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The Gamble of a Lifetime

Romesh Ratnesar and Matt Rees (TIME) - * In an interview in Jerusalem with TIME, Israeli Prime Minister Sharon rejected the idea of withdrawing Israeli forces and civilians from the West Bank once the Gaza pullout is complete, saying that he intends to limit future concessions to the Palestinians to those spelled out in the U.S.-backed road map, which outlines a series of incremental, confidence-building steps to be carried out by both sides before the start of negotiations for a final settlement of the conflict. * Sharon has repeatedly insisted that Israel will never abandon the large West Bank settlement blocs. * While Sharon believes that Mahmoud Abbas "understands the danger of terror...right now we don't see any steps that have been taken. I hope it will happen. Right now we don't see anything." * Sharon said he believes the Oslo agreement signed in 1993 was "the deepest mistake that any government has done, bringing over here thousands of armed terrorists." * Sharon isn't pulling out of Gaza because he has changed his view of the Palestinians; rather, he's withdrawing precisely because he still mistrusts them, refusing to believe that Abbas and his aides are willing to take the necessary measures to keep Israel safe from terrorism. * "The basic problem between ourselves and the Arabs...is that Arabs do not recognize the birthright of the Jews to have an independent country here," he says. * While preserving the long-term viability of the Jewish state may require giving up some territory, to Sharon it does not mean giving ground.
2005-05-16 00:00:00
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