Lando 
Lando
Ping.
The author and Frum are wrong.
Rice (and Bush) are pushing for the security wall to come down and for free transit (of terrorists and weapons) to the West Bank. Jane's pointed this out in their analysis, which is far more knowedgeable than this "he must have something up his sleeve" article.
The author is also wrong that "Egyptians have already sent into Gaza their first 750 troops". Those troops are in the Sinai on border with Gaza, in Egypt, not in Gaza.
Sharon has gained nothing and risked much with this folly.
pong
As ol' Abe might have put it: "When your enemy has a powerful desire to hang himself, why not oblige him with some rope?"
I don't think this makes much sense. A more plausible theory is that Sharon was involved in political corruption, and needed to placate the leftists who control the Israeli courts and justice system or they would have sent him to jail.
I don't know whether that's true or not, but at least it has a certain plausibility.
After all, the Arabs have been living in violence and political squalor all over the Middle East for decades, and the news media have had no trouble whatever pretending that these problems don't exist or are someone else's fault. Why would the Gaza strip suddenly be an exception. Any problems that arise are certain to be blamed on the Jews, or on western colonialism, or the fat cats in the oil industry, or on Haliburton, or on you name it.
Yeah, "the world" will regret the forming of a terrorist state in Gaza. "The world" never regrets the mistakes it makes. The "war on poverty" convinced Libs that big Gov't is not the answer, too.
Mortar Shells Launched From Northern Gaza
01:22 Aug 21, '05 / 16 Av 5765
(IsraelNN.com) Mortar shells launched from northern Palestinian Authority (PA) controlled Gaza landed in the greenhouse area of Kibbutz Netiv Ha’Asarah in the Negev.
Other mortar shell attacks were reported in the Nahal Oz area north of Gaza as well as near N’vei Dekalim in Gush Katif. There were no injuries in any of the attacks.
It would be interesting to see the Palesinians get their state. Walled off from Israel. How long until it sinks into a morass of famine, starvation and civil war, just like Somalia.
Yes
Besides, it's much better to have all Israelis within easily defensable borders in case something.....ahem.....happens in Syria.
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Problem with this theory is that it hasn't worked for those territories already in Pal control. Israel goes in to quell the mortar attacks, and gets blamed for destabilizing and radicalizing the culture. Israel stiffens border security due to suicide attacks and gets blamed for impoverishing and demeaning the Pals.
The radicals have already sworn to use Gaza as a base for attacks on Israel. Israel is not going to sit by idly. It will retaliate, and it haters will have all the excuse they need to blame it for the coming failure of Gaza.
I doubt anything will be changed, except the right to live in Gaza will have been ceded. Disastrous policy.
p.
good post. thanks
If the pre-1967 strategy was so successful, why was there a war in 1967 that necessitated the occupation in the first place?
This is an excellent article. Thank you for posting.
"Somebody else must govern the restless and violent Arab-majority territories west of the Jordan River. Israel has suffered four decades of condemnation for doing the job. Sharon is now resigning the task to anybody else who would like to step in and take over the job. Nobody wants to. But Egypt and Jordan may soon realize that they have no choice. If there is a secret behind Sharon’s plan – that is it."
This is right on the mark. The proof is in the fact that before the Israelis have even completed the pullout, the UN and Red Cross fled the scene. Without Israel policing Gaza it is uninhabitable by civilized people.
Adding further to what Frum said, Gaza will become a safe haven for international terror (read AQ) that Pres Bush vowed would not be permitted. In other words Gaza will become the world's problem not just Israel's.
I believe this was PM Sharon's strategy.
Yep. It will work, because, unfortunately, violence is the only language Islamicists understand.