Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, with the George Bush/Colin Powell State Department, is about to pull off Arik's next 'illusion'. Arik will go to America on April 15 to receive the Bush/Powell State Department blessing for his withdrawal/retreat from Gaza/Gush Katif.
The pre-arrangement will be that Sharon goes to Washington and has a scripted discussion with President George W. Bush. Pre-arrangement means that all the deals have been cut by the U.S. State Department (appropriately nicknamed "Foggy Bottom") and Sharon merely shows up, as if for 'discussions'.
Sharon then expects to return to Israel with a statement in his pocket in "diplomese" (the language of obfuscation) that Bush approves of and, therefore, will pay for, Sharon's retreat from Gaza/Gush Katif. Sharon then bludgeons the Cabinet and Knesset with what he says is a mandate from the President of the world's biggest superpower demanding withdrawal or else. Since none of the Cabinet or the Likud Party can question Bush directly, they must take Sharon at his word. (Note: This same trick was used by Yitzchak Rabin and Shimon Peres regarding Oslo. Then-Prime Minister Rabin threatened a referendum vote time and again of the people, but first he was going to Washington to get a club of persuasion issued in a similar arrangement with then-President Clinton. He would then return and tell the nation, his Cabinet and the Knesset that Clinton demanded obedience. All would have to cave in to what would be virtually a signed agreement, with the full weight of American pressure.)
Today, Sharon desperately wants to produce a withdrawal from Gaza to cement his place in history as a Peace Prime Minister and for that, he needs Bush and the State Department's collaboration. Their role is to produce a split non-committal statement that can be read two ways.
Sharon can read it to the Israelis as a blessing, or mandate, by the U.S. for his plan.
Bush and the State Department can issue a denial of sorts so the political Right in America, particularly his Christian Coalition supporters, will not come down on Bush like a ton of bricks right before the November elections. Be assured meetings between Dov Weisglass, Ehud Olmert and the Bush team of Burns, Daniel Kurtzer, with Powell's direction, have been in motion for a long time. Bush needs a semblance of a Middle East "win" before his election - even if it is all smoke and mirrors.
Sharon's slight of hand will be to beat his Cabinet into submission. He has a vote set up in the Likud Party and they are already campaigning by electronic phone calls to Likud members. He'll threaten his generals and heads of intelligence to shut up and cease telling the public that withdrawal will increase terror to a level not seen before. Finally, he will make promises to the voting nation that his plan will bring an end to terror. This he promised during his election campaign, when Ehud Barak was kicked out of office by a landslide vote for Sharon's brand of security.
It will be a promise he cannot keep, but it will not matter, because he will be out of office by the time Gaza fills up with terrorists from Muslim groups and countries from all over the world - as is happening in Iraq. They will swarm to the open Gaza Strip like locusts.
Christians who believe in Israel should send an unquestionable message to Bush: "Don't support Sharon's dangerous withdrawal/retreat and don't try to trick us before elections with double-talk." Tell Bush directly, "If you encourage Sharon to retreat/withdraw in any way, we will sit out the elections and do not wish to be part of the calamity that will befall both Israel and America by defying G-d's will." Besides, what intelligent Christian or Jew would ignore the facts about another Arab Palestinian state dedicated to eliminating Israel, while Arab Palestinians' fellow Muslims are blowing up the world?
The Jews of Israel should make their voices heard and no longer take the illusory promises of peace with terrorists from untrustworthy politicians.
Sharon's government is going to fall.
Bush is likely to be a one-term President (like his father) if he tries to appease the Arab Muslim world with the sacrifice of the Jewish State of Israel.
We are in for black times if we accept Global Terrorism by radical Islamofascists as a natural phenomenon that will fade away. Or can we be desensitized to accept some levels of terrorist killings in order to pacify the Arab Muslims?
Let President Bush know immediately that you will not be party to Sharon's betrayal of G-d's promise to the Jewish people to be gathered into their homeland. Both Jews and Christians should show up en masse in Washington on Sharon's arrival to let him and Bush know that giving up any part of Israel will insure that they are both forced out of office.
