Professors for a Strong Israel
Statement to the Press - 29 June 2005
Re: Economic consequences of the "disengagement"
At the plenary session of the Caesarea Conference, organized by the Israel Democracy Institute, there was presented a report compiled by a group under the
direction of Prof. Daniel Tzidon.
The principal recommendation of the report: "The whole world has come to understand that the disengagement is a fact, and it is thus impossible to cancel it,"
because "the cost of not carrying it out will be ten times the cost of going
ahead with it.
In his address to the conference, the chairman of Professors for a Strong Israel attacked each of the claims of this report. It is clear that the report
was politically motivated, with the single goal of carrying out "disengagement"
at any price. Among Dr. Breiman's arguments:
- Must the "disengagement" be carried out at any price, including killing
of Jewish citizens by the IDF, just because "the whole world" expects it?
- Why has there been no public discussion of the real costs of "disengagement"?
Do the citizens of Israel know that they will have to pay much more than NIS 10 000 per family,
or else give up education, health, and welfare services, just to fund
expulsion of Jews from their homes?
- Carrying out the "disengagement," giving encouragement to terrorism,
will exacerbate the country's security problems, destroy personal security,
and raise security expenditures dramatically.
- The Prime Minister has created a situation where, with or without "disengagement," we are marching towards a new and more horrible version of the Oslo War.
The costs of this are clear.
- Carrying out the "disengagement" signals weakness and proves that
terrorism works. Has the cost of future terrorist attacks been taken
into account?
- The "disengagement" will encourage the Europeans, the Arabs, and the Left
to demand ever more withdrawals. A reality where Israel operates under the constant threat of hostile European sanctions is unacceptable, with or without
"disengagement."
- A major part of the economic damage of "disengagement," whether or not it is carried out, comes of the collapse of the rule of law. This in turn is
the result of the destruction of the government's decision-making process:
shutting the chief of staff out of fateful security decisions;
making decisions within Sharon's inner circle out of corrupt motives;
the willful neglect of Sharon's corruption by the apparatus of law enforcement
and by the press.
- The expulsion of Jews by the State of Israel carries an extremely negative
message for aliya. The result will be deep damage to the primary purpose of
the Jewish state and to the primary engine of economic development.
- The Finance Minister must now prepare for a wartime economy, with "disengagement" or without.
After 12 years of Oslo and of "disengagement," he has to change his working
assumptions and prepare for many long years of no peace.
Dr. Ron Breiman, Chairman of PSI
Tel: 050-551 8940