Divorce the Palestinians

[S'13]

IDF may be out of Gaza, but Israel hasn't really left. Time has come to get out of Gaza for good

Guy Bechor

Has Israel really left Gaza? The answer could well be 'no'. After all, the new Israeli government still has no clear policy vis-à-vis Gaza, or the Palestinians in general.

On one hand, Israel continues to support Gaza economically, as if it weren't foreign territory: Israel supplies water and electricity, the shekel is legal currency there, and Israel's defense minister is trying to bring Palestinian workers back to Israel. Peretz even sends condolences over the deaths of Palestinian civilians, in the hope they will increase Palestinian love for Israel.

On the other hand, Israel is in the midst of a war with the Gaza Strip, and is getting more and more sucked in by the day. The day is not far off when the IDF returns to Gaza, in the latest replay of the Lebanon Syndrome: Commando raids at first to achieve immediate goals, followed by a full invasion, including tank divisions and re-occupation of territory. This would be a tremendous victory for Hamas and Palestinian terror, who want to see the IDF mired deep in Palestinian refugee camps.



Monroe in Israel

But there is a third way – a middle policy, a policy of separatism.

IN 1823, US President James Monroe set a policy that came to be known as the Monroe Doctrine, according to which his country would not participate in European wars, unless American interests had been violated or were under immediate threat.

It wasn't by chance that former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon labeled the Gaza pullout "disengagement." The word suggests a irreversible line separating us from the Palestinians. Disengagement means divorce.



Disengaging from Gaza

On the basis of this policy Israel must bring all hints of aid to the Gaza Strip to a halt over the coming months. Not in revenge, but rather as a more that would indicate the end of the road, the end of occupation. From Israel's perspective, there need not be any difference between Gaza cities in Syria or Jordan. These places are outside our jurisdiction, and they have nothing to do with us.

Because Gaza has an open, dry land border with Egypt, the Egyptians will help any international body wanting to help, if they want. It is their issue.

Israel must also announce a cut-off date, after which it will no longer honor the shekels currently in circulation in Gaza, and will no longer accept Palestinian workers. As long as Palestinians have hope of finding work in Israel, they will have no inspiration to look for work in other places such as the Persian Gulf states or Europe.



Don't get drawn in

On the other hand, Israel must be very careful not to get mired in the trap being set by its enemies. Israel must not be drawn into sacrificing soldiers in a ground-based attack, or drawn into internal Hamas-Fatah battles. Sderot can be defended from the air (this is the preferable option) with a clear policy of deterrence.

The goal should be not to create any feelings of closeness, and to always aim for a minimum of damage. Terrorism won't disappear, but its daily affects will diminish. Once upon a time this also looked impossible with regard to Hizbullah, but voila! –isolationism worked.

We have tried everything with the Palestinians. We've been from war to peace and back to war again. We've entertained sweet fantasies and had them cruelly dashed. We've sacrificed our loved ones and fought determinedly. The time has come to understand that emotional distance is the other side of the disengagement coin.

The time has come for a divorce.


http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3263244,00.html

[Laworkerbee]

Interesting perspective and one that perhaps would work

[Bert]

Interesting perspective and one that perhaps would work
No, you'd have Palestinians whining about not getting Israeli help in about one day, and then the NGO's will speak of how terrible it is that Israel won't help them while they, simultaneously, speak of how terrible the 'occupation' and interference in Palestinian affairs is.

[Laworkerbee]

No, you'd have Palestinians whining about not getting Israeli help in about one day, and then the NGO's will speak of how terrible it is that Israel won't help them while they, simultaneously, speak of how terrible the 'occupation' and interference in Palestinian affairs is.

They need to take responsibility for their own futures and stop blaming, blaming, blaming!!!

And you need a high wall as well so the grandmothers can't provoke thier grandchildren by pointing out how "that land over there used to be heaven on Earth before the Yahouds stole it" that sense of what was once ours will be ours again needs to be destroyed.

We have a saying here in America "Out of sight, out of mind"

That needs to be used when dealing with the Palestinians

[chuckster]

At some point, the Palestinians need to stop blaming Isreal for everything and take responsibility for their own actions. The Palestinians have become the World's welfare bums!

I'll probably have my life threatened for saying that.

[Plastic_Yank]

They need to take responsibility for their own futures and stop blaming, blaming, blaming!!!Not gonna happen. They're too obsessed with driving the Jews into the sea.

[Kaplanr]

More practical reason it won't work, they may be physically seperate, but politically, you ca't really seperate Gaza from the West Bank.

[Clarsachier]

f:roll:

Israel controls all ingress and egress into Palestine, and including all commerce near the borders including fishing and any trade.

But despite that, if Israel pulls some troops out then, the Pals are fully responsible? Good thinking. .

Nice spin, certainly works in some crowds.

With the IDF ground completely out, they can continue their 'control' through airstrikes and arty with even less restraint.

[Laworkerbee]

I think this essay was only addressing Gaza and its open border with Egypt Clarsachier.

In a place as complicated as Isreal and the Palestinian territories there is no ideal solution.

[S'13]

With the IDF ground completely out, they can continue their 'control' through airstrikes and arty with even less restraint.

