strategic withdrawal

Submitted by Marvin Rabinovitch (Israel), Aug 10, 2005 at 04:15

What we fail to perceive is that in the vast geopolitical chess game he is playing, Sharon has sacrificed a pawn to protect his queen (in this case, a metaphor for the Bush administration's explicit commitment to back Israel's claim to the major West Bank settlements and to reject the Palestinians' so-called "right of return"). Of course, their bitter-enders will gloat and ours will seethe, of course the terrorists will be encouraged to redouble their efforts.

But having conquered the moral high ground, Israel will be far less constrained (and restrained) in its military response to the Islamikaze onslaught. In the long run, Uncle Sam's support (assuming that the Bushies keep their promise) and greater freedom of self-defense will justify Sharon's far-seeing strategy.

---

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".