Israel: January 9, 2005

Archives

The Palestinians held their presidential elections, which went off largely without incident. The Israeli army dismissed 34 reserve soldiers, including six officers, who had publicly said they would not participate in operations to remove settlers from Gaza settlements. The soldiers live in West Bank settlements. The settlers represent the "Greater Israel" movement which, depending on which way the political and emotional winds are blowing, appeals to 10-20 percent of the Israeli population. Scary headlines about "Israeli Civil War" over the settlements tend to overlook the degree to which the settler supporters are outnumbered.