(Newsday) David Makovsky - Israeli Prime Minister Sharon is bringing the issue of Gaza disengagement for the first of several Knesset votes next week. The Gaza withdrawal creates opportunities. The pullout will mark the first time since 1967 that Israel will be evacuating settlers from land that Palestinians say will be part of their future state. If the disengagement is successful, it is bound to facilitate further withdrawals from the West Bank. The origins of the pullout represent the failure of an Israeli-Palestinian partnership, not its triumph. Any prospects for partnership crashed amid the suicide bombings and violence which began four years ago. The writer is a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
2004-10-22 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive