Silence across the fence

Anyone who is apprehensive that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is about to finally make his "painful concessions" should calm down immediately. Because anyone who places his ear on the "rail line" that connects Kadim and Ganim in the north of the West Bank with Otniel in the south, the line that runs through Kedumim and Ariel, Ofra and Efrat, the Etzion Bloc and Hebron, will not hear even a faint rumbling of the protest train. The settlers in the territories have suddenly become the silent majority on the other side of the fence.

True, a few politicians from the far right emitted a faint scream, leveled the usual pejorative - "traitor" - at Ehud Olmert and threatened to bring down the government. That was it. When was the last time the settlers felt called upon to mount a demonstration against government policy? When did they block Ra'anana Junction, and when - here's the real indicator - did they make use of the phrase "Yesha is here," meaning that the fate of Judea, Samaria and Gaza is the same as the fate of all of Israel? Yet even though Sharon is throwing out hints, and Olmert is speaking in clear terms, there is silence across the fence.

The settlers are the first to know when the leadership's intentions are serious. That's a skill that they have developed into a science, and it's crucial for them so as not to have to waste precious resources, such as the recruitment of demonstrators and the mobilization of public opinion. For example, ancient ....Continued