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Sharon offers money to convince settlers to leave

An Israeli girl marches with a torch during a demonstration by tens of thousands of right-wingers and settlers against Israel Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's disengagement plan from Gaza Strip on Sunday in the center of Jerusalem. Sharon accused right-wing opponents of his Gaza pullout plan of trying to foment a civil war, as thousands of settlers and hardliners protested against the withdrawal Sunday. PHOTO: AFP

Israel will offer large cash advances on compensation to Jewish settlers to entice them to leave their homes, Cabinet ministers said yesterday, a day after tens of thousands demonstrated against the planned withdrawal from the Gaza Strip next year.

A compensation bill was to be approved by the security Cabinet today, months ahead of the planned dismantling of settlements in Gaza and a small part of the West Bank, the ministers said on condition of anonymity. However, it could be several weeks before any money is actually paid.

About 8,500 settlers are to be removed from their homes next year as part of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's plan of ``unilateral disengagement'' from the Palestinians. He says the plan will improve Israeli security after four years of fighting with the Palestinians.

Settler leaders have said they would resist evacuation, and there is growing concern among the security services about violent confrontations between settlers and Israeli troops. The advance compensation payments are being offered to encourage settlers to leave on their own.

The total compensation per family is expected to range between US$200,000 to US$500,000, the ministers said. The advances, based on the value of lost homes and property as well as the number of years a family has lived in its settlement, will amount to one-third of the total sum, officials said.

Pinchas Wallerstein, a settler leader, called the advances part of Sharon's "psychological warfare" to force settlers out of their homes.

"This is an anti-democratic trick that is done without the approval of the government," Wallerstein said. "This is bribery."

It remains unclear how many families will take up the offer. Government officials have said thousands of settlers are ready to pack up, while settler leaders say the number is much smaller.

Debbie Drori, who is to be evacuated from the West Bank settlement of Kadim, said the possibility of a big payment won't persuade her to leave the community after 21 years.

"I don't believe it's ever going to happen," said Drori, a 48-year-old office manager.

Tens of thousands of settlers and their supporters demonstrated against Sharon's withdrawal plan in downtown Jerusalem on Sunday, shutting down much of the city.

"Disengagement tears the people apart," read a huge banner behind the stage in the city center.

Protesters took great pains to keep the demonstration peaceful after Sharon warned earlier Sunday that divisive rhetoric over the plan could lead the country to civil war.

The issue is extremely sensitive in Israel. On Nov. 4, 1995, an extremist Jew assassinated Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin after a peace rally in Tel Aviv because of his policy favoring territorial concessions to the Palestinian in exchange for peace.

"There will be no civil war," declared Bentsi Lieberman, head of the Settlers' Council.

Many participants said Sharon's warning as an attempt to paint all of them with an extremist brush.

"We are completely against violence or threats of violence," Settlers' Council spokesman Josh Hasten said. "These blanket statements unjustly put an entire group into a category."
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