As I mentioned in the last post, the Gaza disengagement plan, which seems to have started as a ploy to gain U.S. approval for keeping the larger settlements on the West Bank, has taken on a life of its own. Among the consequences has been a definitive confrontation between Sharon and the settler movement. The settlers have always been considered a tremendously powerful force in Israeli politics, but it appears their bluff has been called. Michael Dahan, writing in the Palestinian Chronicle, has this to say:
Oddly enough, they are being forced by their former patron and supporter, Ariel Sharon, to show their hand to the Israeli public - and that hand is empty. For 38 years the settlers have managed to paralyze political leaders seeking to divest Israel of the settlements. Their supporters assassinated Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and they are now threatening Sharon with physical violence. Following the disengagement vote in the Knesset last night, graffiti appeared in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv calling for Sharon’s death. For 38 years the settlers and their cohorts have managed to prevent the single most important decision facing the Israeli public and the political leadership of the country: To divest itself of the occupied territories.
Indeed, Sharon, who precipitated the current Intifada by his visit to the Temple Mount three years ago today, seemed to be trying to place himself in the lineage of great Israeli peacemakers with his comments at Yitzhak Rabin’s grave on Wednesday. With Arafat ill and speculation about new leadership in the Palestinian Authority, the political landscape has changed dramatically in the past week.
Over here, we had a lunar eclipse, and the Red Sox - the team that can never quite go all the way - won the World Series. Oh, and there’s a presidential election on Tuesday. Hm…
Yeah, it does work. Gerry
Yeah, it does work. Gerry