We WERE winning

Submitted by yehuda Ben-Asher (Israel), Apr 17, 2006 at 13:30

Until Sharon's pullout from Gush Katif, we were winning the war. After assassinating most of the terrorist leaders, the terrorism mostly stopped. Statistics here (in Israel) and fly-over photography showed that at least half million Arabs left the territories.

The continued and repeated closures destroyed their economy, while Bibi's reforms rebuilt ours (in the midst of war), against all of the expectations of the left, which stated that only peace could bring a good economy. While we sat in our settlements in 2000-1, armed to the teeth waiting for the repeat performances of Lebanon, with the SLA bases overrun, discussing whether we could shoot the women and children that we were convinced that they would send in front of their fighters, within three years, the Arabs were again begging us to build more houses in our "occupying" settlements.

Whereas I used to line my car in flak-jackets to protect my children against the drive-by shooters at that time, within 3 years I didn't even carry my pistol. Rather than the expected fleeing of Jews from our homes in the setltements, we have increased significantly our presence. The tenor felt was that the Arabs tired again, this time causing them to leave.

Many of our workers still talk of their dream to get their children our of here, and send them to Canada and America. Sharon's pullout changed that. The weakness that he showed raised their hopes, installed Hamas, and even today, the terror has started again. We've started to carry our weapons again, waiting for the next round.

We Jews, still tainted with the poisonous effects of our Exile, have a difficult time with victory. As in previous times, like Oslo after the first Gulf War, we snatched victory from our own grasp. Thank G-d, the Wall will fail, the Arabs unchanged and reinvigorated, with the Wall providing only temporary deterrence, and we'll get another chance. Once we will be ready for victory, it will be ours.

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