In the end, the feared American pressure upon Israel to stop building the partition may not even be necessary. Aides to Prime Minister Sharon, who arrived in Washington this morning, said that construction work on the anti-terrorist wall separating the Arab areas of Yesha from the rest of Israel will simply be frozen in some controversial areas. U.S. President Bush is/was expected to exert strong pressure on Mr. Sharon to stop building what he called the "wall snaking through the West Bank." Israel insists that the wall be built east of Ariel, in central Shomron.
Coalition whip MK Gideon Saar said that Sharon should have acted precisely the opposite: "The controversial section should be first, to show that he will not cave in to pressure, and then the other sections should be built."
Also causing consternation in some circles was the sudden jump in the number of Hamas and Islamic Jihad prisoners to be released. Two weeks ago it appeared that none would be released; yesterday the Cabinet approved letting 110 of them go, and today that number has climbed to 210. Minister Gideon Ezra explained that yesterday's vote did not deal with "numbers of prisoners," but rather with the "criteria" governing who would and would not be released."
Ezra's explanation did not mollify Knesset Speaker Ruby Rivlin, however. Rivlin, who turned down a Cabinet post from his friend Ariel Sharon because he feared Sharon's concessionary policies, told Army Radio this morning,
"Israel is beginning to become irrelevant in the American considerations. These [recent concessions by Sharon] are not just tactics designed to strengthen Abu Mazen; this is an entire approach that in the end will lead to an inevitable collapse." He said that Sharon has turned Abu Mazen into the darling of the Americans, and that aides to Sharon are making light of the concessions that Israel is being forced to make.
Sharon is scheduled to meet with Bush tomorrow, and will return to Israel on Thursday. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Trade, Industry and Labor Ehud Olmert is serving as Acting Prime Minister in Sharon's absence.
Coalition whip MK Gideon Saar said that Sharon should have acted precisely the opposite: "The controversial section should be first, to show that he will not cave in to pressure, and then the other sections should be built."
Also causing consternation in some circles was the sudden jump in the number of Hamas and Islamic Jihad prisoners to be released. Two weeks ago it appeared that none would be released; yesterday the Cabinet approved letting 110 of them go, and today that number has climbed to 210. Minister Gideon Ezra explained that yesterday's vote did not deal with "numbers of prisoners," but rather with the "criteria" governing who would and would not be released."
Ezra's explanation did not mollify Knesset Speaker Ruby Rivlin, however. Rivlin, who turned down a Cabinet post from his friend Ariel Sharon because he feared Sharon's concessionary policies, told Army Radio this morning,
"Israel is beginning to become irrelevant in the American considerations. These [recent concessions by Sharon] are not just tactics designed to strengthen Abu Mazen; this is an entire approach that in the end will lead to an inevitable collapse." He said that Sharon has turned Abu Mazen into the darling of the Americans, and that aides to Sharon are making light of the concessions that Israel is being forced to make.
Sharon is scheduled to meet with Bush tomorrow, and will return to Israel on Thursday. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Trade, Industry and Labor Ehud Olmert is serving as Acting Prime Minister in Sharon's absence.