Sacrifices, II

Despite what I wrote below, and despite the fact that I have always thought that Israel must get rid of the majority of the settlements, I am extremely sympathetic to the plight of the Gaza settlers. They are being asked to uproot their entire lives for the good of the country, yet are being badly treated by the government, which is seriously messing them around, and by a large portion of the rest of the population, whose attitude towards them verges on the pathological.
I second what Dershowitz says:

"I think Israel has an obligation to treat the settlers as heroes, not pariahs... The settlers went pursuant of Israeli policy, both Labor and Likud. They ought to be justly compensated. I would say more than justly compensated. They ought to be very generously compensated.
"They ought to be treated with extreme deference and they ought to be told they are heroes of Israel. They were heroes when they went and they are heroes when they are returning. They served in the front lines."

Well, not all of them were heroes when they went -- many (particularly in Gaza) were non-ideological and were simply looking for a better quality of life. However, all of them ultimately are giving up on their hopes, dreams, property and way of life for the country as a whole. Recognizing their sacrifice is the only way to begin mending the enormous rift that is threatening to destroy the nation.