It is sometimes said that you can judge a man by the company he keeps. Likewise, you can generally judge a national policy by its supporters. This is especially true of policies that involve the interests of Israel.
Nothing has more greatly polarized Israeli public opinion recently than Ariel Sharon's Gaza withdrawal plan. Having failed to win the support of his own political party for the evacuation of Jewish residents from Gaza, Sharon has resorted to political maneuverings and machinations to push through his policy. He is vehemently supported by some and equally vehemently opposed by others in Israeli society.
Before going into the pros and cons of the policy itself, it is perhaps equally useful to explore the company that Sharon is keeping in pursuing his dreams of a Gaza retreat.
As we all know, the United Nations has not, to put it mildly, exactly been Israel's greatest friend over the past half-century or so. Likewise, the current UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, has proven to be no friend of Israel by his carefully chosen anti-Israel rhetoric and silence in the face of Palestinian terrorism. Well, guess what? Annan and his UN have publicly announced their strong support for the Sharon Gaza surrender plan. Does this mean that the UN has finally seen the light and will at last welcome Israel into its fold as a full-fledged member, alongside such democratic states as Syria, Libya and Sudan? What is it about the Gaza withdrawal plan that has made the UN voice such approval of Sharon's policy?
Aside from the UN, if there was ever another erstwhile world body that Israel could always count upon to slander its name, then surely it must be the European Union. Yes sir, one can always count on the EU to verbally malign Israel's attempts to defend itself from terrorist attacks. The EU even demands that Israel pay compensation for the damage caused to EU-funded terrorist infrastructure, which sometimes occurs while the IDF conducts its anti-terrorism operations. At the same time, the EU refuses to act on evidence that its billions in handouts to the Palestinian Authority have been misspent and misappropriated. As we all know, the EU is happy to release findings from its polls that suggest Israel is the greatest threat to world peace, and equally happy to suppress findings from a report that suggests Muslim immigrants are at the root of the revival of European anti-Semitism.
However, is it finally possible that there is some light at the end of the tunnel? The EU, like its "Roadmap Quartet" partner the UN, has publicly come out in support of the Sharon Gaza capitulation plan. Who knows, the EU might even one day consider inviting Israel to become a member state, alongside Turkey.
Then, of course, the whole world knows that there has been no greater friend of Israel than Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Under the leadership of this erstwhile ally of Israel, Egypt has become a model democratic society of religious tolerance, female emancipation and economic prosperity, has it not? Is it not true that in exchange for the Sinai Desert and its oil wells, Egypt has refrained from launching any further attacks against Israel's population?
Who cares if there has been zero economic cooperation and minimal diplomatic relations between the two nations? Who cares if terrorist weapons are regularly smuggled into Gaza through tunnels originating from Egypt? Who cares if anti-Semitic filth appears daily on the state-owned Egyptian TV and in the state-owned press? All this is irrelevant because Mubarak has finally seen the light and come out in support of Sharon's Gaza disengagement plan. Perhaps next, Mubarak will consider the establishment of a joint Israel-Egypt Ministry of Tourism.
Having established that Sharon's disenfranchise-the-Jews-and-cut-and-run-from-Gaza plan has the support of the UN, EU and Egypt, as well as other longstanding friends such as Jordan and leftists the world over, we should examine why.
Under the present state of affairs, Israel administers the territory and has a measure of control over its borders with Egypt and movement of arms within the territory. It also has a permanent military presence within Gaza and Jewish settlements from which it can monitor activity of hostile forces. Once Israel withdraws behind its wall, Gaza's border with Israel becomes the next staging post of the Palestinian quest to destroy the Jewish State.
Then of course, the UN, EU, Egypt, Jordan and leftists the world over, knowing that Gaza is not a viable, self-sufficient economic entity, will renew their shrill cry that Israel supply its enemies with jobs, water, food, medicine and alleviate their self-imposed suffering. Israeli human rights abuses, they will say, is responsible for the suffering of the poor Palestinians in Gaza who can't feed themselves. They will say this even as rockets launched from Gaza land in Ashdod, Ashkelon and Tel-Aviv.
Throughout this whole sorry saga, there has been one consistent source of truth about what will result from a Gaza pullout by Israel. Ironically, that source has not been any of Israel's real or imagined friends, but its greatest enemy. In fact, only Hamas has openly and honestly said what will happen after an Israeli withdrawal. Hamas, the terrorist organisation committed to replacing Israel with an Islamic state, says it will continue its attacks against Israel regardless of a Gaza withdrawal.
