Middle East: Israel's main settler group called yesterday for resistance to any attempt to uproot Jewish settlements under Prime Minister Mr Ariel Sharon's Gaza withdrawal plan, but urged only non-violent action.
Political options for blocking Mr Sharon have narrowed as the prime minister and Labour opponents have moved closer to a unity government able to evacuate all settlements from occupied Gaza and four of 120 in the West Bank in 2005.
"We will maintain a determined stand against a decision that is, to our minds, a crime on a national and historical scale, of evicting Jews from their homes," YESHA council chairman Mr Bentzi Lieberman told reporters.
But he added: "We will not call for a civil war, in any way."
Even calls for civil disobedience have sent a political shockwave through the Jewish state, where security officials have voiced fears that ultra-nationalist settlers could clash with soldiers during evacuation.
After an earlier appeal for resistance from leading YESHA member Mr Pinchas Wallerstein, the attorney-general said he had launched an investigation into whether the comments constituted incitement to violence.
"It is a far cry from a civil rebellion. I am ready to pay the price of democracy, to be punished and to go to jail," Mr Wallerstein told Army Radio.
Under a proposed law that has received preliminary parliamentary approval, Israelis could face up to five years in prison if they interfere with security forces sent to evacuate settlers who refuse to accept government compensation and leave.
YESHA leaders represent 240,000 settlers, living mainly in West Bank settlements that would not be touched by the plan.
"I understand the pain ... I am confident we will take all the necessary steps to make sure the law is upheld," Mr Sharon, a right-wing former general once considered by settlers as their champion, told reporters.
Mr Sharon is working to wrap up a deal with the opposition Labour Party to form a majority government capable of implementing the Gaza withdrawal.
Creation of a "unity" government would underscore the failure of settlers and their political supporters to derail Mr Sharon's "Disengagement Plan", a withdrawal they denounce as a "reward to Palestinian terror" after four years of bloodshed.
Mr Sharon says his plan would extricate Israel from a tiny territory without strategic or economic value. - (Reuters)