Hamastan? Maybe, but still worth the risk

For almost 40 years, the conceit has been growing around the world that the Israeli occupation could explain, even excuse, Palestinian terro...

For almost 40 years, the conceit has been growing around the world that the Israeli occupation could explain, even excuse, Palestinian terrorism.

This was always a dubious proposition—Arabs have been fighting Israel since its formation in 1948, not since its conquest of the West Bank and Gaza in 1967. If Jewish settlements are in fact the root cause of this conflict, you would expect that a partial pullout would lead to at least a partial melting of Arab hostility toward the Jews.

Maybe this will occur; and maybe the Gaza Strip will overnight become as peaceful as Switzerland. But the early signs are not good. Gaza City is decked with Hamas banners proclaiming, ‘‘Resistance wins. Let’s go on.’’ Banners from the supposedly more restrained Palestinian Authority reveal the same mind-set: ‘‘Gaza today, the West Bank and Jerusalem tomorrow.’’ Far from being sated by Israeli concessions, the Palestinians are emboldened to demand more. Many will not be satisfied until — in the words of a 15-year-old would-be suicide bomber quoted in the San Francisco Chronicle—there are no more ‘‘Jews in this world’’.

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Is Ariel Sharon making a big mistake? He certainly is taking a risk—the risk of creating a Hamastan where terrorism will flourish—but, on balance, it is the right decision. The Gaza settlements were simply not sustainable. If Sharon had waited, like his predecessors, for a comprehensive peace treaty with the Palestinians before the inevitable pullout, he would have waited until kingdom come. By removing the settlements on his own initiative, Sharon has helped to regain the initiative—moral and political—for the Jewish state.

Opponents of the withdrawal cite parallels with the 2000 Israeli evacuation of southern Lebanon, which helped spark the second intifada, but the danger now is much less. Even if Palestinians want to attack Israel, they will be hard-pressed. All of Gaza is fenced in and so is most of the West Bank, reducing opportunities for suicide bombers. If the Palestinians fire rockets from Gaza, Israel will be free to mount a military response—more free when the threat comes from the Palestinian state than when it emanates from Israeli-occupied territory.

The real danger from Gaza may not be to Israel but to the West. If, following the Israeli pullout, Gaza becomes another training ground for Islamo-fascist fanatics, the resulting terrorists will find the US and Europe much easier targets than Israel, the world’s most heavily defended state. —LAT-WP

Prashant Kishor: ‘Democracy not weak… Those saying people will lose vote rights are fools’

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Political strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor launched his Jan Suraaj Party (JSP) after three years touring Bihar. The coming Assembly polls will be the first test of his goal to emerge as the third alternative in Bihar politics. Kishor speaks to The Indian Express about his party’s campaign, and the issues being raised by his rivals.

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