Subscribe to Print Edition | Sun., December 23, 2007 Tevet 14, 5768 | | Israel Time: 00:21 (EST+7)
Haaretz israel news English
web haaretz.com
  Back to Homepage
Rosner's Domain
Diplomacy
Defense Jewish World Opinion National
Print Edition
Advertising
Books Arts & Leisure Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File Hanukkah
The evacuation of settlers from Amona in February 2006. (Tomer Appelbaum)
del.icio.us
Digg It!  new
Last update - 10:48 20/12/2007
Experts: Extreme rightists will use violence if settlements are evacuated
By Amos Harel, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: Israel, Disengagement 

Extreme right-wing activists are expected to use severe violence to disrupt any move to evacuate outposts or settlements, even the destruction of a few homes, according to an evaluation recently presented to the government by the security establishment and law enforcement officials in the territories.

The evaluation states that the violence during any attempt at evacuation would be more serious than that seen during the evacuation of Amona two years ago.

However security officials do not at this stage foresee an increased threat to the lives of senior politicians, because the extreme right does not appear to believe the Annapolis process will succeed and therefore the settlements are not in danger.
Advertisement
After the evacuation of Amona two years ago, the ideological foundations and plans of actions were reformulated against future evacuations. In a booklet distributed at one of the extreme-right rallies, the message was that violence might deter the government from additional evacuations.

"The war must be brought to the field of the enemy," the booklet said. "In this matter and in this situation [evacuation], the IDF is the enemy."

The security establishment believes that any attempt to evacuate settlements will result in violence against the security forces, large-scale disturbances, and endangerment of human life. The experts also see widespread refusal of orders in the IDF.

The security establishment says there has been erosion in the ability of IDF commanders to act as mediators of the extremist elements in the settlement population, because of the part the army played in disengagement. They say violence in future evacuation attempts may increase because the settlers saw the rabbis' promise that disengagement would not happen as false, and believe they have only themselves to rely on to prevent additional evacuations.

Many extremists consider protests that remain within the law pathetic, and that the violent protest during the evacuation at Amona should be the least they do the next time.

In complete opposition to media reports, which foresaw a wave of violence on the extreme right and increase security around the prime minister in the near future, the Shin Bet security service's Judea and Samaria division has not seen unusual activity on the extreme right. It is believed that as long as the extreme right does not see immediate danger to the future of Jerusalem, the settlements or the outposts, they will not act.

The impression of the experts is that Israel is very far from civil war. The number of intelligence tips regarding violent plans or statements by the extreme right are very low, certainly in comparison to the period of the Camp David conference in July 2000 or ahead of disengagement in August 2005. The level of threat toward two central targets that concern the Shin Bet - the prime minister and the mosques on the Temple Mount - are considered very low.

The analysis of violent acts in the past by extreme right-wing elements against cabinet ministers and Palestinians shows that they tend to act when their personal security is undermined, especially among the settlers due to increased Palestinian terror, and over concern that settlements might be evacuated in the framework of the diplomatic process.

At the height of the second intifada, between 2001 and 2002, for example, a Jewish terror unit was active, and allegedly murdered seven Palestinians. The Shin Bet has claimed for years that it knows the identity of the murderers, but they were unable to collect enough evidence against them that could lead to an indictment. The extreme right was also particularly violent during the second round of Oslo agreements, Camp David and the disengagement.



Related articles:
  • Troops, police complete forced evacuations in less than a week
  • Hebron Evacuation / Now stop ignoring Maon
  • News / Rightists launch video campaign to free Rabin killer Yigal Amir
    • Bookmark to del.icio.us
    Christmas blues
    Gazan Christians keep low profile during Christmas after activist slain.
    Absent voice
    An Israeli think tank says Israeli Arabs should take part in negotiations with PA.
      1.   Never Again ! 03:38  |  betz55 20/12/07
      2.   Stop your propaganda there will not be any evacuation 03:52  |  e.m 20/12/07
      3.   now there is a surprise!! violent right wing religious biggots 03:52  |  muslim 20/12/07
      4.   Haaretz and its "experts" 04:43  |  Rabbi Yakov Lazaros 20/12/07
      5.   Tabloid Journalism..... 05:07  |  Straight Talk 20/12/07
      6.   Should not be a big issue for the IDF? 05:13  |  Dutch Dirk 20/12/07
      7.   Any surprise there? 05:19  |  Jon 20/12/07
      8.   I don`t understand, is this an article? 05:40  |  Jake 20/12/07
      9.   To Jon #3 05:55  |  Otto Rand 20/12/07
      10.   ExtremLeft using EU sponsered violence 05:59  |  Jacob 20/12/07
      11.   Israeli Terrorists: "the IDF is the enemy." 06:06  |  POP 20/12/07
      12.   Agree with #1 06:46  |  JS 20/12/07
      13.   obvious solution 06:46  |  realism 20/12/07
      14.   There won`t be any future pullouts 07:01  |  Dani 20/12/07
      15.   Madness 07:03  |  Esther 20/12/07
      16.   Re Jon #3 07:08  |  Esther 20/12/07
      17.   Holland and NATO should help Israel out. 07:17  |  Dutch Dirk 20/12/07
      18.   Far right will up violence??? 07:21  |  Pincus Ben Ysroal 20/12/07
      19.   Civil War in Israel 07:31  |  Jim 20/12/07
      20.   Esther- you`re a blind fool 07:32  |  Former Sharon voter 20/12/07
      21.   There won?t be any disengagement from W.B.Haaretz is dishonest 08:48  |  e.m 20/12/07
      22.   violence 08:58  |  Tal 20/12/07
      23.   Re Otto #6 08:59  |  Esther 20/12/07
      24.   forced evacuation 08:59  |  Daniel Lang 20/12/07
      25.   Re #17 09:09  |  Esther 20/12/07
      26.   Esther #`s12&13 09:14  |  S 20/12/07
      27.   To Esther 118 09:22  |  Choni Davidowitz 20/12/07
      28.   TRUE HEADLINE: "Extream left wing government plots more violence 09:52  |  Jew 20/12/07
      29.   Esther do you want Transfer for Jews but not for Arabs 09:53  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 20/12/07
      30.   #17 the crass dirk knows nothing of human rights 10:02  |  victor hardman 20/12/07
      31.   Do thugs rule Israel? 10:15  |  Clickfool 20/12/07
      32.   #20 former Sharon voter 10:19  |  Ari ben Yisrael 20/12/07
      33.   Violence the true way of the extreme right 10:22  |  SJ 20/12/07
      34.   #27 I may not always agree with Esther 10:24  |  Ari ben Yisrael 20/12/07
      35.   Simple Solution! Declare far right terrorists and destroy them 10:34  |  Yossi Cronenberg 20/12/07
      36.   No Palestinian Land...? Hello - Palestine calling! 10:39  |  Palestinian Brit 20/12/07
      37.   margie in ta 29 10:46  |  realism 20/12/07
      38.   Response for S and others 10:52  |  Esther 20/12/07
      39.   Violence at Amona 10:53  |  Gyla Berman Perle 20/12/07
      40.   If Olmert tries it we will have civil war! 11:08  |  Avraham 20/12/07
      41.   Np pull out, until there is semblance of peace. 11:09  |  Stephen. 20/12/07
      42.   extreme rightists already there 11:19  |  Raymond Deane 20/12/07
      43.   It won`t happen- 50% of officers are from YOSH!! 11:23  |  Dr Eric 20/12/07
      44.   To Esther 11:33  |  Suzanne 20/12/07
      45.   center left 11:35  |  hank 20/12/07
      46.   The settlers Aliya 11:38  |  CN 20/12/07
      47.   Right Wing Terrorists and the Staus Quo 11:44  |  Yaakov Sullivan 20/12/07
      48.   2 State Solution - Israel and Jordan 11:47  |  Swiss Dino 20/12/07
      49.   The IDF hasn`t even taken down a single maachaz!! 11:51  |  menachem golan 20/12/07
      50.   Esther - your in dream world 11:54  |  Suzanne 20/12/07
      51.   The Great Divide. 11:55  |  Stephen. 20/12/07
      52.   Re Ari #34 12:23  |  Esther 20/12/07
      53.   To Ari # 34 12:30  |  Choni Davidowitz 20/12/07
      54.   Normal behaving 12:33  |  Anne 20/12/07
      55.   To Zusanne/Esther 12:40  |  Anne 20/12/07
      56.   IS THERE MORE VIOLENCE THAN STEELING LAND, UPROOTING TRESS?? 13:12  |  TrippleJump 20/12/07
      57.   Hank - No 45 13:16  |  Palestinian Brit 20/12/07
      58.   For thirty years they have been taught 13:41  |  Mark Lincoln 20/12/07
      59.   #6 Dutch Kirk..well said! 13:46  |  T A Sheppard 20/12/07
      60.   Anne - if it is majority why not have referendum? 14:12  |  Suzanne 20/12/07
      61.   to Rabbi Y. Lazaros #4 - on the real issue 14:13  |  zeev 20/12/07
      62.   Esther/Standing Ovation! 14:20  |  standing up 20/12/07
      63.   #60 Suzanne 14:34  |  Awake 20/12/07
      64.   Anne. Majority of who? You? 14:34  |  Nephtaly 20/12/07
      65.   To standing up #62 14:38  |  dovale 20/12/07
      66.   Show me the Way... 14:41  |  Yahsra 20/12/07
      67.   (Esther/Anne) 14:52  |  Nephtaly 20/12/07
      68.   POOR RABIN AND OTHER PEACEMAKERS 14:53  |  indrajaya 20/12/07
      69.   to Margie in Tel Aviv #29 - a most flawed symetry 14:56  |  zeev 20/12/07
      70.   Awakes response to Suzanne 15:14  |  Nephtaly 20/12/07
      71.   How to deal with the settlers 15:24  |  Tosefta 20/12/07
      72.   Haaretz 15:27  |  MR 20/12/07
      73.   Zeev on Margie 15:29  |  Nephtaly 20/12/07
      74.   # 69 Zeev - Exchange of Territory? Quelle Horerur! 15:32  |  17 20/12/07
      75.   Tosefta 15:36  |  Nephtaly 20/12/07
      76.   # 71 Heil Tosefta - 15:36  |  17 20/12/07
      77.   Re Nephtaly...minor correction 15:36  |  Esther 20/12/07
      78.   Illegal outposts should be evacuated soon 15:38  |  Tosefta 20/12/07
      79.   NO to Ethnic Cleansing of Jews in Historic Israel 15:47  |  B 20/12/07
      80.   to victor hardman #30 15:57  |  zeev