Rook for the queen

[dameocrat]

If the country was chess, one can say that Sharon on Sunday sacrificed a rook so he could defend the queen.


The Sharon government on Sunday made a bartering transaction: evacuation of the settlements in the Gaza Strip and northern Samaria in exchange for world acceptance of Israel's de facto annexation of 7 percent of the West Bank.


Here’s the main thing: Sharon believes that his plan will put off for years, perhaps forever, a withdrawal from all the territories. His tactics may have changed, but the plan remains the same: to reach a stable arrangement that will leave Israel with a large chunk, up to 40 percent, of the West Bank. The minister closest to this position in the government is not Ehud Olmert or Shimon Peres, both of whom voted in favor of disengagment, but rather withdrawal opponent Tzachi Hanegbi.

Sharon did not turn into a dove. He remains what he has always been: a pragmatic hawk, and is now flying high.


He believes that his disengagement plan was a determining factor in the disappearance of terror. Even if there is no connection between the two, this is the impression the public has. One year and and three months have passed since Sharon presented his plan for the first time, and during this period terror has faded. The threat Israel perceived from the International Court in the Hague and United Nations institutions has evaporated. Relations with Europe have improved miraculously. Egypt is embracing Israel. Jordan is praising Israel. The political initiative is entirely in Israel's hands, where it will remain until at least the completion of the evacuation, in another 6-7 months.....................

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3048759,00.html

[bemildred]

1. A bit old, but oddly enough I agree with this fellow.

That is exactly what is going on, although I think Jabba's "plan"
is doomed to fail in the long term like all the others. There will
be no long term stability without a political settlement that is
acceptable to the vast majority on both sides. The fundamental point -
which receives too little attention - is that Israel is and has been
in territorial retreat for some time, that Sharon's moves are essentially
defensive, an attempt to dam the flow of the tide. This is why I
consider Barak to be such a moron, he could have had it settled and
decided to be cheap about it.