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From Bad to Worse

[U.S. News] Mortimer B. Zuckerman - Eleven months ago, Israel withdrew from every last inch of the Gaza Strip. Everyone hoped then that the Palestinians would show the world what they could achieve with freedom as a template for a future independent state. Not one day of peace has followed, as Palestinian militants fire rockets from Gaza into Israeli towns, targeting innocent civilians living in the pre-1967 Israel recognized by the international community. Israeli withdrawals and concessions have brought about not Palestinian moderation but just the opposite. The proposed realignment of the West Bank's borders will simply create a new battle line, just as the disengagement in Gaza created new battle lines. A withdrawal from the West Bank would put Hamas within range of Israel's main population centers and infrastructure, raising the fear that a rocket launched from the West Bank could hit the country's most densely populated areas, like Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and Ben-Gurion Airport. It is more clear than ever that the core of the Israeli-Palestinian dispute stems not from Israel's unwillingness to compromise but from the desire among Palestinians to eliminate Israel. Most fair-minded observers share the Israeli conclusion that there is no Palestinian partner for peace.
2006-07-19 01:00:00
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