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| Israel-Palestine |
| Steyn: WHY GAZA? WHY NOW? |
| 2005-08-23 |
| Posted by:tipper |
| #8 a finished fence and peace through superior firepower |
| Posted by: Frank G 2005-08-23 20:50 |
| #7 Sharon had three choices: expel all of the Paleos in Gaza somewhere else (Lebanon? Egypt? Jordan? The West Bank?); spend a fortune protecting a tiny group of fanatical expansionists not satisfied with modern, civilized Israel, but who instead crave empty desert at the expense of hated Arabs, or to become martyrs to that same empty desert; or three, to evacuate the Strip and to hell with it. His choice was a good one. Before 1967, it was an Egyptian protectorate, and the Egyptians kept it reasonably orderly. Now it will become so again. It will also be locally run by Hamas, who despite their frothing, are still better than Hizbullah Shiites, sponsored by Iran. It keeps it out of the hands of Fatah's Al-Asqa MB and probably even Islamic Jihad. And being horribly crowded, all the Paleos there will end up doing is living in a international welfare-state with a density greater than Hong Kong, but with none of the amenities--right now, one of their big priorities is to build apartment buildings to house their profligate numbers. Yecch. They can have it. The big question is what is planned on the West Bank. That is where all eyes should turn. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2005-08-23 20:31 |
| #6 Some people are talking like this is a rollover on Sharon's part, but I don't think so. Sharon used to be General Sharon before he was Prime Minister. Steyn's got it right. This is a pullback from hard to defend positions. Back behind the wall, he can watch the Paleos stew in their own juices and the IDF can go to town when needed. My bet is Gaza breaks down fast. Pass the popcorn, please. Q: What is the Arabic word for radar directed counter-battery fire? |
| Posted by: SteveS 2005-08-23 19:02 |
| #5 The only viable option Israel ever had was to win the war, kick out the Paleos (nothing seems wrong with ethnic cleansing when Muslims do it), build the fence on your newly declared border, and tell the Euros to piss off, that Gaza was Egypt's problem and what was left of the West Bank was still Jordan's problem. |
| Posted by: AlanC 2005-08-23 18:00 |
| #4 Bravo. Steyn once more sees through the leaves and strikes the root. |
| Posted by: Secret Master 2005-08-23 13:12 |
| #3 I believe Sharon is doing just that, from behind defensible borders |
| Posted by: Frank G 2005-08-23 11:53 |
| #2 “Could it be that Sharon is calling the bluff of Western governments and the Arab states?" To question motives shouldn’t automatically be dismissed as a conspiracy theory. It is fair to debate whether an Islamist squat in Gaza is a far greater threat to the Mubarak regime than it is to Israel. However, over the years Sharon has been labeled with many attributes, benevolence is not one of them. |
| Posted by: DepotGuy 2005-08-23 10:43 |
| #1 tipper, thanks for posting this. What a clever Jewish plot! I'm sure Karl Rove is impressed! ;) |
| Posted by: Desert Blondie 2005-08-23 10:03 |