Sharon's second `big plan'

[Wordie]

Journalists have likened Sharon, felled by his recent stroke, to Moses, able to see the Promised Land, but unable to bring his people into it himself. But Sharon's plans went beyond achieving an end to violence and the establishment of clear Israeli borders.

Sharon's second `big plan'
By Meron Benvenisti

...The sudden departure of a worshiped leader is always an opportunity to express his political will as one wishes to express it, not necessarily on the basis of the departed leader's real goals. The image of the "cruel general who became a peace hero" - although somewhat tarnished due to overexposure in describing Rabin - blinded the eyes of many. They failed to notice that Sharon was very close to the goal he had been aiming to achieve ever since he became an adult: a goal that has nothing to do with peace - to remove the Arab demographic threat unilaterally.

...His "big plan," which led to the war in Lebanon, attempted to solve the demographic problem by turning Jordan into Palestine, deporting the refugees from Lebanon, transferring them from the West Bank, and destroying the Hashemite kingdom. After this plan failed disastrously, Sharon drafted his canton plan, and strove to implement it in every post he filled. For many years he had to resort to underhanded, even illegal means, but he did not tire, and filled the territories with settlements and outposts.

...Becoming prime minister enabled him to pursue his plan to "remove the demographic threat" - thus pulling out of Gaza seemed to subtract a million Palestinians from the demographic balance sheet. The "separation fence" next created isolated cantons, paving the way to fictitiously "losing" hundreds of thousands more. Setting up a separate transportation system, "border passes," and "closures" shattered the Palestinian community into four or five sub-communities, subjected to different conditions and gradually losing touch with each other.

...Like in the "big plan" of 1981, the biggest mistake at present is the attempt to solve the problem unilaterally with dictates and excessive power. Ariel Sharon is no longer capable of changing his approach, and perhaps he never was. But those who claim to be continuing Sharon's heritage should never forget that "heritage" also means learning from his mistakes and avoiding them.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/669207.html

I wonder if George Bush or Condalezza Rice has read this article, or is even remotely aware of this side of the story. And doesn't this meet the definition of genocide?

[tatertop]

1. Can there be any doubt that Sharon never had peace on his mind

Not under any conditions.
And Bibi will be worse.

[Wordie]

2. Sharon was single-minded, and never was a "partner" to the Palestinians.

Although it was he who claimed he did what he did because he himself had
"no partner" in the Palestinians. The illegal Israeli settlement policy, intended to slowly annex the remaining Palestinian lands to Israel, was something he designed and vigorously promoted throughout his entire governmental career.

It doesn't look like it will be Bibi, from the recent polls, but maybe it really is too early to tell. So much can happen before March.

[tatertop]

7. He is The Beast. We will not forget.

[Tom Joad]

3. Sharon was a tragedy not only for Palestine, but for Israel and the whole

Middle East. I am not expecting the next Israeli leader to be any better, but we can always hope.

[Wordie]

4. There was an interesting article I ran across a while ago...

that said that Sharon may yet leave a positive legacy for true peace, more or less in spite of himself. The idea was that he had awakened a longing for peace in the Israeli public, and an expectation that it was in reach, to a degree not seen in a very long time. So that even though Sharon may have intended the Gaza pullout as a "look over there" move, the public, being unaware of that, would now be more inclined to want to see the process move forward. I've posted a few times that there was a poll taken of Israeli voters (just a couple of months ago), that said 49% were willing to divide Jerusalem. (I don't think Sharon had that in mind!) If this theory is correct, who knows what will happen.

That said, Olmert probably is not going to want to stick his neck out, as he doesn't have the stature of Sharon. So even though Olmert himself seems to be a bit to the left of where Sharon was, he may not want to appear "weak" in comparison. It's hard to clearly understand where the Israeli electorate really is (it was difficult before Sharon's illness, now it seems impossible).

[Tom Joad]

5. As Dwight Eisenhower said...

I think that people want peace so much that one of these days government had better get out of their way and let them have it.
Dwight D. Eisenhower

I think that holds true for both the US public and the Israeli public. Still, I don't think, absent outside pressures, that the Israeli policy will change in any significant degree.

I do think we can create those outside pressures. We must never be silent on human rights violations, and especially with a nation so identified with our own. Also, solidarity with the cause of justice for Palestine is real solidarity with the Israelis as well.

Unfortunately, just as Bushniks think the Europeans "hate us" because they are so opposed to Bush policies, so too are those folks who claim that those who oppose Israeli policies hate Israeli people ... and this should be seen as just as illogical.

[Wordie]

6. Yes, there are many Israelis with whom you and I would be in perfect

agreement. So the anti-Israel stuff is nonsense. The appearance of it, if someone perceives it, is more a case of push-back against statements that try to paint the Palestinians as wholly responsible for all the problems, without seeing or acknowledging any similar problems (or as Violet has said, a "mirror") on the Israeli side. There are problems on both sides and both will have to change to achieve peace. Until there is true peace, the power differential leaves the ball in the Israeli court, imho, as they are the occupiers.