(Jerusalem Post) Herb Keinon - Say good-bye disengagement; hello to the plan to leave Gaza. Prime Minister Sharon, who since last December has referred to his initiative to move out of Gaza and four northern Samarian settlements as the "unilateral disengagement plan," suddenly opted for the "plan to leave Gaza" in Thursday radio interviews. Such changes in Sharon's lexicon are not deemed accidental. One Foreign Ministry official suggested it indicates Sharon no longer sees the plan as unilateral, and that with Arafat's death and a new wind blowing from Egypt, "disengagement" is becoming less one-sided. One senior official in the Prime Minister's Office said the new name places limits on the scope of the proposal. "Unilateral disengagement" is an open-ended phrase, leaving open the idea that Gaza is just the first step of a process that will lead to the ultimate removal of perhaps most West Bank settlements. The "plan to leave Gaza," on the other hand, is precise and clearly defined. The official said Sharon will henceforth use the new name when addressing his Likud party, but still use the old one in conversations with foreign officials and statesmen.
2004-12-10 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive