 | The Prime Minister |
|
| | | | Government |
|
| | | | Government Secretariat Office |
|
| | | | Prime Minister's Office |
|
| | | | History |
|
| | | | Briefing Room |
|
| | | | Contact Us |
|
| |  | Archive |
|
| |  |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Weekly Cabinet meeting 20.10.2002 |
|
|
|
|
|
Weekly Cabinet meeting 20.10.2002 |
|
| (20/10/2002) |
At the weekly Cabinet meeting Sunday, 20.10.2002:
1. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon referred to events of recent days
regarding the evacuation of Gilad Farm and said that they show why we
must all act responsibly. The Prime Minister made several points.
A. Most serious of all, hands were raised against soldiers and members
of the security forces. Nothing justifies raising a hand against IDF
soldiers and security force personnel. Regrettable remarks were also
made against soldiers and policemen. This behavior came from marginal
elements who diverge on the broad public agreement that currently exists
regarding settlement in Judea, Samaria and Gaza.
Whoever comports himself thus is a lawbreaker and will be dealt with
according to the fullest extent of the law.
B. Regarding the Sabbath, there was no justification for the desecration
of the Sabbath in this case. Activity on the Sabbath is legitimate and
accepted only when justified by operational needs. In this instance,
there was no need to act on the Sabbath and I view this as very grave.
I am directing the Defense Minister to see that this does not change.
C. Regarding ministers' remarks, I have been informed of the sharp
remarks that Cabinet ministers have made regarding one another in the
media. In general, public discourse must take place in a spirit of
moderation, tolerance and responsibility, without coming to verbal
blows. Ministers must set a personal example vis-a-vis caution and
responsibility in their public remarks. When ministers talk about each
other, it is also a matter of norms of governance. The Minister of
National Infrastructures did well to take back his statements. I am
cautioning ministers to refrain from such remarks in the future.
D. We must not slide into internal wars; we have enough enemies.
Everyone here has the responsibility of maintaining the unity that is a
national interest at this time and not to hone political rivalries for
extraneous reasons. The public will not forgive those who harm unity at
this time. For the sake of unity, everyone must compromise and act
prudently.
2. Defense Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer briefed the Cabinet on joint
security matters. While discussing both Israel's success in thwarting
attacks in the last few days and the events in Rafiah in which
Palestinians civilians were killed, the Defense Minister noted that he
intends to increase humanitarian efforts towards the Palestinian
population. The Defense Minister said that approximately 20 illegal
outposts in Judea and Samaria have been evacuated in the last week. He
pointed out that:
A. The decision to evacuate certain outposts was taken after thorough
staff work and on the basis of legal and security criteria.
B. The outposts selected for evacuation were illegal.
Defense Minister Ben-Eliezer condemned attempts to stop IDF soldiers
from completing their tasks by using violence against them. The Defense
Minister expressed his deep regret at the Sabbath desecration, which
occurred yesterday during the Gilad Farm evacuation. He added that he
neither knew about, nor approved of, such an order, and instructed the
IDF to investigate yesterday's actions and take steps to ensure it does
not happen in the future.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|