Given that MKs are not directly accountable to the electorate, I'd still want the populace to have a direct say in the matter. And we saw 16 years ago what happens when the government - with but 61 votes out of 120 - sanctioned the Oslo Accords. The government is under relentless pressure to make concessions. This bill puts a little spine into Israel's negotiators. They need to know the populace opposes ceding the Golan and splitting Jerusalem, and will punish those who make such concessions.

to withdraw from both the Golan heights and East Jerusalem. We have to choose what our children should inherit, is it going to be genuine peace or eternal insecurity!

A true right winger would have never voted with Meridor. Mr. Begin needs to stop pretending he is something and someone he is not. A famous name is not a credential.

Merdior et al are anti-democratic. They wish to remove the people's say on vital security issues. This was also doen by Beillin and Peres, who did the Oslo deal breaking Israeli law. Ironically, Begin has now joined fores with the dictators, who wish to give up Israel slice by slice.

...it's just more huff and puff. The EU statement today that calls for East Jerusalem as capital of Palestine also makes clear that Syria and Lebanon must be included in a comprehensive peace deal. Everyone already knows what it going to happen. There's just going to be a waiting period to allow for sanity to possibly reign in Israel, then comes the Chapter Seven resolution authorizing force. No matter what, the land theft is going to stop.

“Do you agree that the IDF have committed a War Crime by using Palestinian Civilians as Human Shields?”

would once more put us in a perilous situation vis a vis Syria. What we need to do is to populate it. As to Jerusalem, anyone who has ever spent time there knows how interrelated all areas of the city really are and how impossible it is to subdivide. And like the Golan, dividing it once more would put us at too much risk. So as to putting matters to a referendum, it's safer and yields some control to what's happening to Israel directly to the people.

The fact was that before Sharon was elected into office, he said Gush Katif was no less part of Israel than Tel-Aviv.... Disengagement later, we are now in this mess. The purpose of this law is exactly because of Sharon saying one thing and going against his word and referendums and bulldozing his way. The reason this law exists, is for one simple thing; because our politicians are not accountable or care to be as such. So at least some forward thinking MK's made sure to put some kind of checks and balances, to ensure that if a PM were to be bought (Olmert) or bullied (Netanyahu), they couldn't do whatever they wanted without the consent of the people of Israel.

"then comes chapter 7 resolution authorizing force" Explain that to us will you ??

I see you are asking so many of us the same question on different threads. No Israel DID NOT use Palestinians as human shields. They (the pallies) used themselves as human shields. Whats so difficult to understand?? Now be a good boy & drop that question.

YOU IDIOTS AT THE PARLIAMENT, ARE WASTING TIME, MONEY AND DESTROYING THE MISIISON, VISON AND ASPERATION AND OF THE ISARELIS. WHY I SAY THIS ? i SAY THIS, BECAUSE, WHO ON EARTH OR RIGHFUL MIND WOULD IN THE FIRST PLACE START ALL THESE PROBELM ? POLITICIANS. YOU ISRALI POLITICIAN ALWAYS RAISE ISSUES WHICH ARE NON- ISSUE- BECAUS EYOU IDOTS DONT KNOW HISTORY OF ISRAEL. THAT GOLAN AND THAT LAND THAT YOU IDIOTS ARE GIVEN TO JEWS.. PERIOD! WHY IS THAT SO HARED FOR YOU TO UNDERSTAND. ALL THESE YEARS YOU ISRALEI PARLIMENTARINS BEEN A SUBJECT OF COLONIALISM- EVEN TO DATE YOU WANT TO STAY AS SLAVES. YOU POLITICIANS MAKE THE NATION A SLAVE TO YOU POLITICAL CAREER. YOUR SOVEREIGNTY YOU PAWN TO FOREIGN ELEMENTS. NO DECEND JEW WILL EVER GIVE AN INCHE OF LAND AWAY, I FYOU DO, YOU COMMIT BREAH OF TRUST TO THE NEXT GENERATIONS. YOU MUST NOT GIVE AWAY THE LAND. REFERENDUM IS JUST A BOGUS ADMINISTARTIVE EXCERCISE. LET ME TELL YOU IDIOTS NO DECENT JEW WHO KNOW THE TORAH AN DHISTORY OF THE JEWSIH NATION WILL VOTE AGAINST THE SPIRIT AN INTENTION OF THE JEWISH HEARTS AND SOULS. THE PARLIAMENT IS TOO FREE TO WAST TIME ON ISSUES WHICH IS SETTELED. BEN SINGAPORE

Israel did use Palestinians on the front of their vehicles as human shields in Gaza-I have seen pics taken by IDF soldiers showing this happening. By the way, is Birdi a man or a woman?

The voters would not be disenfranchised by their elected servants who endanger them by acting as meraglim, dis-claiming their morashah, inheritance that protects them. Land sewn with those that came before you and the memory of whom BB disgraces. As it is written on the walls, floor and ceiling. What more do you need to see, to the suicidal abyss BB "leads" you, your past and your future generations into.

