Background: Modifications in Adopted Disengagement Plan & Observation

Aaron Lerner Date: 6 June 2004

IMRA has obtained a copy of the complete final text of the disengagement
plan that was approved this afternoon by the cabinet.

If not for the superfluous dismissals of ministers Elon and Lieberman, the
changes in the plan might have been easily cited by ministers to justify
remaining in the Government with today's decision meaning that a vote to
evacuate communities is only a question of finishing preparation work. But
Sharon's move sends a signal that a minister's vote may not matter since he
can be fired if Sharon doesn't want him to vote.

A comparison of the approved final text to the proposed text finds the
following major changes:

1. Ministerial Committee dropped from the plan: While Appendix C of the
original plan provided for a ministerial committee of seven that had the
authority to decide on everything (except the evacuation of communities)
referred to in the plan (withdrawal from Philadelphi Corridor, establishment
Palestinian ports, presence of foreign military presence in the Gaza Strip
and Judea and Samaria, etc.), the approved text of Appendix C makes the
Political-Security Cabinet (commonly known as the "mini-cabinet")
responsible for "guiding the program" but then says explicitly that "the
Cabinet will be responsible for the implementation of this Government's
decision."

That's "the Cabinet" and not "Political-Security Cabinet."

3. While the original Appendix A does not specify when the Government will
decide on the evacuation of each of four groups of communities, the approved
plan specifies that "immediately after the completion of the preparation
work deliberations will be held in the Government for the purposes of making
a decision in the matter of evacuating the communities. . ."

No target date is set for the completion of the preparation work.

4. While the original Appendix A of the plan provided for a separate
decision to be made to evacuate each group of four groupings of communities,
the approved Appendix A does not limit the Government to voting for or
against the evacuation of an entire grouping but instead provides for
"making a decision in the matter of evacuating the communities taking into
account the conditions at that same time - to evacuate or not to and which
communities."

That's "which communities" - not "which groupings of communities."

5. The original Appendix A of the plan says that "the designated evacuation
process will be completed by the end of 2005" while the plan, as passed,
says that "the intention is to complete the designated evacuation plan by
the end of 2005."

6. While the proposed Appendix C provided only for the provision of
"essential services" mentioning communications, postal service, public
transportation, electricity, water, gas, gasoline, health services and
banking services, the adopted Appendix C is broader, and explicitly
specifies that during the interim period "all services and activities that
it was the practice to provide in a community prior to this decision" would
continue to be provided. ,

7. In the original Appendix C the Ministerial Committee could freeze ongoing
projects. The approved plan gives the Exceptions Committee this right. The
decisions of the Exception Committee may be appealed before the Cabinet by
any member of the Government.

The composition of the Exception Committee is also revised.

Original: Director of the Prime Minister's Office - chairman, Accountant
General of the Treasury Ministry, Coordinator of Activities in the
Territories or his representative.

Passed: Director of the Prime Minister's Office - chairman, Director of the
Treasury Ministry, Director of the Ministry of Justice.

Dr. Aaron Lerner, Director IMRA (Independent Media Review & Analysis)
(Mail POB 982 Kfar Sava)
Tel 972-9-7604719/Fax 972-3-7255730
INTERNET ADDRESS: imra@netvision.net.il
Website: http://www.imra.org.il