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The Disengagement Plan

(Prime Minister's Office) Prime Minister Ariel Sharon - Prime Minister Sharon addressed the Knesset on Monday prior to the vote on the disengagement plan, to be held Tuesday evening. We are on the threshold of a difficult decision, the likes of which we have seldom faced. This is a people who has courageously faced, and still faces the burden and terror of the ongoing war, which has continued from generation to generation; in which, as in a relay race, fathers pass the guns to their sons; in which the boundary between the frontline and the home front has long been erased. I know the implications and impact of the Knesset's decision on the lives of thousands of Israelis who have lived in the Gaza Strip for many years, who were sent there on behalf of the governments of Israel, and who built homes there, planted trees and grew flowers, and who gave birth to sons and daughters who have not known any other home. I am well aware of the fact that I sent them and took part in this enterprise, and many of these people are my personal friends. As much as I understand everything they are going through during these days and everything they will face as a result of the necessary decision to be made in the Knesset, I also believe in the necessity of taking the step of disengagement in these areas, with all the pain it entails, and I am determined to complete this mission. I am firmly convinced and truly believe that this disengagement will strengthen Israel's hold over territory which is essential to our existence, and will be welcomed and appreciated by those near and far, reduce animosity, break through boycotts and sieges, and advance us along the path of peace with the Palestinians and our other neighbors. As one who fought in all of Israel's wars, and learned from personal experience that without proper force we do not have a chance of surviving in this region - which does not show mercy towards the weak - I have also learned from experience that the sword alone cannot decide this bitter dispute in this land. I have been told that the disengagement will be interpreted as a shameful withdrawal under pressure, and will increase the terror campaign, present Israel as weak, and will show our people as a nation unwilling to fight and to stand up for itself. I reject that statement outright. We have the strength to defend this country, and to strike at the enemy which seeks to destroy us. The disengagement plan does not replace negotiations and is not meant to permanently freeze the situation which will be created. It is an essential and necessary step in a situation which currently does not enable genuine negotiations for peace. However, everything remains open for a future agreement, which will hopefully be achieved when this murderous terror ends, and our neighbors will realize that they cannot triumph over us in this land.
2004-10-26 00:00:00
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