Gaza and Terrorism

It is still amazing to me that Ariel Sharon is initiating a pullout of Israeli settlers from Gaza, and even having them forcibly removed. This is the same guy who was once viewed as the settlers greatest ally in the Knesset, the same one who was forced to leave the Defense Ministry for actions better left undescribed. So, why is this happening? I submit to you that it is simply because of this: Sharon has come to realize that Israel cannot win this fight the way they are fighting it. They need to change tactics. He's still thinking like a military man, and he's right.

There are those who criticize him for "letting the terrorists win" - they say he's getting soft. I think that argument, while well intentioned, is completely without merit. It fails to distinguish between the underlying cause and the tactics used to fight for that cause. And while nobody that I know condones suicide bombings or any violence against civilians, I also fully believe that kicking hundreds of thousands of people off their homeland isn't quite a nice thing to do either, and I think they're justified in wanting restitution. However, what I believe is not really important. What's important is that they believe it, and believe it with a fervor that continues unabated.

The hypocrisy here, by the way, is kind of tragically amusing. Civilians die every day in Iraq due to violence, and not all of it comes from jihadists (despite what you read in the US press). We also let hundreds of thousands of people die in countries all over the world due to starvation and malnutrition, while at the same time destroying tons of rice and grain a year in order to subsidize the agriculture industries of different countries. But I digress.

Sharon knows that by leaving Gaza, he removes the 'Israel is interfering' excuse so that Palestinians can come up with their own functioning governmnet, and he increases the efficacy of the army because of the more limited and specialized function they will play with respect to Gaza. While I've always been in favor of giving the Palestinians their own state, I'm not quite sure this is what I've had in mind. To be honest, it's kind of scary.

Basically, Gaza is to become a large open air prison, without wardens. Yes, it's true, although the analogy is not particularly pleasing. Palestinians will be left to manage their own affairs, but on a land with no resources or industry. Thus, they will be completely dependent on Israel for their entire economy. In addition, all land and sea borders will still be controlled by Israel, as will things like immigration, sharing of water, etc. I see how this is in Israel's interests, and the removal of settlers is necessary for a just peace, and I applaud this move by Sharon.

But I wonder what impact this will have on the Palestinian psyche? How will they react? I imagine there will be two camps: one will say "we need to focus on building a working community here", and the other will say "look - we're winning. let bomb them some more.". I think there will be some of the latter regardless. To a certain bitter extent, they are right. I wonder what this says about the US in Iraq? How long will the resistance there stand around and fight when years afterwards we still have dozens of bombings a day? I really hope we don't have to do what the Israelis did in Gaza, cuz I just don't see how that holds a future for it's inhabitants.