(Jerusalem Report) Ehud Ya'ari - Palestinians see Israel as leaving the Strip because of the Qassam rockets, the mortar bombs, and, above all, the suicide bombers, a terror campaign that combined with demographic considerations to make Israel's continued presence there too costly in Sharon's estimation. The disengagement is the product of the Palestinian rifle, and not the political shift of Mahmud Abbas (Abu Mazen), they believe. Indeed, the disengagement in Gaza is the fulfillment of Arafat's dream of "runaway statehood" come true. Arafat wanted a state not bound by agreements, a state won by blood and not ink. It is therefore no wonder that there are already many Palestinian voices - from among not only the Hamas and Islamic Jihad, but also the Fatah - calling for endeavors to achieve a similar result in the West Bank.
2005-08-29 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive