OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, 2 February — Israeli Tourism Minister Benny Elon, leader of the ultranationalist Moledet (homeland) party, threatened yesterday a "transfer" of the Palestinians, a term meaning forced expulsion. "We must not fear bringing up again the idea of a transfer and of open discussion of the various possibilities that it offers," Elon, a rabbi, said on public radio.
"The Palestinians must know that if they continue their attacks, they will lose their houses and will have to leave, as was the case in 1948," Elon added, referring to the exodus of more than 700,000 Palestinians following the creation of the State of Israel that year. Reacting to Elon’s remarks, the head of the left-wing opposition, Yossi Sarid, called for the minister’s dismissal.
The hawkish Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon yesterday faced growing popular discontent and a revolt catching fire among army reservists opposed to serving in the Palestinian territories, despite fear of new wave of attacks on Israel. Sharon’s first bad poll ratings in months came as Israeli targets were still being hit by bombers and gunmen, even with repeated Israeli incursions into Palestinian territory and sweeping arrests of suspected militants.
Of those questioned in yesterday’s poll in Maariv, 48 percent said they were happy with the way Sharon was handling his job overall, while 43 percent were unhappy. Another 54 percent were dissatisfied with the way Sharon handles security questions, compared with 37 percent who expressed their satisfaction, said the poll.
Sharon was facing further domestic dissent as the refusenik movement gathered momentum, forcing Chief of Staff Shaul Mofaz to threaten insubordinate reservists with dismissal. The petition launched on Jan. 25 by reservists refusing to serve in the Palestinian territories, so as not to participate in operations of "oppression," has sent shock waves through Israel.
In another development, Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk Shara has rejected Israel’s suggestion of unconditional negotiations with Syria, describing it as "mysterious" in comments quoted yesterday by the Lebanese daily As-Safir. Shara said picking up Syrian-Israeli peace negotiations, which have been frozen since January 2000, would signify "the non-application of the principles of peace and a return to square zero."
The Syrian foreign minister was speaking in Damascus, and he restated Syria’s position, saying it "wants a just and overall peace, with an Israeli withdrawal from (Arab) territories occupied since 1967, including the Golan Heights, Jerusalem, the West Bank, Gaza Strip and the Shebaa farms in southern Lebanon." "Israel’s offer to restart negotiations without preconditions is repeated regularly and represents a mysterious position," Shara added. According to him, the Israeli suggestion "could be a maneuver to put pressure on the Palestinians."
