(Ha'aretz) Aluf Benn - Sharon is prepared to pay with the evacuation of Gaza for American consent to Israel's continued control over a large part of the West Bank. That is why he instructed his national security advisor, Giora Eiland, to chart security lines that Israel could hold for years, "until there is a partner." Sharon has been kicking around these ideas for a long time. The common denominator is Israeli control over the "security regions" of the Jordan Rift and Western Samaria. Sharon is trying to follow in the footsteps of Menachem Begin, who conceded Sinai so that Israel could stay in the West Bank; Ehud Barak, who left Lebanon in order to perpetuate Israel's control of the Golan; and Shimon Peres, who championed "Gaza First" and a deferral of a solution in the West Bank and Jerusalem. All of them enjoyed success in the short term, but left diplomatic time bombs for their successors.
2004-02-05 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive