TPS Posted October 14, 2004 Share Posted October 14, 2004 This editorial talks about one of the reasons I hinted at with respect to how the Iraq war benefits Israel. My general point was going to be that the war takes a lot of the international focus off of Sharon and allows him to deal with the Palestinian problem however he wants. Sharon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GG Posted October 14, 2004 Share Posted October 14, 2004 As a fellow conspiracy nut, I thought you would also be able to see through the Weisglass "shellshocker" as another Sharon strategy to force Arafat's hand. If you saw the Haaretz story, Weisglass said a lot more, including the allegation that Sharon's plan has full support of the Bush administration & both houses of the Hill. That's quite a broadside, if true. Of course, listening to Edwards answer the question in the VP debate on the Israel/Palestine conflict, you could not tell the difference whether he said it or Bush. The trouble I have with Goldsborough's (and similar) piece is the presumption that Sharon can act unilaterally to do whatever he wants. Couple that with the label that he's the worst thing to happen to Palestinians since 1948, and you rile up a lot of anger among the "peace" crowd. But the facts are that Israel's politics give Sharon a very tenuous grasp on the situation. He just survived two no-confidence votes. Netanyahu is in the background, and he's much more anti-Palestinian than Sharon. His governing coalition is on the verge of collapse, because the Likud hardliners don't want the Gaza pull out. Sharon is reaching out to every opposition party to save his plan. No one is talking how Labor is not embracing the pull out, because by backing Sharon, they would also be forced to accept the free-market reforms that Likud is implementing to end Israel's economic slump. Self-interest always trumps false idealism. Then you have to consider the strategy behind Weisglass's "candid" interview for Haaretz. This is akin to Cheney sitting down for an exclusive interview with NYT. By targeting an audience outside of its lockstepping crowd, Weisglass/Sharon increase the heat on PLO and their supporters, by stoking the ealistic fear that if Arafat is still at the negotiating table, there will be no peace. As always, the situation is much more complex than saying, "Israel should just pull out. Israel doesn't believe in a Palestinian state." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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