[Dr. Aaron Lerner - IMRA: PM Olmert unfortunately does not understand that
the distress of the Religious Zionists is as much over the breakdown of the
democratic process during the course of the retreat from Gaza as the retreat
itself. The retreat took place because Ariel Sharon, the leader of a party
that won an unprecedented victory running against unilateral withdrawal
decided to carry out a unilateral withdrawal - and this after losing a vote
that tested the support for the proposal among members of his Likud party (a
vote he promised to honor). Add to this that the entire retreat project was
never subject to any serious debate, made possible because of politicians
who cared more for their jobs than their principles and bolstered by
grossly misrepresented promises from an American president and that the
entire motivation for the action is now seen by many in both the Left and
the Right as a move by then Prime Minister Sharon to avoid indictment and it
is nothing short of amazing that Religious Zionists have taken what has
transpired so well.

Point of irony: the "Israel Democracy Institute" itself, instead of
defending democratic principles during this challenging period, embraced
the anti-democratic "ends justify the means" approach.

And so, last 12 December 2005 Israel Democracy Institute President Prof.
Arye Carmon explained in a live interview on Israel Radio that the previous
elections "did not reflect the will of the people" because the Likud won a
landslide victory on
a platform opposed to unilateral withdrawal.

Is the good Professor's definition of democracy "the will of the people if
it agrees with Prof. Arye Carmon's politics"?]

=================

PM Olmert Attends Israel Democracy Institute Seminar on "The Jewish
Character of the State of Israel - Religious Zionism as a Motivating Factor
for National Dialogue"
(Communicated by the Prime Minister's Media Adviser)

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert today (Tuesday), 26.9.06, attended an Israel
Democracy Institute www.idi.org.il/english seminar entitled "The Jewish
Character of the State of Israel - Religious Zionism as a Motivating Factor
for National Dialogue". Various senior academics attended the seminar,
which dealt with issues such as religion and state, the character of the
Jewish state, conversion to Judaism, etc.

Prime Minister Olmert made the following remarks:

"The religious Zionist public is in severe distress in the wake of the harsh
public debate that is giving rise to fundamental questions regarding the
character of the state according to its worldview. This public has had to
cope with the difficult experience of having to accept the concession over
territory and settlements. Its distress must be understood and a track for
deep and sincere dialogue with it must be found.

But it must also be recalled that there are hundreds of thousands of
Israelis who, for 35 years, have served in the territories and participated
in enforcing Israeli authority there even though they believe with all their
hearts that the state is furthering a mistaken policy that has caused severe
damage to our social fabric. Israel society is composed of many strata:
Religious Zionism, the population that lives on the periphery and has felt
neglected for years, another segment of the population that strongly opposes
holding onto the territories and sees them as a source of evil and would
like to refuse to serve there, minority populations, etc.

We must create a new atmosphere of dialogue and perhaps aspire to a new
definition of Zionism as well. Zionism cannot be defined solely on the
basis of support or opposition to the Disengagement. Whoever believes in
the right of the Jewish People to have a sovereign Jewish state in any part
of the Land of Israel is a Zionist. Agreement on a new, broad definition of
Zionism is the essential basis for preserving the internal unity of Israeli
society."