The Attorney General indicated today he might take legal action against the publishers of an article which appeared in a West Bank settlers’ biweekly urging settlers to fight through all means any possible government decision to relinquish parts of Judaea and Samaria, and the Gaza Strip.
Attorney General Yitzhak Zamir said that publication of the article might constitute incitement to revolt, but he added that it was up to the police to decide whether the material should be forwarded to him for his legal opinion.
The article has already stirred the political community, with Knesset member Matityahu Peled having asked Police Minister Haim Barlev to sue the publisher of the periodical and the author of the article.
The article appeared in Alef Yod, a biweekly in the Samaria town of Ariel. It was signed by M. Ben Yisrael, probably a pseudonym, and it described the following scenario in case of a possible peace settlement with Jordan:
“Each and everyone (of the Jewish settlers in Judaea and Samaria) should prepare himself spiritually to stand in Judaea, Samaria and the Gaza region, and to raise his arm-and his gun-against his brother. In that hour of national emergency, most of the means will be legitimate, in the absence of a more comfortable and acceptable choice.
“We may witness a terrible scene Indeed – a large scale and multiple subversive action within the green line, a revolt inside the army ranks, subversive activity in the security services, and armed revolt in Judaea, Samaria and Gaza, and eventually – the fight of Jew against Jew.”
The author of the article wrote that this was not the threat of a lunatic, but rather a calculated description of the feelings of many settlers regarding recent political developments in the area. The article specifically warned Premier Shimon Peres that this may be the result if he pursues his peace efforts.
Yaacov Rahamin, editor of the publication, said he did not fear any legal action against the newspaper. He said that by publishing the article, he merely fulfilled his journalistic responsibilities, so that the public will be aware of the views of the settlers.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
