Sharon tending toward full withdrawal from Gaza

[JohnLocke]

Sharon tending toward full withdrawal from Gaza
By Aluf Benn -- Haaretz
Sunday, March 7, 2004

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is leaning toward accepting the version of the disengagement plan that includes a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, including the three settlements in the northern part of the Strip and the "Philadelphi" route along the border with Egypt, government sources in Jerusalem said over the weekend. This alternative also includes a staggered Israeli withdrawal from several settlements in the West Bank.
According to these sources, the issues that have yet to be settled are the extent of the withdrawal in the West Bank and the stages in which it will be carried out "to achieve maximum benefit at a minimum price," the sources said.
The aim of the disengagement plan is to establish a line of defense that Israel will be able to hold for many years, with international backing.
(...)
The U.S. administration supports Sharon's plan in principle, but wants to ensure that it will not destabilize the region and will promote its interests in the Middle East. The Americans are less concerned today than before by the possibility that Hamas might take control of Gaza after a pullout, and now tend to accept the Israeli view that the Islamic group is not interested in taking responsibility for ruling the area.
(...)
----
Read the rest here.

[JohnLocke]

1. All I can say is about time.

[salinen]

2. Chimp won't let him.

[JohnLocke]

3. Bush* doesn't care either way.

He couldn't care less about either the Israelis or the Palestinians. No oil.

[number6]

11. JohnLocke, we agree on something

"He couldn't care less about either the Israelis or the Palestinians. No oil." absolutely true

[JohnLocke]

13. Well, I knew there had to be something.

:yourock:

[Darranar]

4. Didn't he propose it?

[Gimel]

5. By "he" you mean Bush?

That's rather far-fetched. How does he get the credit for Sharon's withdrawal plan? The unilateral withdrawal that the Palestinians are claiming is against the Road Map? So much so that Washington wants Israel to co-ordinate unilateral withdrawal with the PA, a contradiction in terms.

[Violet_Crumble]

6. It is against the RoadMap...

That 'unilateral withdrawal' also involves annexation of large parts of the West Bank, and originally involved Sharon's plan to move all the settlers from Gaza to the West Bank. It also involves the plan of more 'pinpoint' attacks on Palestinians after the unilateral withdrawal. That's not exactly abiding by the Road Map from what I can see, not that Israel ever had any intention of sticking to it from the start...

Violet...

[Gimel]

7. There is no "originally"

There are several proposals and variations, but no plan has yet been agreed upon, or has Sharon formulated it in it's final form, so it's hard to understand how you know what it involves. Of course Israel would have the right to self-defense, whatever plan is adopted.

[Violet_Crumble]

8. Of course there is...

There have been articles posted in this forum talking about Sharon's plan to move settlers from Gaza to the West Bank. He's backed down on that apparently, but that in no way means that he wasn't planning it originally. Would you like a link to some of those articles?

I don't recall saying that Israel doesn't have a right to self-defence, because I've always believed it does. What Israel doesn't have the right to do is continue to kill innocent Palestinians using the all-round excuse of protecting its own security...

Violet...

[Gimel]

9. It simply means

that it was one idea. "Gaza First" has been on the table for years.

The evacuation of Jewish settlements in Gaza was actually a plan put forth by Labor more than a year ago.

http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=249622 January 8, 2003

The Road Map has not been implemented by the PA, instead Arafat's involvement in terror is becoming more obvious.

[Darranar]

10. No, Sharon...

why did it take him so long to lean towards accepting his own plan?

[Gimel]

14. Rather adopted it

The plan was first proposed by the Israel Labor party in January 2003, when Mitzna was running for Prime Minister of Israel.

http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=249622

[Darranar]

15. Okay, thanks.

[Mass_Liberal]

12. good

n/t