Peres Denounces West Bank Settlers for Threatening Civil Disobedience

Premier Shimon Peres today denounced West Bank settlers who have threatened to engage in civil disobedience against the government as “overweening arrogance” and warned that there would be a comprehensive investigation by law enforcement agencies into cases of incitement.

An article in a West Bank settlers’ biweekly, Aleph Yod, urged settlers to fight through all means any possible decision to relinquish parts of Judaea and Samaria, and the Gaza Strip, in a purported plan by the present government to give up parts of Eretz Yisrael in a peace settlement with King Hussein of Jordan.

A declaration issued last night by the Council of Jewish Settlement in Judaea and Samaria — which represents the Jewish settlers — stated that the plans purportedly being contemplated by Peres “of handing over to the enemy all or part of the Land of Israel are an illegal action and must not be obeyed.” It continued: “Any government that performs the aforementioned actions should be regarded as an illegal government. We warn that any partition of the country will cause a rift in the nation.”

SOWING AN ATMOSPHERE OF FEAR

Peres, in response to parliamentary questions concerning the Aleph Yod article and the Council’s statement, told the Knesset: “I utterly reject this attempt at overweening arrogance, at inculcating fear and planting falsehood.” He said that the Council was arrogating unto itself the role of the Knesset — determining what was legal and what was illegal. Peres added that the statement had also sought to “sow an atmosphere of fear instead of balanced debate.”

The Premier also denounced the settlers’ council statement as a perversion of the government’s position by attributing to government leaders baseless statements. Peres said he was confident that many Jews in Judaea and Samaria would reject the Council’s tone and tenor — as would most citizens of Israel.

Meanwhile, Attorney General Yitzhak Zamir is reviewing the article in Aleph Yod to determine if there are grounds to sue the publication for having incited the settlers to rebellion. Zamir is acting on a request by Defense Minister Yitzhak Rabin. Sources at the Defense Ministry said that if Zamir ruled that there was a violation of the law, the publication will be ordered closed and the editor will be sued.

Rabin was reported to be extremely angry with the article, which called for civil disobedience and resistance, even if it meant fighting with Israel Defense Force soldiers, in case a peace settlement would require a territorial compromise in the West Bank.

There was also widespread anger in government circles today because the settlers’ council statement last night termed anyone ceding territory a “traitor” to Israel and said that any leader who cedes sovereign territory should be treated the way French leader Gen. Charles de Gaulle treated Marshall Henri Petain, who had collaborated with Nazi Germany.