If these guys can't do it
David Makovsky and Dennis Ross are two of the most seasoned American writers on the Middle East. In the Financial Times today they put forth an utterly unconvincing refutation of the most compelling argument against the Gaza disengagement plan – that Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist groups will see the withdrawal as a victory and, as in Lebanon, be inspired to escalate their attacks on Israelis.
The Makovsky/Ross argument proceeds as follows:
First they try a technical argument: Palestinian terrorism emanates primarily from the West Bank, not Gaza, but it is Gaza that Israel is leaving. Ergo, terrorism is not being rewarded. To the fundamentalists, of course, such distinctions are immaterial - Gaza is just as much occupied territory as the West Bank, as Jerusalem, as Tel Aviv.
Next, they suggest that since Hamas leaders never made Gaza disengagement an objective, this is not a victory for them. Well, technically speaking that might be true. Hamas would like Israel to disengage from all of Palestine. Given that, it's hard to understand how Hamas won't see any Israeli withdrawal as a first step towards ultimate victory.
Finally, they trot out their most important point: if Israel doesn't withdraw, it's headed for demographic disaster because Palestinians are on course to outnumber Jews between the river and the sea before the decade is out. This is very true, and a compelling reason for Israel to settle its borders sooner rather than later. But it is not a reason why Hamas won't see the withdrawal as a victory. Indeed, just the opposite – like terrorism, Palestinian reproductive rates are another way to force Israel onto the defensive.
Besides the muddled thinking, a larger point emerges: If thinkers like Makovsky and Ross can't refute the Hamas victory argument, it probably can't be done. Disengagement will, inevitably, be seen as a victory for terrorism. That has to be accepted and weighed against the very real gains Israel will make in not having to protect 8,000 settlers in their foolish desire to plant themselves amongst 1.3 million hostile Palestinians.
posted by anguswit @ 17:35
1 comments
1 Comments:
In Support of Disengagement (99%)by Shmuel Sackett
The time has come to disengage. We can no longer live with them in Gaza or in northern Samaria. Because of them, thousands of soldiers are deployed in these areas. How much money is this costing the State of Israel? How much manpower is being wasted? How many lives are being lost?
Painful concessions must be made. It won't be easy to remove them from
Their homes dig up their graves and smash their houses of worship, but do we have a choice? We have tried everything and still there is no peace.
These people claim to have lived in Gaza since the time of the Bible, but this is simply not true. The overwhelming majority of them moved there after the Six Day War, when Israel liberated these lands. They settled the land with their large families and grabbed huge agricultural plots. They claim to be religiously connected to the land and are prepared for a serious struggle to keep what they feel is theirs, but we must overcome their religious fanaticism and deal with them accordingly.
If need be, we must be willing to arrest hundreds -- and even thousands -- of them. In advance of the disengagement, we should place their leaders under administrative detention. We must motivate the brave IDF (Israel Defense Forces) soldiers to carry out these orders and not tolerate those who refuse. Soldiers who disobey their superiors will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. The IDF is not a democracy where soldiers "vote" on what orders they like and what orders they don't. The soldiers will do as they are told and if it means making thousands of people homeless, then they will have to do it.
The roads into Gaza and northern Shomron will be closed so that anti-disengagement sympathizers will not be able to lend their support. Law and order will be strictly enforced around the entire country so that people's normal routines will not be affected. The democratically elected Israeli government will have to act tough, stand strong and deal with a strong hand against any uprisings during this time, so that the evacuation of these people and the demolition of their homes and businesses can be swiftly completed.
Public relations teams will be dispatched around the globe in an effort to explain the disengagement plan to the world. Groups like AIPAC, the Conference of Presidents, American Jewish Committee and others who claim to "never oppose the policies of the Israeli government" will be forced to explain this painful decision to their members and defend its righteousness.
When world leaders question the legality of uprooting people from their homes, we will politely ask them not to meddle in internal Israeli affairs. As stated previously, these are painful concessions, but ones that are being made in the name of peace and security.
In an effort to show kindness and humanity, the government will set up a special office to help these people settle in new areas. Special arrangements will be made for them to re-establish their lives outside of Israel, where they can find work and live a good quality of life in peace and harmony. All moving expenses for those taking this option will be paid for by the Israeli government. Countries like Canada, France and England, who already have large population centers of these people, will easily be convinced to take them in. Although the initial experience might be a traumatic one, these people will adapt quickly to their new life and will be happy in a very short time.
In the name of peace, this plan must come to fruition. If all of the steps taken above are implemented, the goal of achieving stability in the region will finally be reached. Gaza will no longer be a pain in our side and the northern Shomron will be cleansed of extremists. Rockets will no longer raindown on S'derot and suicide bombers will no longer plague our cities, cafes and busses.
This is why, as painful as it initially sounds, we must disengage from the Arabs. All Arabs in Gaza, northern Samaria and, eventually, all of Israel must be removed from the land. We simply have no other choice.
This is why I agree with 99% of what Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is doing.
The only thing we have to change is who gets kicked out (that's the last 1%). Everything else -- and I mean everything else -- can remain exactly as he planned.
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