Clueless in Jerusalem

Rarely have I seen a government so successfully bungle something that should be so simple. The government, read here Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, believed Israel must disengage from the Palestinians unilaterally because, after years of violence, it was clear to one and all that there was no partner on the other side with whom we can negotiate. Up to this point, Mr Sharon's assessment was logical, well intentioned and might well have had the support of the nation.

If you can't live with them – and after more than 50 years of warfare, it is getting more and more evident that they aren't willing to live with us, disengagement might well be the only way to end this conflict. So the conclusion Sharon reached might have been logical, that we must separate Jew and Arab, that the experiment has failed and there can be no resolution given the severity of the outstanding issues. Years ago, Rabbi Meir Kahane was assailed as a racist for suggesting this very theory and yet today, it is widely accepted – Jews must separate from Palestinians. Message received and understood.

What becomes more and more clear each day, however, is that Ariel Sharon's disengagement plan is neither a disengagement nor a plan. Mr Sharon will not disengage the populations. His only plan involves destroying the lives and livelihoods of 9000 Jews. Beyond this, he has no real goal for separating from the Palestinians. No new hospitals will be built in the Gaza Strip to enable Palestinians to have all their medical needs met there. They will continue to come to Israel, even if they do occasionally try to come to our hospitals to blow them up, as 21-year-old Wafa al-Biri planned to do just last month. We will still supply Gaza with electricity, water and phone service and they will continue to send in workers, even though this arrangement is often used to try to mask planned terror attacks.

It isn't much of a plan either. Where are the dunams of land required to enable the farmers of Gush Katif to continue to plant and grow, as they have been doing for 30 years? Where will we rebury those who are buried in Gaza now? Where will the children go to school? How will you move 9000 people from their homes to waiting stations several kilometers away, when you can't even protect them from the Kassem rockets and mortars the Palestinians launch at them daily? What message are you sending to the Palestinians when no matter how much they attack, we still plow forward to reward them with land and riches?

Clueless politicians are what we elected. The government might have had the cooperation of the people if they were getting something in return for the tremendous sacrifices. We will not get security. We will not get peace. We will not get disengagement and we don't even have a plan.

Clueless politicians are what we have. The government is on the run, unable to cope with the determination and dedication of those who feel its “plan” is morally and ethically wrong. Mr Sharon has manipulated his cabinet to get a majority, betrayed the only referendum he initiated and refused a true referendum because he fears hearing the true opinion of the majority of Israelis. To implement his expulsion plan, he has twisted and warped laws and concepts for his personal interest.

Few in Israel doubt that Sharon is using the disengagement plan to deflect attention from his lack of leadership, his inability to deliver his campaign promises of peace and security and, even worse, to manage his delinquent and corrupt family relations and actions.

Clueless politicians. Our appeasement could well put Neville Chamberlain to shame. One minute the government is closing Gush Katif, and then they are rescinding the order. We will pull out in July; no make it in August; no do it now. Family members can enter; no they can't. The rally is permitted; no it is not. We are going into Gaza to stop the Kassem rockets that have killed and wounded yet again; well, maybe in 24 hours.

We won't retreat under fire; we will retreat no matter what. We won't negotiate with terrorists; we'll be meeting next week with Abu Mazen and anyone else willing to meet with us. Terror attacks will not be tolerated; the Netanya attack will not stop the implementation of the plan. The army orders vast numbers of soldiers to take leave, then orders them back to their units. We will destroy the homes; no we won't. We will destroy the homes, but not remove the rubble. We’ll destroy the homes and remove the rubble if we can't find someone else to foot the bill.

Inevitably, the one consistency here is Mr Sharon's inability to grasp the very basics of the situation. He still does not understand the importance of a referendum. Had he agreed, and had a national referendum shown that a majority of Israelis wanted to pull out of Gaza, the residents would have listened to the voice of the people. They are, above all else, Israelis. Had Israel been allowed to speak, these Israelis would have abandoned what they built there and obeyed the will of the people.

Sharon fails to understand that the Palestinians are not ready for peace. For generations, they have been raised with hatred and a promise that terror will succeed. And, apparently, they are correct. Incited to violence and betrayed and cheated by their leaders, Israelis will pay the price thanks to the short sidedness of Ariel Sharon.

Handled correctly, Mr Sharon might have been able to work with Abu Mazen to bring peace. But, having rammed the disengagement plan down the throats of his own people, Sharon has convinced the Arabs that they will achieve victory simply by sitting on the side and watching us make fools of ourselves. If they have no desire to sit quietly, continued shelling, shooting, and bombing is optional, but truly not needed to bring Israel to its knees. Ariel Sharon has succeeded in doing this where 50 years of Arab warfare has failed.

Mr Sharon's plan may succeed in expelling 9000 people from their homes, but those same politicians who cannot successfully plan this disengagement also fail in understanding the cost of such actions. For decades to come, we will be paying for Sharon’s disengagement plan in the disillusionment of our youth, the shame of how our government betrayed the Jewish residents of Gaza, and the weak and clueless policies we have shown to the Arabs.