Gaza Plan Foes Could Try to Kill Sharon - Minister

[moghrabi]

Gaza Plan Foes Could Try to Kill Sharon - Minister
Tue Jul 6, 2004 02:01 PM ET

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - A top Israeli minister said on Tuesday he had "no doubt" there were Jewish radicals ready to assassinate Prime Minister Ariel Sharon or other top officials to stop his Gaza pullout plan.
Internal Security Minister Tsachi Hagnebi spoke to Channel Two television a day after Sharon ordered action to quell inflammatory statements by opponents to the plan.

"There are those who have already made the decision, that when the time comes, they will save the people of Israel," Hanegbi said. "They will try to kill a minister, prime minister, a policeman, a military officer, I have no doubt."

Sharon's personal security was bolstered recently to prevent a repeat of premier Yitzhak Rabin's assassination in 1995 by an extremist trying to halt peace talks with the Palestinians. He is now serving a life sentence.

"There is a serious escalation here, and we can't ignore it," said Hanegbi. "It is our obligation as a government to do all we can to avoid a repetition of November 1995."

Sharon has won cabinet approval for the Gaza pullout, which calls for the uprooting of all 21 Jewish settlements in the coastal strip and four others in the West Bank. A second vote is necessary before implementation.

Israel's parliament held a special debate on warnings of violence issued by Jewish radicals who oppose ceding any land taken in a 1967 war.

Jewish settlers and religious extremists say the territory is part of a heritage bestowed by God and reject Sharon's plan.

A Jerusalem rabbi last week said anyone handing part of Israel to a non-Jew could be killed under the historic law of "Rodef," a license to kill someone who intends to kill someone else.

Lawmakers warned that such talk endangered Israel's democracy. Ofir Pinuz-Paz, of the center-left Labour party, called for all factions to adopt a resolution condemning the incitement.

Israel's attorney-general is due to meet the head of the Shin Bet internal security agency Avi Dichter and other security officials this week to discuss legal ways to prevent incitement.

Polls show most Israelis back the pullout plan, but Jewish settlers feel betrayed by Sharon, once their most avid champion.

 

[Bushanti]

Relative to Sharon being targetted for assassination because of his supposed contrarian actions vis-a-vis the Jewish religion, I say.....

Sorry to folks of all faiths, but in my opinion, all organized religion is a crock--God is on the side of the Muslims! No he's not! God favours the Catholics. No, he doesn't. Only Born Again Christians will make it to Heaven. No way! The Hindus are God's favourite. No they aren't. The Dutch Reform is the only way. Is not. God sides only with America and the coalition of the willing. Not so. Why? Because America has Jews and Jews don't believe in Jesus Christ as the son of God. Or is it that they believe Jesus is the son of God but they weren't responsible for crucifying him? I dunno. I gets so mixed up. Besides which, so what? America's got Muslims too--and they think that Jesus is only a prophet. Yeah--so then how can God be on America's side when they's got sinners who ain't Baptists and ain't Born Agains? And what about dem other sinners who are destined for the halls of hell? Like who exactly? Well, the Mormans, for one. And the Budhists for another. And then what about the 7th Day Adventists--or do I mean the Jehovah Witnesses? And them Holy Rollers? To say nothing about the Atheists--now THEY's the ones who's really heading for a harrowing time of it. And how cans Junior invoke the blessing of God for Ahmarika with so many sinners. Maybe he don't mean ALL of America? But, then how does you divides up the country for purposes of blessing. Oh, it's just all too confusing, really. Besides, I sure would like to know whether God's with the Palestinians or the Israelis. I think Bush--and with his close relationship to God and all, he should know--believes God is siding with Israel. Good grief, there's that Christian/Jewish dilemma again.

And the insanity continues. Any dogma that rallies the troops to WHATEVER is something to stay clear of. That's my theory and I'm sticking to it. To a huge extent, one's religion is predicated on where one is born and to what parents. If there has to be organized religion, I guess being assigned to one of them by birth is better than trying to choose one for oneself. I mean with so many hundreds--probably thousands of different religions out there, trying to choose the "right" one is a real crap shoot. And I'm a hapless gambler.