In my view, the press, and particularly the Israeli press did not play a positive role in the disengagement. Using the word "settlers" as a pejorative word is inappropriate, since Israel owes its very existence to the pioneers who settled the land and who helped build it, cultivate it, and defend it. No matter from where they came, they have a lot of merit for their hard work, their dedication, and their courage.

The press however prefers depicting them as negative elements of the society, by labeling them as "religious" "extremists", "right-wing extremist", etc. I believe that this has helped the government directly or indirectly achieve its goal. We should not forget that the disengagement idea came from the left, and the press tends to be on its side.

Besides the fact that calling the settlers "religious" is incorrect, since a good part of them are secular, this finger pointing and profiling polarizes the population in two camps, instead of creating compassion in those who are not hit by the disengagement measures, for those who are about to lose their way of life, the way they built it.

The press stirs the readers' expectations for seeing opposing forces clash against each other.

There is jealousy and nastiness in the way the press presents the facts, instead of appeasing the readers' hearts. An old saying says that only those who step on hot charcoal feel the burn.

Everybody was prepared to watch the "battles" between settlers, the police, and the army, but what they saw was these three segments of the population weeping together about a situation they had no power to avoid.

It is unfortunate and shows a lack of compassion and of civic maturity when Eival Giladi, Prime Minister's Office Chief of Coordination and Strategy, declared on army radio: "The greatest success of the leaders of the opposition is that the opposition has failed". In my view this is a cynical and tragic declaration.