Sinai evictions start

Press, 4 March 1982, Page 8

Sinai evictions start

NZPA-Reuter Jerusalem The Israeli Government easily survived’ a no-confid-ence motion yesterday on its handling of. the hand-over of Sinai to Egypt, and the Defence Minister (Mr Ariel Sharon) announced that the Army would start evicting Jewish squatters from the territory today. The Prime Minister (Mr Menachem Begin), in an emotional address during a stormy Knesset (Parliament) session, said Israel would evacuate the Sinai as laid down in its Camp David peace agreement with Egypt. This provides for the hand-

over to be completed by April 26., “Despite the pain and, suffering of' the settlers, we will honour four obligations because of the chance of achieving a real peace, and peace, with our Arab neighbours has always been our aim,” Mr Begin'said. His cbalition won the noconfidence motion tabled by the tiny ultra-nationalist Tehiya"(Renaissance) Party, by 58 votes to three with 43 abstentions. The Tehiya Party motion had deplored the Government’s handling of the evacuation. Israeli soldiers later re-

moved the first Jewish squatters from southern SmaL t ■ Ari Israeli military spokesman said that “a . few dozen illegal Israeli settlers” had been put-aboard military aircraft arid removed from the southernmost settlement point at Sharm-el-Sheikh, which the Israelis call Ophira. The squatters had offered no resistance. Mr Sharon, once regarded as the champion of Jewish settlers, called the evacuation of Sinai one of the most difficult and painful tasks the Government had ever undertaken; ..