As Israel wrestles with the question of how much, if any, of Gaza to withdraw from, the Jordanian government said this week that Israel must withdraw from all of Gaza - and then from Judea and Samaria.
Prime Minister Sharon has often explained that the purpose of his withdrawal plan is to head off international pressure for even more Israeli concessions. Jordan's position appears to put the lie to his position.
There have been other indications, as well, that Sharon's plan - not only the "reduced" version involving the removal of only three towns, but also the "full" version calling for a full withdrawal from Gaza and northern Shomron - is not acceptable to those who feel that Israel must make concessions.
Former Foreign Ministry director-general Eitan Bentsur said just two weeks ago that though "Sharon's intentions are good," his strategy simply did not work. "He thought that he could go through with his disengagement from Gaza, and then be allowed to keep large chunks of Judea and Samaria," Bentsur said. "But we see that Europe responded right away by saying that Gaza was only the first step, and that they expected Judea and Samaria to be next. So his plan has just not worked."
Meron Benvenisti, an extreme left-wing Jerusalem politician, wrote an article last month entitled, "Ariel Sharon's Bantustan Plan Doomed to Fail." In the article, published on "www.aljazeerah.info/">, Benvenisti has strong criticism of his left-wing colleagues for their acceptance of the withdrawal plan, and says that the plan is based on the "illusion" that "'separation' is a means to end the conflict." Excerpts:
"... As the Israeli left sees it, the confinement of one and a half million people in a huge holding pen fulfills the ideal of putting an end to the occupation, and furnishes some relief about how 'we are not responsible'. Similarly, when in South Africa a failed attempt was made to solve demographic problems by creating 'homelands for the blacks,' liberals originally supported the idea, and even a portion of the international community viewed the measure as a step toward 'decolonization.' But, after a short time, it became clear that the ploy was designed to confer legitimacy on the expulsion of black people, and their uprooting. The bantustans collapsed, demands for civil equality intensified, and the world mobilized for the defeat of apartheid...
"And thus, with breathtaking daring, Sharon submits a plan that appears to promise the existence of a 'Jewish democratic state' via 'separation', the 'end of the conquest', the 'dismantling of settlements' - and also the imprisonment of some 3 million Palestinians in bantustans. This is an 'interim plan' that is meant to last forever. The plan will last, however, only as long as the illusion is sustained that 'separation' is a means to end the conflict. The day will come when believers in this illusion will realize that separation is a means to oppress and dominate, and then they will mobilize to dismantle the apartheid apparatus..."
More recently, Andres Martinez wrote in the New York Times,
"The two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, once the idealistic aspiration of peace-minded people on both sides, is now seen as the lesser-evil option by mayhem-weary realists. The prevailing Israeli sentiment runs something like this: 'Take your territories and let us wall them off so we never have to deal with each other again.' Though understandable, that sentiment could prove a dangerous fantasy for Israelis. Despite the seeming tidiness of a two-state solution, Palestinians and Israelis will continue to live in a shared economy. Israel will only undermine its own security if it ignores this fact. Gaza offers a cautionary tale of what a hopeless Palestinian state would be. Sealed off, the Gaza Strip has become an increasingly radicalized prison of 1.5 million inmates; it is run by Hamas and other terrorist groups. The percentage of Gazans in poverty - defined as a daily household income of less than $2.10 - has exploded to 80 percent from 20 percent in less than four years... [Israel] will need to accept greater Palestinian sovereignty over such important matters as water rights unless it wants to have a homicidal, desperate neighbor forever. That is what Gaza is becoming."
Prime Minister Sharon has often explained that the purpose of his withdrawal plan is to head off international pressure for even more Israeli concessions. Jordan's position appears to put the lie to his position.
There have been other indications, as well, that Sharon's plan - not only the "reduced" version involving the removal of only three towns, but also the "full" version calling for a full withdrawal from Gaza and northern Shomron - is not acceptable to those who feel that Israel must make concessions.
Former Foreign Ministry director-general Eitan Bentsur said just two weeks ago that though "Sharon's intentions are good," his strategy simply did not work. "He thought that he could go through with his disengagement from Gaza, and then be allowed to keep large chunks of Judea and Samaria," Bentsur said. "But we see that Europe responded right away by saying that Gaza was only the first step, and that they expected Judea and Samaria to be next. So his plan has just not worked."
Meron Benvenisti, an extreme left-wing Jerusalem politician, wrote an article last month entitled, "Ariel Sharon's Bantustan Plan Doomed to Fail." In the article, published on "www.aljazeerah.info/">, Benvenisti has strong criticism of his left-wing colleagues for their acceptance of the withdrawal plan, and says that the plan is based on the "illusion" that "'separation' is a means to end the conflict." Excerpts:
"... As the Israeli left sees it, the confinement of one and a half million people in a huge holding pen fulfills the ideal of putting an end to the occupation, and furnishes some relief about how 'we are not responsible'. Similarly, when in South Africa a failed attempt was made to solve demographic problems by creating 'homelands for the blacks,' liberals originally supported the idea, and even a portion of the international community viewed the measure as a step toward 'decolonization.' But, after a short time, it became clear that the ploy was designed to confer legitimacy on the expulsion of black people, and their uprooting. The bantustans collapsed, demands for civil equality intensified, and the world mobilized for the defeat of apartheid...
"And thus, with breathtaking daring, Sharon submits a plan that appears to promise the existence of a 'Jewish democratic state' via 'separation', the 'end of the conquest', the 'dismantling of settlements' - and also the imprisonment of some 3 million Palestinians in bantustans. This is an 'interim plan' that is meant to last forever. The plan will last, however, only as long as the illusion is sustained that 'separation' is a means to end the conflict. The day will come when believers in this illusion will realize that separation is a means to oppress and dominate, and then they will mobilize to dismantle the apartheid apparatus..."
More recently, Andres Martinez wrote in the New York Times,
"The two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, once the idealistic aspiration of peace-minded people on both sides, is now seen as the lesser-evil option by mayhem-weary realists. The prevailing Israeli sentiment runs something like this: 'Take your territories and let us wall them off so we never have to deal with each other again.' Though understandable, that sentiment could prove a dangerous fantasy for Israelis. Despite the seeming tidiness of a two-state solution, Palestinians and Israelis will continue to live in a shared economy. Israel will only undermine its own security if it ignores this fact. Gaza offers a cautionary tale of what a hopeless Palestinian state would be. Sealed off, the Gaza Strip has become an increasingly radicalized prison of 1.5 million inmates; it is run by Hamas and other terrorist groups. The percentage of Gazans in poverty - defined as a daily household income of less than $2.10 - has exploded to 80 percent from 20 percent in less than four years... [Israel] will need to accept greater Palestinian sovereignty over such important matters as water rights unless it wants to have a homicidal, desperate neighbor forever. That is what Gaza is becoming."