Oh yeah... this has nothing to do with the rockets being launched at our civilian population from the Gaza Strip, it's all about CONTROL.

:roll:

[Clarsachier]

[Laworkerbee]I think this essay was only addressing Gaza and its open border with Egypt Clarsachier.

They're quoting 'the Monroe doctrine' and talking about disengagement. This
is definately a part of the 'big picture,'


In a place as complicated as Isreal and the Palestinian territories there is no ideal solution,

One of the main thrusts of the people who's agenda is to extend the conflict, is to make things seem more complicated than they are.

[Clarsachier]

Oh yeah... this has nothing to do with the rockets being launched at our civilian population from the Gaza Strip, it's all about CONTROL.

:roll:

Yes it is. When you're completely in CONTROL, you're COMPLETELY RESPONSIBLE. (Like the U.S. in Iraq.)

Otherwise, I agree it's a not a bad article. I do have some doubts that,


On the other hand, Israel is in the midst of a war with the Gaza Strip, and is getting more and more sucked in by the day. The day is not far off when the IDF returns to Gaza, in the latest replay of the Lebanon Syndrome: Commando raids at first to achieve immediate goals, followed by a full invasion, including tank divisions and re-occupation of territory. This would be a tremendous victory for Hamas and Palestinian terror, who want to see the IDF mired deep in Palestinian refugee camps.

would be a victory for Hamas. Drawing airstrikes and arty onto civs (not saying their doing this on purpose) is definately helping them.

[S'13]

Yes it is. When you're completely in CONTROL, you're COMPLETELY RESPONSIBLE. (Like the U.S. in Iraq.)

Otherwise, I agree it's a not a bad article. I do have some doubts that,


How can Israel be in control when it has completely evacuated the Gaza Strip and the authority is in the hands of the PA? Though I do agree that this means that there is often chaos.



would be a victory for Hamas. Drawing airstrikes and arty onto civs (not saying their doing this on purpose) is definately helping them.


Not really, our operations on the Kassams don't seem to have any affect on the internal strife between Hamas and Fatah.

Also (as you can see mentioned in the article) Israel doesn't need to win any "hearts and minds".

[Kaplanr]

If all things were equal I'd agree with Clarsa...; we should make the pullout and detachment from Gaza complete - no border control, no utility provision, no nuthin, except normal measures to safeguard a hostile border.

The problem is, all things aren't equal. The Palestinians, with the active collusion of their "government" and their militias reminiscent of the worst Chinese warlord days, don't make 1/2 the effort to set up institutions of government that they do to smuggling arms, launching rockets and seeing that Fatah's leaders and Suha Arafat live off the people.

It says much that Egypt and the Arab League want nothing to do with even mentoring or guiding the Palestinians. The only thing better than the pullout would have been to physically seperate Gaza from Israel and tow it somewhere else.

[Hollis]

With Arafat rejecting Baraks offer to about 96% of what Arafat wanted, led me to rethink Palestine. Does the Arab league/Anti Israeli front really want a independent state of Palestine. I think that is just a poltical rouse for their real intentions, the complete and total destruction of Israel.

The religious fantacism came to a feavor pitich in 1948, by having a "Jewish" state. It is that big a issue? Yes, would be the answer but why? would be the next question.

Christians (Crusaders) and Jews (people of the book) rejoiced at Israel reforming itself because of biblical prophecy. Islam bases itself as the final testament from the only one creator. Islam was ordained by Allah to supercede the other faiths. BUT!! Israel is back and Christian and Jews are saying this is a act of the creator of the both bibles.

This creates a paradox for the extremists why was Allah doing this, if the muslems were the "NEW choosen" people? One obvious answer is the least desirable of all, Allah was not a 'god' OR Islam was not the new "choosen religion". This is very unacceptable to the extremists. With the defeats of 5 wars of the anti-Israel armies the obvious answer was harold by the Christians and Jews.

To the Islamic extremists there can only be one course of action, the destruction of Israel, the end of the foolish prophacy nonscence of the Christians and Jews.

We know the extremist are intolerant of others even their own apostates. I think the issue of peace in the middle east lies in how tolerant of other faiths Islam will be come. Israel can not ever do enough, except complete self-destruction to appease the extremists.

The whole arguement of a Palestinian state is moot. The same reason the Camp David accords were doomed to failure at the beginning, the same reason Arafat choose the intifadah months ahead of the so-called Israel provacation.

If the Terrorist laid down their weapons there would be peace, if Israel laid down their weapons there would be genocide. The terrorists have absolutely no desire to be a partner in any form of Peace.

For so called peace-makers to support the Palestinians is to promote warfare, terrorism and a continuation of the massacre of innocent people (both Palestinians and Israelis) The so-called peace-makers are actually the opposite, war-mongers.

[Bert]

I'm thinking that the PLO want to retain status quo, so that they can retain control and of course line their pockets with international aid like they've always done. The PLO is no partner for peace, and Hamas is definitely not so. Some real peace-minded Palestinians need to ascend the ladders of the PA.. Yeah, they do exist. You just can't hear them over all the 'free Palestine from the oppressive zionists' and 'derka derka jihad' from the PLO and Hamas respectively.