Last week, while observing the Gaza pullout, Laurence Simon had a remarkable insight. Let me see if I can paraphrase it here.
Known Muslim terrorists flee into a Muslim house of worship. Solution: surround it, negotiate, bring in terrorist-sympathizers to try to lure them out.
Known Muslim terrorists flee into a Christian house of worship. Solution: surround it, negotiate, agree to let them leave the country freely.
Known Jewish non-terrorists occupy a Jewish house of worship in protest for being forced to move as part of a plan to make a territory Judenrein, as part of the ethnic cleansing of the Gaza strip: send in soldiers and haul them out physically.
The main distinction here seems to be whether or not the occupiers are likely to violently resist. If so, perhaps the settlers would have been wise to fire a few rockets into settle Palestinian areas first.
The other thing that makes me glad I’m not Jewish is the context for the Gaza pullout. Under the numerous “peace plans,” most notably the Road Map, Israel and Palestine are supposed to take numerous steps towards ending the hostilities and eventually arriving at a two-state solution. I don’t have my copy of the Road Map handy, but the last time I checked the wholesale Israeli withdrawal from Gaza is around Step 37 on their obligations.
Meanwhile, the Palestinians are rejoicing in this “great victory” and proclaiming that it was only through terrorism that they won this great concession. Their response is to say that next the West Bank, then Jerusalem, then finally all of Palestine (including Israel) will be theirs.
Oh, and if you’re wondering, Step 1 on the Palestinian list of obligations is to put an end to terrorism. At least it’s on their list of things to do. I’m sure they’ll get to it sooner or later.
One final note: a lot of people have been commenting about what the status of Gaza was before the pullout, and how it was “stolen” by the Israelis. Here’s a quick history lesson:
The Gaza Strip was granted to the Palestinians in 1947 by the United Nations in the partitioning that created Israel, but they never accepted it. It was occupied by Egypt in the 1948 war, and they held it for 19 years, using it as a potential staging ground for a future attack on Israel and generally treating the residents as nuisances.
It was taken and occupied by Israel in 1967, at which point it was formally declared “disputed territory” — land occupied during war to be returned at the conclusion of hostilities. When Israel and Egypt signed a peace treaty in 1979, but Egypt refused to take back the Gaza Strip. There has yet to be signed a peace treaty between Israel and Palestine, therefore the occupation was perfectly proper.
After a couple of decades, though, it’s certainly undertandable that Israel would say “to hell with it” and start moving in settlers, and discuss annexing it.
Now that they’re moving the settlers out they have a free fire zone to retaliate. I think it’s a wonderful move. Before any of you leftist terrorist hating idoits out there complains I have every right to say that, you have to take into account the Palestinians have sworn not to rest until my Jewish ass is dead. If you don’t think it’s fair for me to feel justified in supporting mypeople against that you are obviously in need of a long standing death threat from Muslim extremists yourself. Ooops, you already have that…OK then, you’re retarded.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/binladen/who/edicts.html
“We–with G_d’s help–call on every Muslim who believes in G_d and wishes to be rewarded to comply with G_d’s order to kill the Americans and plunder their money wherever and whenever they find it. We also call on Muslim ulema, leaders, youths, and soldiers to launch the raid on Satan’s U.S. troops and the devil’s supporters allying with them, and to displace those who are behind them so that they may learn a lesson.”
–Osama bin Laden 2/22/1998
You lefties keep on cheering for him and hating us. I’m sure he’ll use a sharper knife to decapitate you.
The pullout from Gaza is actually a good thing. It will allow the IDF freer reign and more manuverability to retailiate against the inevitable rocket attack launched from Gaza because they won’t have to worry about that smallish number of settlers. In addition, what it’s really doing is allowing Israel the only real option left to it (outside of slaughtering every single last palestinian, which I whole heartedly wish they would do)- which is to basically withdraw as completely as possible from these lunatics. Between this and the wall, the animals are pretty much to themselves, and let them run Gaza to shit like they do everything else.
The other thing not really mentioned from this- based on Israel’s statements, this peace crap is all on the animals now. And if they don’t do what they need to do, they will be much freer (and readier) to respond in a crushing manner. The airforce will flatten Gaza to dust if need be.
Let me second the points raised by Bullwinkle and the shark and add my .02. I think that Sharon has things just about right. The sooner the Israelis separate themselves from the jungle that the West Bank and Gaza have become the better. The West Bank has become ungovernable since Jordon withdrew their administration and let the PLO in and Gaza nearly so. I think that Sharon plans to declare the Israeli borders unilaterally and let the Palestinians form their own state. After that occurs, cross border inter-state violence can be responded to in a time honored manner, with artillery.
Tob
It is ugly, just an ugly, ugly situation.
I like the post, certianly a good read. I’ll be sure to stop by to read your blog again.