Is anyone out there listening?
Nothing has more greatly polarized Israeli public opinion recently than Ariel Sharon's Gaza withdrawal plan. Having failed to win the support of his own political party for the evacuation of Jewish residents from Gaza, Sharon has resorted to political maneuverings and machinations to push through his policy. He is vehemently supported by some and equally vehemently opposed by others in Israeli society.
Before going into the pros and cons of the policy itself, it is perhaps equally useful to explore the company that Sharon is keeping in pursuing his dreams of a Gaza retreat.
As we all know, the United Nations has not, to put it mildly, exactly been Israel's greatest friend over the past half-century or so. Likewise, the current UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, has proven to be no friend of Israel by his carefully chosen anti-Israel rhetoric and silence in the face of Palestinian terrorism. Well, guess what? Annan and his UN have publicly announced their strong support for the Sharon Gaza surrender plan. Does this mean that the UN has finally seen the light and will at last welcome Israel into its fold as a full-fledged member, alongside such democratic states as Syria, Libya and Sudan? What is it about the Gaza withdrawal plan that has made the UN voice such approval of Sharon's policy?
Aside from the UN, if there was ever another erstwhile world body that Israel could always count upon to slander its name, then surely it must be the European Union. Yes sir, one can always count on the EU to verbally malign Israel's attempts to defend itself from terrorist attacks. The EU even demands that Israel pay compensation for the damage caused to EU-funded terrorist infrastructure, which sometimes occurs while the IDF conducts its anti-terrorism operations. At the same time, the EU refuses to act on evidence that its billions in handouts to the Palestinian Authority have been misspent and misappropriated. As we all know, the EU is happy to release findings from its polls that suggest Israel is the greatest threat to world peace, and equally happy to suppress findings from a report that suggests Muslim immigrants are at the root of the revival of European anti-Semitism.
However, is it finally possible that there is some light at the end of the tunnel? The EU, like its "Roadmap Quartet" partner the UN, has publicly come out in support of the Sharon Gaza capitulation plan. Who knows, the EU might even one day consider inviting Israel to become a member state, alongside Turkey.
Then, of course, the whole world knows that there has been no greater friend of Israel than Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Under the leadership of this erstwhile ally of Israel, Egypt has become a model democratic society of religious tolerance, female emancipation and economic prosperity, has it not? Is it not true that in exchange for the Sinai Desert and its oil wells, Egypt has refrained from launching any further attacks against Israel's population?
Who cares if there has been zero economic cooperation and minimal diplomatic relations between the two nations? Who cares if terrorist weapons are regularly smuggled into Gaza through tunnels originating from Egypt? Who cares if anti-Semitic filth appears daily on the state-owned Egyptian TV and in the state-owned press? All this is irrelevant because Mubarak has finally seen the light and come out in support of Sharon's Gaza disengagement plan. Perhaps next, Mubarak will consider the establishment of a joint Israel-Egypt Ministry of Tourism.
Having established that Sharon's disenfranchise-the-Jews-and-cut-and-run-from-Gaza plan has the support of the UN, EU and Egypt, as well as other longstanding friends such as Jordan and leftists the world over, we should examine why.
Under the present state of affairs, Israel administers the territory and has a measure of control over its borders with Egypt and movement of arms within the territory. It also has a permanent military presence within Gaza and Jewish settlements from which it can monitor activity of hostile forces. Once Israel withdraws behind its wall, Gaza's border with Israel becomes the next staging post of the Palestinian quest to destroy the Jewish State.
Then of course, the UN, EU, Egypt, Jordan and leftists the world over, knowing that Gaza is not a viable, self-sufficient economic entity, will renew their shrill cry that Israel supply its enemies with jobs, water, food, medicine and alleviate their self-imposed suffering. Israeli human rights abuses, they will say, is responsible for the suffering of the poor Palestinians in Gaza who can't feed themselves. They will say this even as rockets launched from Gaza land in Ashdod, Ashkelon and Tel-Aviv.
Throughout this whole sorry saga, there has been one consistent source of truth about what will result from a Gaza pullout by Israel. Ironically, that source has not been any of Israel's real or imagined friends, but its greatest enemy. In fact, only Hamas has openly and honestly said what will happen after an Israeli withdrawal. Hamas, the terrorist organisation committed to replacing Israel with an Islamic state, says it will continue its attacks against Israel regardless of a Gaza withdrawal.
Is anyone out there listening?