Roadmappin' it
The Jerusalem Post has the latest on Bush's meeting with Sharon at his Crawford ranch.
Some things that stood out for me:
On another issue, he [Sharon] said that while he talked with Bush about the upcoming Palestinian Authority elections, it was done in a general manner without talking about whether the US should push the PA to postpone the Palestinian legislative elections until after disengagement so that Hamas does not gain strength.
Good call on Sharon's part. Maybe the Palestinian zealots will have a chance to cool down a bit after they see Israeli troops leaving some of their territory. But then again, a delay may only lead to further resentment against the US for interference with the political process. Not to mention that some of these groups like Hamas may try to use the disengagement as a way to better convey to their constituents the message that "Israel is not invincible and we can still drive them out of the Middle East altogether." Of course, this is all "glass is half empty" stuff, but you know how it is with this region. Or maybe you don't.
In any case:
Bush said that the US would cooperate with Israel in developing the Negev and Galilee, a clear indication that there will be some US financial aid as a result of the disengagement plan.
How thoughtful. As if Israel doesn't get enough aid from the US, but who's keeping track anyway?
Prior to the meeting, NBC aired an interview conducted with Sharon last week in Jerusalem in which he warned of civil war. During the press conference with Bush, Sharon said that he hoped disengagement would be carried out quietly and peacefully. During the NBC interview, Sharon said, "The tension here, the atmosphere here, looks like the eve of civil war. All my life I was defending the lives of Jews. Now for the first time security steps are being taken to protect me from Jews."
In a way, I feel for the guy. He had enough heart and common sense to deviate (somewhat) from his hawkish ways in order to get this roadmap going, and now he is worried he will get stepped on for doing the "right" thing. Civil war seems a bit drastic...I don't see how a state like Israel, with so many deeply rooted feelings of national unity and patriotism embedded in its citizens, could end up in such a condition. But then again, I'm not Prime Minister either. Let's just hope we can later dismiss Sharon's comments as pure paranoia, because a civil war in gun-toting, nuclear-armed Israel is not something I would look forward to.
Some things that stood out for me:
On another issue, he [Sharon] said that while he talked with Bush about the upcoming Palestinian Authority elections, it was done in a general manner without talking about whether the US should push the PA to postpone the Palestinian legislative elections until after disengagement so that Hamas does not gain strength.
Good call on Sharon's part. Maybe the Palestinian zealots will have a chance to cool down a bit after they see Israeli troops leaving some of their territory. But then again, a delay may only lead to further resentment against the US for interference with the political process. Not to mention that some of these groups like Hamas may try to use the disengagement as a way to better convey to their constituents the message that "Israel is not invincible and we can still drive them out of the Middle East altogether." Of course, this is all "glass is half empty" stuff, but you know how it is with this region. Or maybe you don't.
In any case:
Bush said that the US would cooperate with Israel in developing the Negev and Galilee, a clear indication that there will be some US financial aid as a result of the disengagement plan.
How thoughtful. As if Israel doesn't get enough aid from the US, but who's keeping track anyway?
Prior to the meeting, NBC aired an interview conducted with Sharon last week in Jerusalem in which he warned of civil war. During the press conference with Bush, Sharon said that he hoped disengagement would be carried out quietly and peacefully. During the NBC interview, Sharon said, "The tension here, the atmosphere here, looks like the eve of civil war. All my life I was defending the lives of Jews. Now for the first time security steps are being taken to protect me from Jews."
In a way, I feel for the guy. He had enough heart and common sense to deviate (somewhat) from his hawkish ways in order to get this roadmap going, and now he is worried he will get stepped on for doing the "right" thing. Civil war seems a bit drastic...I don't see how a state like Israel, with so many deeply rooted feelings of national unity and patriotism embedded in its citizens, could end up in such a condition. But then again, I'm not Prime Minister either. Let's just hope we can later dismiss Sharon's comments as pure paranoia, because a civil war in gun-toting, nuclear-armed Israel is not something I would look forward to.
posted by Remz Pokorny @ 9:34 PM
3 Comments:
At 10:59 PM,
Yoel.Ben-Avraham said…
Dear Pkorny Pundit,
a) as someone who sits on the "other side" of the argument with Mr. Sharon - the disengagement will NOT let the Hamas hot heads "cool off". They are fighting the communities in Gush Katif or the West Bank but the very existence of Israel. It not my opinion, read their own words
b) Israel really does not need additional financial assistance except to pay for the costly transfer of thousands of Israeli families that C. Rice demands of it! We who live here, do not demand the annexation of these communities, just the right to live on the Land of Israel to which Jews have always aspired, and many gave their lives over and over again over the past 1800 to return to
c) If Mr. Sharon wants to defuse the very tense situation he himself created, all he has to do is hold a Referendum on one of the most contentuous issues ever to divide the Israeli public in its 50 year history. But whatever, if anyone raises a hand against their fellow Jew, I can promise you that the "settler" community is the last to do so.
Yoel Ben-Avraham
Moderator
Dis-Engage.org
At 3:21 PM,
Robert Taylor said…
Remz, maybe I'm reading wrong into your post, but you said "Maybe the Palestinian zealots will have a chance to cool down". As far as I know, the term zealot is for Jews, not Arabs. But perhaps you can explain.
At 7:19 PM,
Remz Pokorny said…
Zealots with a capital "z" is a group of Jews that existed during the Roman times...I was just using the word to mean "extremists" and such.
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