Sunday, September 7, 2008
This is not exactly a way you lead a vigorous state, or any negotiation for that matter. You're already showing you're coming to the table a loser, demoralized yourself as you demoralize your own side and embolden the other to demand ever more. Even if it is likely that some evacuation will be necessary, why be so public about it? I realize Israel is a small state where such plans would be tough to keep secret, but why be so clear in painting the final picture? And why not push the idea that any Palestinian-Arab state will need not to ethnically cleanse the Jews from their midst, but include them and protect their rights, which Israel will stand by to ensure? I realize that's not a solution the Jews would want, but it's a good test of whether the Arabs are serious about building a state for all its citizens, or just another racist Arab apartheid state? Olmert: We must prepare now for the evacuation of West Bank settlers
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Sunday that the government must begin preparing at once for the evacuation of settlers from the West Bank.
At the opening of the weekly cabinet meeting, Olmert said that Israel would likely have to uproot West Bank settlers as part of a future peace agreement with the Palestinians.
In light of Israel's continuing peace talks with the Palestinians, he added, it would be proper to think about providing cash incentives for settlers to leave voluntarily.
Olmert said it was important to learn from the mistakes of Israel's last evacuation of settlers - the 2005 pullout from the Gaza Strip - and it was important to plan ahead.
"Since it is possible we will need to make decisions in the future that will involve the evacuation of residents, we should already prepare for this now and think about its consequences, especially while serious [peace] negotiations are being held," said Olmert.
The prime minister made the comments at the beginning of a debate on Vice Premier Haim Ramon's evacuation-compensation bill at the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem. The bill would enable settlers who live beyond the security fence to receive financial compensation for relocating west of it...
I'm actually in favor of this. It's dealing with reality. The idea that Jews will be able to live in the Palestinian state is a silly illusion that will only lead to horror and sadness. It would also needlessly complicate any operations that the IDF might need to undertake in what is obviously a coming multi-front war with Hizb/Hamas/AQ.
Oh, were that it were the other way as well, "The idea that Arabs will be able to live in a Jewish state is a silly illusion that will only lead to horror and sadness." Why do you suppose it isn't that way? Curious.
What I believe the truth to be is that ceding land to the Arabs will eventually lead to tragedy for Israel. Since the only true solution (one that embodies the scenario in my comment above) will not be pursued any time in the future, the current state of simmering tension is preferable, in my opinion, to putting the whole country in the shadow of Arab guns.
I think you're right. any kind of successful holding strategy is ideal. tough to manage though.