Not only is this clearly Palestinian territory, but the very word "settlement" is troubling. Using this word makes a Jewish incursion sound like a fortified village in aboriginal territory. Perhaps, at the base of everything, this attitude is what troubles me and (I believe) others.
The U.S. and Israel are, of course, longtime friends and allies, but friction has not been a stranger to this relationship. The problem is relatively simple: The United States, at least for now, appears to be focusing its attention on Osama bin Laden and his network, Al Qaida. To this end, the U.S. is attempting to build an alliance with many Arab countries, and in doing so may be overlooking Arab organizations and states that Israel would like to see dealt with as terrorists and supporters of terrorists: Hamas, Hezbollah, armies of the Palestine Liberation Organization, Syria, and Iran. This week's revelations of the Bush Administration's behind-the-scenes Palestinian statehood plan, with its appearance of rewarding the perpetrators of the September 11th attack on America, was just too much for Sharon, a proud career soldier, to remain silent on.
This move can only be seen as a slap in the face to families of the September 11 victims and our longtime friend, Israel, not to mention a sign of weakness to the terrorists. If President Bush is interested in exploring statehood for the Palestinians, then he should do so in a context that makes clear "talks start when terrorism stops." Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu understood this concept well. As he told the American media at the Wye Summit in 1998, "Any movement to give them [the Palestinian Authority] additional land is premised on their fighting terrorism", and "Israel is a tiny country. We're asked to give large blocks of land right next to our cities, right next to our 'White House', right next to our 'Capitol'. How do we know that these areas, these territories do not become bases of terrorism?" Good question. I don't believe the Bush team has an answer for that. The longer-term answer as to whether Israel has a legitimate security concern, I believe depends on exactly what type of war the Unites States intends to fight.
President Bush, in his magnificent speech to Congress and the nation September 20th, said, "Our enemy is a radical network of terrorists, and every government that supports them." However, there is either a battle going on within the administration, or a purposeful propaganda effort being maintained to confuse our enemies. U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, in an interview with NBC, said, "With respect to the nature of the regime in Afghanistan, that is not uppermost in our minds right now", referring to taking on the Taliban government, in an apparent direct contradiction of President Bush's remarks to Congress. Rush Limbaugh, noting the discrepancy, flat out called it "insubordination" if it was not a propaganda tactic. Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz, at a September 13th briefing, in stark contrast to Powell's statement, called for "ending states who sponsor terrorism." Wolfowitz, like many Americans, is reported to be particularly interested in taking on Iraq. Is there an internal struggle in the Bush Administration to define the nature of this war? It is questions such as these that make Israel and many Americans nervous. Will the United States follow through on the President's words and prosecute a war as if "Our enemy is a radical network of terrorists and every government that supports them", or will our actions more closely resemble a civilian police action, where we focus primarily on individuals and networks responsible for terrorist acts?
There is no talking to them, there is no appeasing them. In truth, there are no options: We must hunt them down, we must kill them, and we must wipe out their bases of operation. That base consists of countries. Benjamin Netanyahu told the House Government
I haven't posted here in a while but i have been lurking a lot.To be clear I admire and support President Bush in most ways but here i have to agree with Sharon and Netanyahu 150%. I was shocked to see the likes of Hamas and the other PLO terrorists left off the list of terrorists that are the enemy.These people are no different or less dangerous than OSBL.They target innocent civilans,children and young people for death as a way of getting what they want (total control of Jerusalem and the Jews all dead). How is that acceptable for Isreal but not us? You cant make "peace" with people who think they will go to heaven if they kill you and Israel (IMO) shouldn't even try. The PLO and Arafat (a murder BTW) are getting money and support from America.It needs to stop. These killers (Hamas, The PLO,etc) were cheering and dancing in the streets when we were attacked.They are Israels enemy and OURS. Sorry if this looks odd.I'm still having HTML trouble.