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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.

Rice (and Bush) are pushing for the security wall to come down and for free transit (of terrorists and weapons) to the West Bank.

No.

In late 2003 only four countries voted against the U.N. resolution demanding that Israel halt the construction of the security barrier in the West Bank.

One of them was the U.S..

Wrong on all points. The Egyptian troops are going into the Philadelphi Road, the Gaza side of the border, replacing the IDF as the author pointed out. For all of Secretary Rice's pro-Palestinian noise I have not heard a demand to remove the security fence. I fully expect Prime Minister Sharon to ignore this President Bush when he turns against Israel the same way Prime Minister Shamir did to the last President Bush. I expect this President to do much like his father, who froze loan guarantees to Israel, or worse. There are some differences. Prime Minister Sharon's words from 2001:

"We are currently in the midst of a complex and difficult diplomatic campaign. I turn to the western democracies, first and foremost the leader of the free world, the United States. Do not repeat the dreadful mistake of 1938, when the enlightened democracies of Europe decided to sacrifice Czechoslovakia for the sake of a temporary, convenient solution. Don't try to appease the Arabs at our expense. We will not accept this. Israel will not be Czechoslovakia. Israel will fight terror. There's no difference between 'good terror' and 'bad terror' just as there is no difference between 'good murder' and 'bad murder.'

Another difference: this Israeli government has been building the basis of an alliance with China, just in case things with the U.S. get really, really bad. I would hope it never comes to that. I would hope the American people and American Congress, who overwhelmingly support Israel, will use the American system of checks and balances to reign in President Bush's pro-Arab policy if necessary. Finally, yes, I think the analysis in the article is pretty close to the mark.

"Rice (and Bush) are pushing for the security wall to come down and for free transit (of terrorists and weapons) to the West Bank"

Disagree. The Wall won't stop the transit of weapons and terrorists into the West Bank (they're already there anyway). It stops their transit from the West Bank into Israel proper.

I think you may underestimate the value Israel will gain by being compared to an independent Palestinian state in Gaza. It will be so chaotic and brutal and poor - despite billions from the Europeans - that its example will insulate Israel from calls to withdraw from the strategic parts of the West Bank (which will be behind the Wall) for the foreseeable future.

What an idiot this guy is. I can just hear him writing after Munich, "The Sudetenland is now Hitler's problem. It will be Hitler's to police now. The Czechs are fortunate to be able to wash their hands of it. Chamberlain understands the international situation."

These stupid, stupid people. They are absolutely witless.