More Rabin than Rabin

[Gimel]

The decision taken by the Israeli government at 7:51 P.M. on June 6, 2004, is not an inspiring one. It contains no lofty language, no festive promises, no vision. It is a dry and practical government decision, almost bureaucratic, and its unadorned Hebrew is reminiscent of the unadorned Hebrew of the late prime minister Yitzhak Rabin.




However, the statement that emerges from this scrawny decision is a comprehensive statement. An unequivocal statement. Despite all the efforts of the Likud chiefs to emasculate it, the decision remains a powerful one, and this powerful decision says evacuation. In a clear voice it says evacuation. Genuine evacuation. Practical evacuation. Evacuation as a supreme national goal.

The June 6 decision includes a number of important points: The statement that declares that there will be no Israeli settlement in the Gaza Strip in any future final settlement is important. The statement that specifically names the settlements designated for evacuation is important. The fact that the term "evacuation" itself appears in the wording of the decision almost 20 times is important.

However, what is more important than all these verbal statements is the practical spirit of the decision - that it translates the abstract concept of evacuation into a series of instructions for action, and that it establishes a comprehensive organizational network that is responsible for carrying out those instructions. These practical instructions and this operational mechanism are what make the decision a serious one. They are what prove that there is a true intention behind it.

Continued..

Yes, the Rabin moment has passed. But a new era has dawned.

[geek tragedy]

1. I'll believe it when the nutbag settlers are actually gone

How many suicide bombings would it take for Sharon to pull this off the table? My guess is three.