Everything here has changed

Submitted by Kenneth S. Besig (Israel), Jan 5, 2006 at 12:40

Since Ariel Sharon entered the hospital this morning and underwent two serious brain surgeries to save his life, the entire political map in Israel has changed. Sharon's new political venture, the Kadima party, is of course no longer viable, and the failed and sleazy politicos who ran to join it are now reconsidering and regretting their choice. As with every significant change, there is both opportunity for improvement and the chance of worsening failure.

Ariel Sharon began his career as a brilliant and underrated military leader, went on to both success as an effective politician but also to censure as being an extremist, finally he went on to a mixed ending as the only Israeli leader who has ever destroyed Jewish communities and expelled Jews from their homes, both in Yamit and the Gaza Strip/Northern Shomron.
Certainly no other Israeli leader will ever be able to duplicate either Sharon's accomplishments or his obvious failures. He and Shimon Peres are the last Israeli politicians of the Independence War generation and Peres's failures are so widely known that he can never overcome them.

With the passing of Sharon Israel will now, as Dr. Pipes noted, return to democracy and democratic norms.

Ariel Sharon and his one man rule has unfortunately left Israel defenceless as regards the Palestinian terrorists in the Gaza Strip, and opened the door to even worse dangers from the Palestinian terrorists in Judea and Samaria. Whoever takes on the job of leading Israel now has a far more difficult task in store for him, and if our new leader takes the military steps necessary to stop the daily Palestinian missile attacks from the Gaza district, there is a very strong likelihood of a regional war between Israel and our neighbors.

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