The Israeli Cabinet approved the text of the Evacuation/Compensation bill Sunday, 13-6. Voting against were ministers Sharansky, HaNegbi, Katz, Landau and Naveh, all of the Likud, and Zevulun Orlev of the NRP.
The bill provides for compensation for the residents to be evicted from their homes, as well as punishment for those who object. For example, Clause 27a(5) states that one who participates in a gathering of three or more people “for the purpose of disturbing the implementation of an order” given by a security officer in the framework of the disengagement plan is subject to three years in prison — and five years, if he was armed at the time.
Minister Natan Sharansky said, “This is an exact copy of a law that was in force in Russia, and under which hundreds of people were imprisoned.”
Though he strongly opposes the disengagement plan, he said that he even more strongly opposes the “manner in which the prime minister is going about implementing it. How can you try to pass such a controversial law and not allow three people to talk among themselves?”
The compensation for residents to be evicted was raised, and now stands at a base sum of some $330,000 per household.
The bill’s next step is its first Knesset reading, next week. Before that, the Knesset plenum was expected to vote on the disengagement bill itself, this past Tuesday. Sharon has threatened to fire ministers and deputy ministers who vote against the bill on Tuesday. This threat does not affect Sharansky, who is not a Knesset Member, and is not a factor for Orlev, whose party is likely — though not certain — to quit the government on its own after the vote. Minister Naveh says he will vote in favor of the plan in the Knesset. Ministers HaNegbi, Katz and Landau, however, are in a bind.
Minister HaNegbi has called on Sharon to accept his expected victory on Tuesday graciously, and not to exacerbate tensions within the party by firing ministers who vote against the plan. Minister Katz has been rumoured to consider abstaining on Tuesday, or voting against and then resigning from the Cabinet. Minister Landau is expected to vote against, and has said that he is “not afraid” of being fired.
Ministers Netanyahu, Shalom and Livnat voted in favour of the bill, thus signaling that their previous opposition to the bill is no longer a factor. Likud MK Ehud Yatom, who strongly opposes the disengagement, reminded the three this morning that they made their support for the plan conditional on several factors, including the completion of the anti-terror partition wall — which has not yet been completed. Four Shinui ministers voted in favour; the fifth, Minister Yehudit Naot, is ill.
The cabinet has also approved a special added budget for the Kassam-besieged city of Sderot. Although Gush Katif has suffered more than 4,500 rockets and shells in the past four years and has had its budgets reduced, Sderot will now receive 80 million shekels of increased funding, for various purposes, following several dozen Kassam rockets in the past several months.
— Arutz Sheva News Service
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