(Ha'aretz) Amir Oren - The IDF is not demanding to beat up the Palestinians. On the contrary, the goal now is to avoid escalation in the weeks and months ahead, waiting for three local and regional developments that will have far-reaching implications: The coming American offensive against Saddam Hussein (there are at least two very high ranking generals who are prepared to bet that President Bush will order action against Saddam Hussein before September 11) The rise of a Palestinian leadership that will depart from Arafat's hardline approach The completion of the fence and obstacle course dividing the north and center of the West Bank from Israel's coastal population center. By the spring of 2003, says this plan, Saddam Hussein will be gone, Arafat will be sidelined, and the residents of Tulkarm and Kalkilya will wake up to a view of the wall, not the Mediterranean. The plan's weak point is in two areas out of the army's control: The Israeli public's forbearance and the terrorist organizations' survival.
2002-08-05 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive