Weblog
01/21/01 07:05 PM: If Israel elects Ariel Sharon—this
If Israel elects Ariel Sharon—this is quite possibly the only time you’ll ever see that name without it being preceeded by the word “hawkish”—as its new prime minister, I wouldn’t want to be anywhere near there. There is no doubt that the only solution to the Israeli-Palestinian crisis is the creation of a sovereign Palestinian state. Ehud Barak may not like it, but he accepts it and is doing something to try and make that happen. The Palestinians’ right of return is the main point that is keeping a deal from being made. I don’t see the sense in creating an independent Palestinian state if Palestinians are not allowed to live there, but maybe that’s just me. Even Barak won’t budge on that point. There is no way in hell that Sharon is going warm to the idea. He is about as hostile as they come toward the Palestinians. Let us not forget that it was his visit to East Jerusalem, which was little more than Sharon flexing Israel’s political/military muscle, that threw gasoline on the fire and kicked off a new wave of violence. I don’t know what Sharon has in mind, but I seriously doubt that it is an array of concessions to the Palestinians. His election will only lead to hightened tensions and increased violence. Barak may not be a quick end to the war, but Sharon is a giant leap back to square one.
