In part two of our series on the path to peace in the Middle East, we examine the political power and messianic vision of the Israeli settler movement.
Once seen as an unstoppable force in the march towards a Greater Israel, today, settlers are feeling extremely unsettled over Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s recent use of the word “occupation” in referring to Israel’s presence in the West Bank and Gaza.
In advance of President Bush’s meeting in the Middle East, settlers are organizing mass demonstrations and saying they will do everything in their power to stop the peace process in its tracks. Some observers are warning of violence, recalling the time eight years ago when settlers rose up in anger, inciting a young man steeped in their extremist religious ideology to assassinate Yitzak Rabin.
Guests:
Benny Elon, Israeli tourism minister, and a member of the National Union Party
Ofer Shelah, a columnist and journalist for the Israeli daily newspaper Yediot Ahronot.