Now, I'm in Favor of Disengagement

by Nissan Ratzlav-Katz

In contrast to Ezra Halevi's article "Public Figures Express Regret For Disengagement," I would like to now finally come out of the closet and very strongly advocate "disengagement," the uprooting of settlements in Gaza.

The arguments in favor of "disengagement" in Gaza are clear; they have been stated already many times by Israeli leaders and other left-wing thinkers.

Announcing the "disengagement" in 2003, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said: "The purpose of the Disengagement Plan is to reduce terror as much as possible, and grant Israeli citizens the maximum level of security. The process of disengagement will lead to an improvement in the quality of life, and will help strengthen the Israeli economy."

Mark Heller, from the Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies in Tel Aviv, wrote that "the strongest argument in favor of unilateral disengagement has been that since there is no partner for negotiations, either on permanent status issues or even on the Road Map, there is no reason for Israel to condition its actions on a negotiated agreement, which would essentially mean doing nothing."

Dov Weissglas, Sharon's right-hand man and chief of staff for promoting "disengagement," said the following in an October 2004 interview with Haaretz newspaper: "The significance of the Disengagement Plan is the freezing of the peace process.... When you freeze that process, you prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state and you prevent a discussion on the refugees, the borders and Jerusalem. Disengagement supplies the amount of formaldehyde that is necessary so there will not be a political process with the Palestinians."

Another three arguments in favor of "disengagement" were: 1) Israel cannot rule over the Arabs forever; 2) Arabs may in time outnumber Israelis and demand the right to vote; and 3) it is not worth the expenditures of the army in the Gaza region.
"Disengagement will lead to an improvement in the quality of life." - Ariel Sharon


Also, "there will be a million Palestinians spared that daily, grinding friction in their lives," said David Makovsky of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

Gerald Steinberg noted that "disengagement" would "minimize vulnerability to another and potentially more deadly terror campaign."

For all of the above reasons, and more, I hereby strongly advocate the uprooting of the settlements in Gaza. With "determination and sensitivity," all the existing settlements - from Rafiach to Khan Younis, from Deir El-Balah to Gaza City, and on to Bait Lahiya and Beit Hanoun (especially Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanoun) - must be uprooted immediately.

Yes, you know - "painful concessions", "sacrifices for peace" and all that stuff.

We tried uprooting Jewish settlements for the sake of peace. As anyone in Sderot can testify, that didn't work out so well. So, why not try uprooting Arab settlements for the sake of peace? I have a feeling that will work out much better. And if it doesn't, well, what the heck, I can always write a contrite op-ed somewhere a year or two later....

The Beneficial Side of the British Boycott

by Steven Plaut


Well the British tenured anti-Semites and the pseudo-scholars have decided to boycott Israeli universities. It remains to be seen if the mediocre British institutions of higher learning will survive this.

In any case, having thought about it a bit, I think that the British boycott of Israeli universities and academics has its POSITIVE aspects. In fact, I think we should ENCOURAGE the Brits to boycott Israeli academics, or at least SOME academics.

So to help these British boycotters, I have prepared a list of Israeli academics whom they can immediately begin boycotting:

Ilan Pappe (University of Haifa), Neve Gordon (Ben Gurion University), Oren Yiftachel (Ben Gurion University), David Newman (Ben Gurion University), Avraham Oz (University of Haifa), Anat Matar (Tel Aviv University), Anat Biletzki (Tel Aviv University), Ran HaCohen (Tel Aviv University), Moshe Zimmerman (Hebrew University), Yuval Yonay (University of Haifa), Yoav Peled (Tel Aviv University), Shlomo Sand (Tel Aviv University), Lev Grinberg (Ben Gurion University), Colman Altman (Technion, emeritus), Jacob Katriel (Technion), Ron Kuzar (University of Haifa), Yehuda Shenhav (Tel Aviv University), Kobi Snitz (Bar Ilan University), Menachem Klein (Bar Ilan University), Dan Rabinowitz (Tel Aviv University), Uri Ram (Ben Gurion University)

You can find many more names of Israeli academics who can be boycotted by the British at the web site of www.israel-academia-monitor.com!!

Jacob Bows to Esau

by Jack Engelhard

Originally I wanted this headline: “Prime Minister of Israel to Honor President of Terror.” But I figured it was too long.

The exact headline, from today’s New York Times, runs as follows: “Meeting To Take Place in Palestinian Territories.”

Can this be true? Yes, it’s true.

Miri Eisin (further from the Times) said that such a meeting between Ehud Olmert and Mahmoud Abbas, for the first time outside of Jerusalem, was “a possibility.”

Had enough? Too bad. There’s more. Like this from Eisin, who serves as Olmert’s spokeswoman:

“Miss Eisin said a meeting in Palestinian territory would be ‘a gesture of honor’ from Israel.”

That’s right – gesture of honor.

More -- you glutton for punishment? Okay, here’s the rest from Ms. Eisin: This gesture of honor would show that “this is a partnership, not a patron-client relationship.”

Isn’t that special?

Mr. Olmert is (apparently) untroubled by the deadly rockets flying into Israel from Palestinian territories. No problem.

Mr Olmert is (apparently) perfectly all right with the siege of Sderot.

As long as he’s prime minister, 1,400 rockets slamming into Israel is no big deal, just another day at the office.

Too bad about those Israelis already murdered by Kassam rockets from Palestinian territories – but the show must go on.

Anyway, Rabin already set the tone. Those dying Israelis are “sacrifices for peace.” Since Oslo, well over a thousand Israelis have been so sacrificed for this “peace.”

The killing of Israelis and the dying of Israelis continues without let-up, but Mr. Olmert thinks it’s proper to extend a “gesture of honor” to this Holocaust-denier.

Yes, Mr. Olmert is keen to demonstrate that this is a “partnership” between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. That the real partnership is between Mr. Abbas’s Fatah and Hamas – both of which are desirous of destroying Israel, the same gang, the same thugs, but different names – is of no apparent consequence to Mr. Olmert.

As Israelis hide in bomb shelters, as shops are closed, schools are emptied, as Israelis shudder at every siren and flinch at every sound, as Fatah and Hamas have kept not a single promise except to cleanse Israel of Jews, as Israelis fear for their loved ones in the face of this terror, all of it coming from the Palestinian territories, Mr. Olmert approves a meeting in just such a place, with a man named Abbas who presides over it all. Indeed, such a man, such a terrorist in a suit, merits a "gesture of honor."

Is this absurd? Is this obscene?

But yes, and Jacob bowed before Esau.