There are many Jewish observers of the Israel-Palestine scene who claim Arik Sharon is a strategic genius. The exit from Gaza distracted the world from his real intentions - the annexation of large chunks of the West Bank. It also “threw the ball into the Palestinian court.” Now the Palestinians have to show they can build a viable government in Gaza.
The problem with this analysis is that it ignores an important reality, viz. the Palestinian people. As Israel annexes large swaths of the West bank, it also annexes the Palestinians who live there. And as this article points out, it is highly unlikely they will sit idly by.
“The measures currently being implemented are at war with any viable two-state solution and will not bolster Israel’s safety; in fact, they will undermine it, weakening Palestinian pragmatists, incorporating hundreds of thousands of Palestinians on the Israeli side of the fence, and sowing the seeds of growing radicalization.”
