The Council of Jewish Communities in Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip (Yesha) issued a statement of introspection in preparation for Yom Kippur – the
By JPOST.COM STAFF
The Council of Jewish Communities in Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip (Yesha) issued a statement of introspection in preparation for Yom Kippur the Day of Judgment, appraising their protests of the disengagement as too moderate.
Speaking to Channel 1 Sunday, Dir.-Gen. of the council Avner Shimoni listed three main mistakes that Yesha had made in its behavior leading up to and during Israel's disengagement from the Gaza Strip and northern Samaria this summer.
First, Avner said he regretted the behavior of the council during a mass protest in Kfar Maimon preceding the disengagement. According to Shimoni, the settlers' leaders should have explained the situation better to the greater public.
Second, Shimoni did not believe it should have been advertised that local leaders embraced the IDF forces during the evacuation of the synagogue in Neve Dekalim.
Lastly, he felt that the organization of reinforcement protesters on the Kissufim Route was faulty.
In spite of his soul-searching he insisted that the Yesha Council "did not disengage from the public."
He also harshly criticized Prime Minister Ariel Sharon for the disengagement, and called for elections. According to Shimoni, "A prime minister who evicted Jews should have no place in Jewish history."