What is Israel getting out of the Gaza pullout?
I am interested in Jewish and Israeli culture. It fascinates me that in such a short time (Israel was founded in 1947) they have acquired such a rich, vibrant and prosperous society. Of course I'm also a big fan of secular/democratic societies and Israel is famously one of the most secular societies in the Middle East.
I have been reading CosmicX's blog and I'm interested to see what he has to say . From what I can tell he's a typical Jew living in Israel. He also shares a similarity with me in that he gets very few hits on his blog :)
According to the Economist though, he's part of the minority when it comes to the Gaza pullout. He is not in favour of it and thinks that Israel is giving up its birthright for no concessions. He (or at least the sources he cites) isn't opposed to an eventual Gaza pullout, just a pullout in the midst of terrorist attacks.
It's important to remember both how risky the pullout is and how the necessity still hasn't been conveyed to many Israelis. It is risky because Sharon is banking on Abu Mazen to deliver on the terrorism front after Israel has pulled out. It's necessary because we know nothing will happen unless Israel makes a grand public concession on the settlements that is not conditional on progress in the war on terror.
I was in California in 2002 and saw the whole farce unfolding on CNN/MSNBC/and about a billion other news networks. It went like this: Palestinian suicide bombers destroy something -> Israel goes in and surrounds PLO headquarters demanding a crackdown on terror --> PLO can't crackdown because they can't leave their barracks --> Terrorists take advantage of weak PLO and bomb Israelis --> Israelis demands PLO crackdown on terror and throw some grenades at PLO headquarters for good measure --> etc.. etc..
Without something that Abu Mazen can hold up as a concession/success on the part of Palestine he will not be able to acquire enough legitimacy to crackdown on militants.
But we shouldn't forget that if Palestinians don't remember or recognise the concessions being made, then this concession would have been in vain. Most Palestinians don't recognise/realise the concessions that were offered at Camp David in 2000. I think there's also a danger that they won't realise the concessions or will forget about them after the pullout.
If terrorism does not subside considerably as a result of this pullout, it will be a long time before Israel concedes something again.
If that's so, then the Gaza pullout is a risky move, but if it succeeds it could give a new impetus to a final peaceful settlement.
I have been reading CosmicX's blog and I'm interested to see what he has to say . From what I can tell he's a typical Jew living in Israel. He also shares a similarity with me in that he gets very few hits on his blog :)
According to the Economist though, he's part of the minority when it comes to the Gaza pullout. He is not in favour of it and thinks that Israel is giving up its birthright for no concessions. He (or at least the sources he cites) isn't opposed to an eventual Gaza pullout, just a pullout in the midst of terrorist attacks.
It's important to remember both how risky the pullout is and how the necessity still hasn't been conveyed to many Israelis. It is risky because Sharon is banking on Abu Mazen to deliver on the terrorism front after Israel has pulled out. It's necessary because we know nothing will happen unless Israel makes a grand public concession on the settlements that is not conditional on progress in the war on terror.
I was in California in 2002 and saw the whole farce unfolding on CNN/MSNBC/and about a billion other news networks. It went like this: Palestinian suicide bombers destroy something -> Israel goes in and surrounds PLO headquarters demanding a crackdown on terror --> PLO can't crackdown because they can't leave their barracks --> Terrorists take advantage of weak PLO and bomb Israelis --> Israelis demands PLO crackdown on terror and throw some grenades at PLO headquarters for good measure --> etc.. etc..
Without something that Abu Mazen can hold up as a concession/success on the part of Palestine he will not be able to acquire enough legitimacy to crackdown on militants.
But we shouldn't forget that if Palestinians don't remember or recognise the concessions being made, then this concession would have been in vain. Most Palestinians don't recognise/realise the concessions that were offered at Camp David in 2000. I think there's also a danger that they won't realise the concessions or will forget about them after the pullout.
If terrorism does not subside considerably as a result of this pullout, it will be a long time before Israel concedes something again.
If that's so, then the Gaza pullout is a risky move, but if it succeeds it could give a new impetus to a final peaceful settlement.
posted by Dileepa at 9:28 am
1 Comments:
Hello Dileepa,
I was wondering who the New Zealander was!
"He also shares a similarity with me in that he gets very few hits on his blog :):
LOL!
"He (or at least the sources he cites) isn't opposed to an eventual Gaza pullout, just a pullout in the midst of terrorist attacks."
I personally am against a pullout under any circumstances.
"PLO can't crackdown because they can't leave their barracks."
Not at all. The PLO ARE the terrorists! They are not only ignoring the "terrorists", they are actively taking part in the terrorist activity. Dahlan, for example was personally involved in the bombing of the school bus (which killed several people and seriously injured several others) in Kfar Darom. The "tit for tat" spin of CNN/MSNBC and others is just a bunch of trash.
Thought you might like to know.
Post a Comment
<< Home