(Chicago Tribune) Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon issued an ultimatum to the Palestinians a few weeks ago: Either bargain in good faith over the American-backed road map peace plan or Israel will complete the wall being erected between them and "disengage" from the Palestinians, leaving them with far less land than they might otherwise receive in a negotiated agreement. There are myriad reasons to dislike Sharon's threat of disengagement - and one hope for it, born out of the desperation that nothing else is working. Nothing else has shaken the bloody status quo. Maybe the prospect of a wall separating Israelis and Palestinians will shock some sense into all those who perpetuate the impasse. To adapt Winston Churchill's famous quote about democracy: Sharon's disengagement plan is the worst solution to the crisis, except for all the others that have been tried.
2004-01-13 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive