The Israel Labor party had a very unsettling idea: To offer compensation for those settlers in the West Bank who want to leave. As the Ha'aretz editorial notes below, this would be less traumatic than the removal of large numbers of people at once. Israel is still trying to digest the 8,000 settlers evacuated from Gush Katif and the West bank. Columnist Yair Lapid suggested that the settlers could settle in the Galilee instead. But right-wing supporters of the settlement movement insisted that the settlers are already home and are not going anywhere. In a New York Sun Op-Ed, Meirav Wurmser claimed that if the IDF ever tries to uproot settlers, they will put up violent resistance. She also noted that during the Lebanon war, right-wing rabbis and settlers incited soldiers to rebellion and dereliction of duty, because PM Olmert had said that the war was paving the war for further disengagement in the West Bank.

The idea of resettling the settlers was not well received by the government. The main problem with all such ideas is that they are announcing that one side is willing to make concessions in advance, and thus weakening its bargaining position.

However, if peace is ever to happen, something must be done to begin the process of "unravelling" on both sides. The settlers, the refugees and the hard line positions that have been hallowed into national sacred cows on both sides make it increasingly difficult to implement a peaceful solution.

TEL AVIV—Since the separation fence was built, thousands of settlers who live east of it find themselves in an unclear situation. Having to wait for a political settlement to determine the permanent border is nerve-racking for those who wish to lead a normal life. Polls show that some 20,000 settlers at least would at this point like to vacate communities east of the fence, if they receive enough compensation to buy a new home.

The "compensation for evacuation" bill, which was brought before the Knesset half a year ago by Colette Avital and Avshalom Vilan, proposes a mechanism for immediate compensation for anyone who wants to leave his or her home right now. Labor Party Chairman Ehud Barak announced this week that his party will support this legislation, thereby giving the private members' bill a renewed boost.

Construction of the separation fence has created a conjectural border between Israel and the Palestinians, and anyone who knows how to read the map understands that under any future agreement, there will not be Israeli sovereignty beyond this line. A fair arrangement for evacuation-compensation on an individual basis will provide a solution for those who wish to leave right now, and will also generate a political atmosphere for converging in the direction of the Green Line.

It is safe to presume that the ideologues of Greater Israel will always remain in situ, but all the others will be able to transfer ownership of their homes to the government and receive compensation that will enable them to build a new life.

MKs Vilan and Avital founded the One House movement, whose goal is to encourage settlers to move to Israel voluntarily, and which has the backing of many MKs, including ministers Amir Peretz, Yuli Tamir, Ami Ayalon and Isaac Herzog. Although the government does not support the bill, it is enough that the Labor Party leader announced his support for it to receive a lift in the Knesset.

Beginning an actual evacuation would signal to the world and the Israeli public that the Annapolis speeches were not just speeches. There is no reason to turn the settlers in the West Bank into bargaining chips in peace talks, when everyone knows that a majority of Israelis is not in favour of continuing to maintain settlements in the heart of a Palestinian population.

A voluntary evacuation law for settlers can serve as an updated platform for the Labor Party when elections are held. An opinion poll conducted by the Dahaf Institute and Kalman Geyer found that 80 percent of the public supports this. Zvi Katzover, head of Kiryat Arba's local council, concedes that a voluntary evacuation law could tempt many to abandon the town of Kiryat Arba, which is home mostly to people who sought a housing solution.

Ehud Olmert's claim that evacuation-compensation legislation for West Bank settlers is premature indicates his fear of the coalition breaking apart. The question is whether parties like Shas and Yisrael Beiteinu ought to oppose a law that does not compel evacuation, but rather provides a fair opportunity for those who wish to do so to receive proper compensation of around NIS 1 million per family. Evacuating settlements gradually is one of the lessons of the evacuation from the Gaza Strip, and it can reduce some of the drama and trauma of a general evacuation following a political agreement.

*This article is distributed by the Common Ground News Service, and can be accessed at www.commongroundnews.org.

Source: Ha'aretz, 04 December 2007, www.haaretz.com.

Copyright permission has been obtained for publication.

Copyright permission has been obtained for publication.