fighting yesteryear's wars

Submitted by john w. mcginley (United States), Mar 28, 2006 at 13:51

MacArthur was already outdated by the time of the Korean War. Wold War II was the last War wherein there were clear victors and clear losers in a relatively short amount of time. Those days are gone and it is naively romantic to think they can be re-instated by Israel. Today, real victory takes about a century ((Israel is more than halfway there already)) and even then there will be no "VJ"-esque celebration.

The Kadima program is a sensible one. Disengagment from the Palestinians until such time -- probably about a decade away at the least -- as the Palestinians themselves INSIST on a government which renounces terror and recognizes Israel. This disengagment does not have the romance about it of a MacArthur-esque "victory." But it is possible and realistic. Evacuation of the Gaza was the first major part of the policy. It doesn't matter that the terrorists, the religious right in Israel and America, Benny Netanyahu and Daniel Pipes labeled it as defeatism. Governments are weak which cater to those who don't understand what's going on.

The completion of the "fence/wall" is likewise a major part of the policy. It is already working with regard to the reduction to terror attacks and its track record on this will only improve. The third major part of the policy is de facto -- and eventually legal and promulgated as such -- annexation of the large Jewish population centers of the West Bank. It is to be noted that Kadima does NOT advocate reliquishing miltary presence and effective control over other of portions of the West Bank important ot Israel's security unless and until the Palestinians produce a government which renounces terror and recognizes Israel.

Interestingly enough, the Kadima program is, in the very long term, compatible with the policy of turning Jordan into the true home of the Palestinian people. This is already the reality and sooner or later the British perfidy against the Palestinians and the Israelis of in ceding "TransJordan" to the Hashemites will be overturned. This hope is not realistic at the present time. In about twenty years, however, it will, incrementally, be set in motion. In the meantime, Professor Pipes, put away your MacArthur uniform. You are not yet ready to fade away. You're not even an old soldier.

John W. McGinley

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