This news must be chilling to all you folks who think of Sharon as the demon seed of the far right in Israel. Good old boy Benjamin Netanyahu has challenged Sharon in the Likud party and it appears as if he may very well trounce Sharon in a Likud party primary election. Netanyahu’s Platform??? Build more settlements.
If such a primary happens, it will lead to new general elections. Sharon, who is far more popular than Netanyahu among the entire Israeli electorate, will likely form a new “centrist” party to try to stay in power. Wonder of wonders. Can you just imagine the Palestinians rooting for the election of Sharon instead of a right wing candidate?
Could you have imagined the day when Sharon was advocating abandonment of settlements and return of land to the Palestianians with NO reciprocal agreement from the PA? Unimaginable three years ago.
Sharon being a centrist, ain't that a kick in the nuts? To many of Likud members are out of touch with the majority of Israelis so good riddance on this future split.
OG, its sad but its all politics...I heard the damn fool on Sean Hannity the other day and I had to change the dial...I was going to throw up listening to the fat arse lie through his teeth.
He hands back Gaza, and a few indefensible West Bank Settlements, builds a big wall, and puts himself in the cat bird seat to keep the most valuable West Bank Settlements.
Here is a news flash for you. Arafat had a deal in hand and rejected it. Then he launched a guerilla war called the Intifada, and it failed like all the other attacks against Israel. And now Sharon is in the position of dictating terms unilaterally. The Palestinians screwed up, and their chance for a better deal went away. Blame Arafat, not Sharon. Palestinians have a unique way of hating their opponents while demanding no accountability from their own officials for their failures.
Summary? Three wars against Israel failed. The Intifadah failed. The Palestinians have failed. The best chance they have is to go back to the bargaining table and cut the best deal they can. But Hamas and Islamic Jihad will never allow that. Hamas leaders can't even go out in public or they are assassinated, yet they insist on dictating terms to the PA. Your anger and outrage at Sharon are entirely misplaced, blame the idiot leaders of the Arab world. Blame macho terrorist tactics and hardline posturing when hopelessly outgunned.
I recommend unconditional surrender.... Sharon has won the wars with bullets, and now the political war.
And the momentum of Sharon’s victory in the political war just keeps building. Because of the unilateral withdrawal from Gaza, Guess who’s coming to dinner?
Pakistan and Israel are now getting mighty warm and cozy.
** “Kasuri made clear the decisive factor in the diplomatic opening with Israel was Sharon’s evacuation of 8,500 settlers from Gaza last month.” **
And Jordan’s King will be visiting Israel in a few days.
** “In a further sign of easing tensions, Jordan’s King Abdullah was expected to visit Israel as early as next week to underscore his support for Sharon’s withdrawal from the coastal strip, a senior Israeli diplomatic source said.” **
Every Muslim leader needs to work to diffuse the Palestinian situation. The anger at Israel became so out of control that it became a global excuse for violence. The Palestinians became the designated Isreali attack dogs for the entire Arab/Muslim world. Time for a little peace.