Professors for a Strong Israel

Statement to the Press - 10 October 2000


Re: (1) Stop support of Prime Minister Barak; (2) PSI Condemns Jewish violence against Arabs

PSI's chairman, Prof. Eli Pollak, today contacted the political leaders of the national camp in Israel and called on them to withdraw their support of Prime Minister Barak and his government:
  1. PSI calls upon the political parties of the national camp to keep their distance from Prime Minister Barak's government, not to support it from within or from without.
  2. The responsibility for the serious situation in which Israel finds itself lies squarely on the shoulders of Mr. Barak.
  3. PSI deplores any injury caused to the person or property of innocent people. PSI calls upon the Jewish public to desist immediately from any acts of this sort. PSI strongly supports the commanders of the Israeli police force in their attempts to stop the violence and deplores the incitement of the extreme left in Israel against the police.
  4. PSI demands that the Defense Minister and the commanders of the IDF act to restore the deterrent force and the operational initiative of the IDF. We call upon the IDF to regain control of any area used by Arafat's militias to attack Israelis, such as the hills in Hebron, Efrat, and Psagot.
  5. PSI demands that the IDF and the police immediately open all roads, on both sides of the "Green Line", and assure free and safe passage for all Israelis. Any further procrastination can only lead to the deplorable situation that citizens take the law into their own hands, thus further complicating the serious situation.
  6. PSI demands of Prime Minister Barak not to be hesitant, to cease Israeli restraint, to detach himself from the Oslo trap and to behave in war as in war.

Prof. Eli Pollak
Chairman, Professors for a Strong Israel
Tel: 053-802 681