Wallerstein Leaves

This is a version of Pinchas Wallerstein's resignation logic:

A long-time leader of the main Israeli settler organisation in the occupied West Bank resigned on Monday citing the group's failure to distance itself from Jewish hardliners.

In his resignation letter as secretary general of the Yesha Council, Pinchas Wallerstein, 61, condemned the organisation's failure to speak out against the "price tag" policy under which ultra right-wingers attack Palestinian villages when the government takes action against Jewish settlements.

"Our silence will turn against us," Wallerstein wrote.

He also criticised Yesha for failing to categorically reject protests by soldiers who vow not to carry out government orders to evacuate wildcat settlements.

"It is our duty to ensure that the IDF (military) is not involved in the political activities of evacuations and demolitions, but we must not allow soldiers in uniform to carry out actions that may violate the IDF's sacredness."

The JPost reads this way:

Wallerstein, 60, a resident of Ofra, said he was resigning following criticism leveled at him for condemning insubordination in the IDF. In a letter he sent to the members of the council's secretariat, Wallerstein wrote that "the IDF should not be involved in the politics of evacuation, but soldiers must not hurt the sanctity of the IDF."

The specific incident over which Wallerstein was resigning occurred when soldiers from the Shimshon battalion hoisted banners calling not to evacuate settlements, during a swearing-in ceremony at the Western Wall.

Wallerstein immediately condemned the incident, but withdrew his condemnation following pressure from settlers. In his letter from Monday, Wallerstein wrote "already during the discussion on whether to condemn the soldiers or not, I have not heard any member of the secretariat justifying the behavior of the soldiers. Some of us thought it was unworthy to respond, others thought the whole act was childish, and stupid and I thought under the circumstances that we should have responded, and tersely. I still think so today."

"It is our duty today to make sure the military isn't involved in the politics of evacuation and demolition, but we must not allow soldiers in uniform to take actions which may harm the sanctity of the IDF. It's true that I believe we should not sit idly by while the military and its soldiers are being harmed in any way," he continued.

Wallerstein also criticized the "price tag" policy, according to which when settlers fall victim to terrorism or perceive themselves victimized by the government, they harm Palestinians in a vendetta.

"Our silence - for harming our leaders and for the price tag policy - will be harmful to us. It is not a question of tactics, it is an essential stance that views Israel as 'the beginning of our salvation' and therefore any step which harms the country's strength or the IDF, no matter where it comes from, is unforgivable," he said.

Of course, Peace Now always manages to twist it:

Peace Now Secretary-General Yariv Oppenheimer said that Yesha Council Director-General Pinhas Wallerstein, who recently announced his resignation, is not one of the moderate settlers.

"Despite the attempt to portray Wallerstein as moderate, he is in fact one of the main initiators of the creation of illegal outposts in the territories, including on private Palestinian lands. If Wallerstein is considered moderate, then the settler public has become more radical in the last year, in a frightening way," he said.

But I don't quite grasp Pinchas' thinking here:

In his resignation letter, he wrote: "Following an internal conflict and quite a few difficulties, I decided to resign from my position in the Yesha Council, both as member of the secretariat and as director.

"I am doing this first and foremost in order to allow Danny Dayan to leave his sign and style on the Yesha Council's activity. It should be noted that the differences between us are more about quantity and timing and less about issues of essential content."

"I am well aware of the importance of this period in time and of the need to focus our power and efforts under a responsible leadership, in light of the orders threatening the settlement enterprise, and I am convinced there is no other body which can lead the extra-parliamentary struggle."

"I have no plans to stand idly and I will convey my opinion if allowed to do so, but I will not lash out against the Yesha Council in any event. I am certain that you will be able to complete the missions.“

Except for today, at least.