The land of your own name and protects you belongs to all Yehudim past, present and future. You would broker away your morashah for something less than porridge? You are delegitimizing your claim just by committing yourself to the possibility that eretz Yisroel is something to be brokered as the moser BB has already done with the first land of the first Yehudi, Yericho and voted over&over&over&over again to destroy the lives of 10000 Yehudi and 22 Torah learning centers. And since when does a majority make a poll inherently correct? If through democracy elected officials can win by fraud and corruption against their party's platforms that are not enforced, so can referenda decisions be bought for as little as a price. In this case it would be the price of all of your lives and the lost generations who are disenfranchised as only the lIkud can and any party that does not enforce their platforms for which they are elected and individuals like Sharon and BB and Begin then further your demise and illegitimacy.

"10. The use of Palestinian civilians as human shields 55. The Mission investigated four incidents in which Israeli forces coerced Palestinian civilian men at gun point to take part in house searches during the military operations (Chapter XIV). The Palestinian men were blindfolded and handcuffed as they were forced to enter houses ahead of the Israeli soldiers. In one of the incidents, Israeli forces repeatedly forced a man to enter a house in which Palestinian combatants were hiding. Published testimonies of Israeli soldiers who took part in the military operations confirm the continued use of this practice, in spite of clear orders from Israel’s High Court to the armed forces to put an end to it and repeated public assurances from the armed forces that the practice had been discontinued. The Mission concludes that this practice amounts to the use of Palestinian civilians as human shields and is therefore prohibited by international humanitarian law. It puts the right to life of the civilians at risk in an arbitrary and unlawful manner and constitutes cruel and inhuman treatment. The use of human shields also is a war crime. The Palestinian men used as human shields were questioned under threat of death or injury to extract information about Hamas, Palestinian combatants and tunnels. This constitutes a further violation of international humanitarian law."

in the book of the prophets ZECHARIAH it gives the final disposition of the the nations that attempt to divide it

Since oslo Israel has had 6 different primeministers and Sharon is the only PM that told Assad straight no deals over the Golan. RABIN promised to give the Golan he just got shot before he could put anything on paper. PERES wanted to give away the Golan he just never got round to it because he was more focused on giving land to Arafat & the PLO. BIBI entered negotiations to give away the Golan its only because they failed that we still have the Golan. BARAK entered negotiations with Assad to give away the Golan but they broke down and the elections came before he could pick up where he left off at Camp David. OLMERT at the same time he was talking about this Golan refrendum bill had promised the Golan to Assad. He even got criticized by Bush because he was giving away the Golan to Syria and he wasn't asking anything in return. LIVNI wants to give away the Golan bur she isn't in power. BIBI promised that he wouldn't give away the Golan as part of his election campaign. Now to please Obama he has just done a deal with Assad and they will enter direct negotiations ... selling the Golan. We need this bill because of all the other politicians looking to be the next Nobel Prize winners not because of Sharon who was the one who stood out of the post oslo crowd when it came to the Golan.

Try to stay within the parameters of discussion here and, also, you needn't be a mouthpiece for your compatriot, "Matty Groves". We know you've lost your website, "BBSNews" and we know that occasionally The Huffington News allows you only a blog or two so now that Haaretz won't have you, you've invaded this website with your consistent anti-Israeli invectives but you're getting irrational, writing about me before I've even written a Talkback and making it a complete non-sequitar. Perhaps losing your anti-semitic website is what's done it to you or maybe, over time, your ugly invectives have started to cripple your mind.

Is it not in the 10 commandments "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor"? http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d4/Human_shield_boy_by_Israeli_soldiers.jpg So much for "most moral army in the world".

sorry dear we are talking about the people of israel not the people of LA

I have shown beyond a reasonable shred of doubt that the IDF has used human shields. Ynet has been forced to censor the other comment that includes the Israeli High Court decision outlawing the practice you deny exists. You have zero credibility, you cannot even answer Israeli High Court decisions. Don't blame Matty for your failings. Just answer a simple question: “Do you agree that the IDF have committed a War Crime by using Palestinian Civilians as Human Shields?" If you and Birdi and the rest cannot answer this simple question, then you exempt yourself from the intelligent debate. The longer you refuse, the more tattered your credibility in seeking a realistic peace. Your move sunshine.

...use of human shields over a long period of years. Not Just Isolated Incidents.

Robert, Matty Groves & BBSNews are the same person.

will give up East Jerusalem and the Golan heights. Standing tall or down on your knees, one way or the other, the choice is yours!

Netanyahu want peace with Syria? He is master of deceiving, He know what will be the outcome of the referendum!!!

Avi, we need all the support we can get. Lighten up.

...you really should give it up. When will you ever face the real questions? Are you capable of making decisions on your own and answering points of debate or are you only capable of making things up? Birdi, if you expect to be taken seriously, start using source documents and facts. Because thus far with me sweetie, all you have shown is extreme ignorance.

Why does he refuse to answer questions about it anymore http://www.camera.org/index.asp?x_context=7&x_issue=76&x_article=1764