The pre-arrangement will be that Sharon goes to Washington and has a scripted discussion with President George W. Bush. Pre-arrangement means that all the deals have been cut by the U.S. State Department (appropriately nicknamed "Foggy Bottom") and Sharon merely shows up, as if for 'discussions'.
Sharon then expects to return to Israel with a statement in his pocket in "diplomese" (the language of obfuscation) that Bush approves of and, therefore, will pay for, Sharon's retreat from Gaza/Gush Katif. Sharon then bludgeons the Cabinet and Knesset with what he says is a mandate from the President of the world's biggest superpower demanding withdrawal or else. Since none of the Cabinet or the Likud Party can question Bush directly, they must take Sharon at his word. (Note: This same trick was used by Yitzchak Rabin and Shimon Peres regarding Oslo. Then-Prime Minister Rabin threatened a referendum vote time and again of the people, but first he was going to Washington to get a club of persuasion issued in a similar arrangement with then-President Clinton. He would then return and tell the nation, his Cabinet and the Knesset that Clinton demanded obedience. All would have to cave in to what would be virtually a signed agreement, with the full weight of American pressure.)
Today, Sharon desperately wants to produce a withdrawal from Gaza to cement his place in history as a Peace Prime Minister and for that, he needs Bush and the State Department's collaboration. Their role is to produce a split non-committal statement that can be read two ways.
Sharon can read it to the Israelis as a blessing, or mandate, by the U.S. for his plan.
Bush and the State Department can issue a denial of sorts so the political Right in America, particularly his Christian Coalition supporters, will not come down on Bush like a ton of bricks right before the November elections. Be assured meetings between Dov Weisglass, Ehud Olmert and the Bush team of Burns, Daniel Kurtzer, with Powell's direction, have been in motion for a long time. Bush needs a semblance of a Middle East "win" before his election - even if it is all smoke and mirrors.
Sharon's slight of hand will be to beat his Cabinet into submission. He has a vote set up in the Likud Party and they are already campaigning by electronic phone calls to Likud members. He'll threaten his generals and heads of intelligence to shut up and cease telling the public that withdrawal will increase terror to a level not seen before. Finally, he will make promises to the voting nation that his plan will bring an end to terror. This he promised during his election campaign, when Ehud Barak was kicked out of office by a landslide vote for Sharon's brand of security.
It will be a promise he cannot keep, but it will not matter, because he will be out of office by the time Gaza fills up with terrorists from Muslim groups and countries from all over the world - as is happening in Iraq. They will swarm to the open Gaza Strip like locusts.
Christians who believe in Israel should send an unquestionable message to Bush: "Don't support Sharon's dangerous withdrawal/retreat and don't try to trick us before elections with double-talk." Tell Bush directly, "If you encourage Sharon to retreat/withdraw in any way, we will sit out the elections and do not wish to be part of the calamity that will befall both Israel and America by defying G-d's will." Besides, what intelligent Christian or Jew would ignore the facts about another Arab Palestinian state dedicated to eliminating Israel, while Arab Palestinians' fellow Muslims are blowing up the world?
The Jews of Israel should make their voices heard and no longer take the illusory promises of peace with terrorists from untrustworthy politicians.
Sharon's government is going to fall.
Bush is likely to be a one-term President (like his father) if he tries to appease the Arab Muslim world with the sacrifice of the Jewish State of Israel.
We are in for black times if we accept Global Terrorism by radical Islamofascists as a natural phenomenon that will fade away. Or can we be desensitized to accept some levels of terrorist killings in order to pacify the Arab Muslims?
Let President Bush know immediately that you will not be party to Sharon's betrayal of G-d's promise to the Jewish people to be gathered into their homeland. Both Jews and Christians should show up en masse in Washington on Sharon's arrival to let him and Bush know that giving up any part of Israel will insure that they are both forced out of office.