...? 18:58  |  ravi 04/12/07   60.   Wrong Assumptions 19:00  |  yitz 04/12/07   61.   to Ben Israel #40 19:00  |  zeev 04/12/07   62.   # 2 Yardena 19:02  |  Jim 04/12/07   63.   To zeev 19:11  |  Avraham avinu 04/12/07   64.   BRING MORE OLIM FROM EAST OF THE MISSISSIPI 19:14  |  Avraham Avinu 04/12/07   65.   # 4 G. Marcus 19:15  |  Jim 04/12/07   66.   #44 Ibrahim- ever been to Israel? 19:19  |  peter 04/12/07   67.   # 5 Swiss Dino 19:20  |  Jim 04/12/07   68.   See for yourselves!!! 19:31  |  Dr Eric 04/12/07   69.   to Brod #52 19:46  |  zeev 04/12/07   70.   Voluntary evacuation would send a significant positive signal 19:48  |  newageblues 04/12/07   71.   # 18 Nahum 19:51  |  Jim 04/12/07   72.   # 67 Jim 20:05  |  Swiss (Dino) 04/12/07   73.   Yitz; Abbas could be gone tomorrow 20:27  |  Jacob 04/12/07   74.   Advice from and to Haaretz 20:28  |  Sidney 04/12/07   75.   Ari Been Deluded 20:36  |  GABE1 04/12/07   76.   # 25 Jan Elshout 20:42  |  Jim 04/12/07   77.   #74-Sidney of USA 20:48  |  peter 04/12/07   78.   # 27 Gal 20:50  |  Jim 04/12/07   79.   # 35 Dr. Eric 21:12  |  Jim 04/12/07   80.   Good idea 21:16  |  Danite 04/12/07   81.   S # 46 21:17  |  American in NY 04/12/07   82.   to G. Marcus # 4, -& everybody else ! 21:23  |  Judah N. Wenkel 04/12/07   83.   Olmert not serious about the peace process 21:42  |  Tosefta 04/12/07   84.   What`s this? Ha`aretz calling for Apartheid? 21:44  |  Joe Sittizen 04/12/07   85.   Peter, yes I have been to Israel 22:10  |  Ibrahim 04/12/07   86.   Let us not be too generous with compensation 22:13  |  Tosefta 04/12/07   87.   #85 Ibrahim`s confusion 22:21  |  peter 04/12/07   88.   Chinese wisdom for Slowman 22:32  |  Edit Haar 04/12/07   89.   Peter from Montreal... 22:42  |  Ibrahim 04/12/07   90.   Depended whether editorials are theoretical or practical. 22:49  |  TonyL 04/12/07   91.   #89 Ibrahim`s silly fence 23:09  |  peter 04/12/07   92.   Gabe1 in general 23:12  |  Esther 04/12/07   93.   # 52 brod 23:47  |  Axel 04/12/07   94.   Driving around the Road Kill - Tosefta 00:03  |  Mark Lincoln 05/12/07   95.   ESTHER #92 00:04  |  GABE1 05/12/07   96.   Danite - a good idea who`s time has passed 00:07  |  Mark Lincoln 05/12/07   97.   Ibrahim @89 and peter 00:10  |  GABE1 05/12/07   98.   Tossi Fetta #83 00:24  |  GABE1 05/12/07   99.   Tossi Fetta #86 00:31  |  Gabe1 05/12/07   100.   Danite #80 00:39  |  GABE1 05/12/07   101.   Waiting for the excuses (Mark Lincoln #94) 00:46  |  Tosefta 05/12/07   102.   Esther-Re Traipsing 00:56  |  GABE1 05/12/07   103.   no Jews 00:58  |  real vision 05/12/07   104.   Dutch Dirk - And Should the Settlers Become Suicide Bombers? 01:12  |  Jane 05/12/07   105.   Bring Home The Settlers 01:57  |  Abe Muchnik 05/12/07   106.   Zeev #69 02:04  |  Brod 05/12/07   107.   Have you seen recent surveys. Most Jews oppose ceding more land. 02:16  |  Chaim 05/12/07   108.   Voluntary evacuation vs. removing settlements 02:17  |  newageblues 05/12/07   109.   GABE1, thank you for you highly insightful post 02:28  |  Ibrahim 05/12/07   110.   israel from euphrates to the nile? 02:41  |  john 05/12/07   111.   Not every settler is `land crazed` 02:54  |  Li 05/12/07   112.   #53 DUTCH DIRK 03:00  |  DANNY 05/12/07   113.   Who`s apartheid 03:05  |  Philippe 05/12/07   114.   Zeev # 69 03:09  |  Philippe 05/12/07   115.   37 Mike Jeews staying 03:11  |  Fred Omran 05/12/07   116.   #109 Philippe tries it on.... 03:30  |  Johnboy 05/12/07   117.   Too exspensive to leave 03:59  |  shelly 05/12/07   118.   #114 Phillipe thinks it obvious 04:18  |  Johnboy 05/12/07   119.   Johnboy # 116 04:18  |  Philippe 05/12/07   120.   Johnboy # 116 04:22  |  Philippe 05/12/07   121.   Vacate all Israeli WB settlements now! 04:29  |  Steve 05/12/07   122.   Johnboy # 116 05:07  |  Philippe 05/12/07   123.   Wrong approach 05:21  |  Frank 05/12/07   124.   Johnboy # 118 06:07  |  Philippe 05/12/07   125.   Johnboy # 118 06:39  |  Philippe 05/12/07   126.   Frank # 123 06:44  |  Philippe 05/12/07   127.   ungratefull editorialist 07:02  |  jorge grosz 05/12/07   128.   ungratefull editorialist 07:18  |  jorge grosz 05/12/07   129.   Bring Jews to Yosh Gradually!! 07:32  |  Tony 05/12/07   130.   Haaretz your support of the left`s proposal is very sensible 07:54  |  Dutch 05/12/07   131.   #119 Best to check your facts again, Philippe 08:36  |  Johnboy 05/12/07   132.   Ibrahim # 44 08:38  |  Philippe 05/12/07   133.   Support for Zeev, # 61 08:53  |  Andrew Watson 05/12/07   134.   #52 Brod, go home then. 09:02  |  American 05/12/07   135.   #125 Philippe does not know his law 09:23  |  Johnboy 05/12/07   136.   #124 Philippe doesn`t know his law part 2 09:31  |  Johnboy 05/12/07   137.   #118 Philippe, kettles, pots, and black marks... 09:36  |  Johnboy 05/12/07   138.   johnboy making it up again the british abandoned the mandate ter 09:55  |  victor hardman 05/12/07   139.   #136 the legal beagle Likkle Johnyboyo 10:08  |  Ari ben Yisrael 05/12/07   140.   Johnboy - legalities??? 10:11  |  Tony 05/12/07   141.   to Philippe #114 11:43  |  zeev 05/12/07   142.   Bring them home 11:56  |  Ralph 05/12/07   143.   to Brod #106 12:27  |  zeev 05/12/07   144.   # 107THE ONLY SENSIBLE &CORRECT POST WITHOUT EMBELLISHMENTS IS: 16:52  |  JOSH 05/12/07   145.   #138 Victor is chronologically challenged 23:03  |  Johnboy 05/12/07   146.   #139 Ari ben Yisrael makes a nonsensical statement 23:06  |  Johnboy 05/12/07

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