I know I've covered this before, but the follies of "disengagement" keep adding up and the Bulldozer keeps going ahead.
Sharon says (and maybe thinks) that Bush will support him in keeping Jewish settlements in Judea and Samaria, at least near Jerusalem (another possible retreat for Sharon?) He is apparently hoping that by trading Gaza he can strengthen Israel's hold on the WB.
But Bush is making no such commitment, and anyway the clock is running out on his presidency. Who says the next President will be as sympathetic to Israel as W is?
More troubling is that Israel is not only preparing for rocket attacks on Ashkelon after the Gaza withdrawal - they are expecting it!
And of course Hamas is considering the withdrawal a victory for the intifada and evidence of Jewish weakness.
There are very few reasons being given for this bizarre plan besides those that involve lots of wishful thinking. It didn't work during Oslo and one had to ask why, exactly, people think it is a good idea now to give up the most precious commodity in the Middle East while asking for nothing in return.
