Demonstration against Jewish settlement evacuation
צילום: גיל יוחנן
Netanyahu opposes evacuation
Says he supports national referendum on disengagement; decision to evacuate Jewish settlements expected to pass nonetheless
Finance Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said Saturday he intends to vote against the decision to evacuate Jewish settlements as part of the Gaza disengagement plan in the cabinet vote scheduled for Sunday.
“I am determined to vote against the Gaza disengagement,” he said in an interview with Channel 2.
Netanyahu said when he was prime Minister, current Prime Minister Ariel Sharon also voted against his decisions.
“I did not regard him as an enemy because of this,” he said. “It is not a privilege, but rather a duty of every person in a democracy to vote according to his understanding and conscience at critical junctures.”
Netanyahu said he supports a national referendum on the disengagement plan.
“I supported a national referendum even before Wye (The Wye River Plantation accords), when I was prime minister and knew we would make territorial moves,” he said. “I wanted to bring the issue to a referendum, but the Knesset opposed it."
Despite Netanyahu’s expected opposition, the decision to evacuate Jewish settlements as part of the Gaza disengagement plan is expected to pass.
The Knesset passed the evacuation-compensation bill Wednesday in a third and final reading with a 59 to 40 majority and five abstaining.
This endorsement signified the beginning of Israel's official withdrawal from the Gush Katif bloc in the Gaza Strip and provided the government with the required support to implement the plan.
