(New Republic) Editorial - The April 14 meeting between President Bush and Prime Minister Sharon was a climactic moment, representing the belated and ideologically embittering acknowledgment of demography - the recognition that Israel can safely preserve its Jewish and democratic character only if its territory contains a hefty majority of Jews. The contemporary history of multinational states has been, after all, relentlessly painful. Ideally, the withdrawal from Gaza would have been arranged through a negotiated agreement with the PA. But the PA's sordid record on terrorism made it an unpalatable partner, and its two successive powerless prime ministers, obsessed with protecting their own backs from the militias around them, showed little interest in parleying with the Israelis.
2004-04-23 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive