that's incapable of handling a democractic referendum. Don't you mean the political elite hasn't solidified its stranglehold on the people enough to withstand the results? Or are you just saying that having had such success threatening the IDF, the settler movement is now willing to threaten the whole country to prevent concessions over Jerusalem? Oh, and the part about how it would be worse if the Israeli Arabs took part in the referendum... that was special. It really highlights the nature of the society and the objection to a referendum to begin with. Pure bigotry.

The professor is out of touch. If he thinks that there will be much support for withdrawing from any more territory after the Oslo nightmare and the withdrawl from Gaza and Southern Lebanon, then he is sadly out of touch with the average Israeli, and hangs around too much with journalists and other professors.

We say time and time again. Perhaps we should ALL storm the Knesset enmass and make them resign. DEMAND of the world Jewry -who have Pessach for 2 days in order NOT to forget thee oh Jerusalem, - to march in protest at every political level. Not leave it just up to the Christians that verhmently support us more than they. JERUSALEM SHOULD NEVER, EVER BE A POINT OF DISCUSSION. IT IS OURS AND WILL ALWAYS BE OURS. The GOLAN is our natural fortification agains the Syrians and any other enemy that tries to bombard us with their weapons.

He's just afraid of the result, that territorial concessions will be massively rejected by the electorate. Every time he says "democracy" what he means is that is exactly what he is against. For him, democracy is imposing the opinions of a small minority of leftist political hacks. We are obviously not much of a democracy anyway - or this gov't. would have fallen long ago. Because of the party system, we are unable to hold individual MK's accountable. Because of coalition politics, we have sleezy deals & accomodations, favours & political bribes, anything at all to maintain the survival of the coalition regardless of public opinion or national interest. The country does not belong to the Knesset, it belongs to the citizens collectively. No gov't. can give away parts of the country without a clear & overwhelming majority support among the population. And by overwhelming I do not mean just 51% - I mean 75%-80% for any territorial concessions.

Any possible human majority on anti-Torah issue is automatically void and null in Eretz Israel. The Ramban writes in Sefer HaMitzvot, Positive Precepts Forgotten by Rambam, Mitzvah 4: "We were commanded to occupy the land G.d gave our ancestors, Abrahm, Isaac and Jakob. We must not abandon it to any other nation or leave it desolate.."

Olmert with his Uberleftist media & selfhating Bagatz are capable of anything.

And it passed with an overwhelming majority world-wide! what are these intellectual idiots trying to achieve?

we have them here and at least 2 problems occur first the movers of the issue cannot refrain from putting compound questios on the ballot like ''do you oppose the new gas tax AND any other tax""!what means a yes ? second the courts get involved in ruling on the question or enforcing the results and,as appears in israel,the judges are interested often in their own opinions more than the views of the majority.

The modus operandi all through the post-Oslo years, was to do a deal in secret, then spring it on the populace as a fait accompli - something Beilin has been quite proud of. A referendum would demonstrate that the public opposes ceding the Golan Heights, opposes dividing Jerusalem. Then what would those who want to make such concessions do? But foisting such concessions without popular support is exactly what will tear the country apart. Recall that Oslo was confirmed not by the people, but by only 61 out of 120 MKs, including Arab members. We saw how well *that* turned out.

Sharon brought his Ethnic Cleansing plan to a referendum in the Likud. He lost. He therefore ignored the results and set up a new party. Israel democracy is young and that is why Olmert and Kremnitzer can discuss the Golan and Jerusalem. In the US where there is a real democracy, any treaty requires 2/3 of the Senators to agree. Imagine if Oslo or the Ethnic Cleansing required 80 MK's support? Israel would be stronger and safer. Israeli voters do know better than politicians. The people were against the Ethnic Cleansing. The politicians did it anyway, bringing the defeat of Lebanon II and leaving the IDF helpless to defend the children of Sderot.

the government,their flunky police and border patrol. The Jews will win!

Israeli elites are afraid of the voice of the people. The good professor is taking a page out of the EU where the elites have found a very 'undemocratic means to push through their 'constitution' down the people's throats, after they had already voted against it in referendums. After all, the elites know best, so why give the rubble voice. The left is making a mockery out of the word 'democracy' after they had debased such a words as 'liberal' 'justice' 'militant' 'freedom of speech' 'liberty', 'law.' '[a]ccording to the professor, is to make referendums part of Israel’s Basic Law, but in such a way that they still appear objective and unbiased, that is not geared towards attaining a particular result.' 'Appear objective' is supposed to be a substitude for democratic vote? Way to go law professor.

sure...i guess to you the best reponse is communism...in reference to your name.....tell that to the uncounted millions who have died in the name of karl marx...and fidel... and let us not forget Che...

New elections would be the best & only type of referendum that would count. WE NEED NEW ELECTIONS NOW!

Vicky, you are right, and many will, however one must change may to will. Daniel tells us that many will understand, and fight and die standing against the division of Jerusalem. see Daniel 11:32-35. Hear Daniel!

If the Golan is surrendered to Syria, Jews will lose their homes. If Jerusalem is split, Jews will lose their 2000 year old dream and their homes. In both cases nothing will happen to Arabs. If a war results, the Jews will be slaughtered and nothing will happen to the Arabs. How can Kremnitzer call a vote legitimate where 35% of the Jews of Israel, together with the Arab citizens who have been indoctrinated by Tamir to see Israel as a disaster, choose to destroy the lives and dreams of Jews? That the Jews whose lives are destroyed are those who serve in the army and pay taxes? That is democracy?

dictate every move. I take the same considerations (new democracy, divisive populations each with own agenda) and think we need to do the opposite; go for referendum. It reminds me of the ridiculous arguments for not talking back to ‘arsim’- you don’t want to make things worse. If we give in, we allow the threat of violence to take over and become even more the norm.

Unlike Judea & Samaria or Gaza in 1980 Israel formerly annexed East Jerusalem making it the eternal united capital of Israel. In 1981 Israel formerly annexed the Golan Heights As they have been anexed legaly the government cant negotiate them away they way it can the other areas that were captured in 1967. As for referendum that is the only solution for dealing with issues like Jerusalem or the Golan they cannot be left to corrupt politicians with nobel prizes in their sights to decide their future. If there is a referendum the questions must be composed indipendently not by the government who can rig it so the wording allows them to get their way whichever way the vote goes. If they loose the refrendum that must be the end of it they lost they cant do what they want. In the UK Tony Blair promised a refrendum on accepting a EU constitution ads it happened other member states voted against it most through refreda so the British never needed their refrendum. The EU later changed a few wordings on the thing called it a treaty rather than a referendum and so Gordon Brown has now said that its not the constiution & so there will be no refrendum. We cant have politicians holding a referedum which they loose then changing a few words or calling the decision to give away the territory something else allowing them to get their way even though they lost their referendum. Any laws on refrendums must be strict so that we cant have politicians using legal loopholes to ignore public demands.

For a change, the people , who happen to understand one or two things about politics, whether profesors or not, will be given a chance to speak. We are ALL fed up with left dictatorship Sharon didn't like the polls showing a massive opposition to disengagement, so went to the knesset. He lost there too and twisted the system to get things the way he wanted. It's either dictatorship or referendum If this looser thinks referendum is so threatening then he can move to Cuba where no one will care what he thinks Now talking about bloodshed- let me tell you that former Gaza residents, after that brutal ethnic cleansing, have known ten folded cases of heat attacks, cancer, clinic depression divorces, early deaths, wayward dropout children and ills which were virtually unheard of to them before. I call THAT bloodshed

if israel were to have a knesset that truly represented the electorate (the overwhelming majority of the voters), instead of the present system where mk's are accountable only to the party leadership (a small contigent of corrupt hacks), referendums would not be needed. it's past due time for israel to become a representative democracy. or any kind of a democracy.

Both the politicians & the public especialy on the left tend to have a very short memory sometimes when it comes to the peace process. How many times have we accepted Hamas hudnas & how many times have they used the hudna to strenghen themselve then come back fighting. You have quiet for a little while and then you tell the public the peace process should go ahead & they say lets start giving up territory for our legendry peace process it will work this time. We give the enemy territory then they come back fighting making more demands. All the terrorists & the Israeli politicians need to do is play their cards right talk tell the public what they want to hear and the public will forgive & forget the past we have a habbit in this country of not learning from our mistakes.

in their own blood over Jerusalem. In the end, true Jews will be victorious!

What a lying hypocrite. Just like George Orwell predicted in his classic "1984" lies will become accepted as truths. We have a Prime Minister who is loathed by most Israelis and trusted by even fewer. This Prime Minister has contempt for the people and the Knesset and is in actuality a corrupt dictator. In addition, he has become the lapdog of Condoleeza Rice, another person who has risen to her level of incompetence. This biased women cares nothing about the people of Sderot (same goes for the Prime Minister) and continues to make suggestions that prove to be disastrous for Israel. The reason a referendum is opposed by the nutty professor is that the Israeli population will definitely vote against dividing Jerusalem and giving back the Golan and he knows it. To the professor, democracy means that an unpopular and lying Politician has the sole power to implement policies that are matters of life and death for Israel with no input from the people. If the nutty professor wants to see violence, just follow his suggestion that Jerusalem will be given back by a backroom deal. See how thrilled most Israelis will be and the rage so many ordinary Israelis will feel at their betrayal.

Dear Professor: I do not think this word means what you think it means.

this prof is full of it: # 20 here is correct - the prof knows the people will soundly defeat giving up a centimeter of the nation... and that is what he fears . He prefers leadreship acting against the nation people. Israel nees a new system of government -not merely a change of parties - but more direct representation

Of course any referendum should include Israeli Arabs. It would be illegal not to allow them to vote. Of course settlers in the occupied territories should never be allowed to vote because Israeli law only allows citizens living in Israel to vote. Settlers are yordim and until they come home to Israel they have lost their right to vote.

I do not think that Israel should split Jerusalem. It would be a mistake, especially to do it at this point without the Palestinian government recognizing its right to exist. Hopefully, if it is put to a vote it will be defeated mercilessly and this can be put to rest.