IS LEAVING GAZA A MISTAKE?

Leaving Gaza Is a Historic Mistake - Morton A. Klein
This unilateral withdrawal from the Jewish sections of Gaza and northern Samaria, and the forced uprooting of some 10,000 Jewish men, women, and children from their homes, schools, synagogues, farms, and businesses, sends a clear message that terrorism pays and pays well, and only encourages more terrorism. The Oslo experiment made it clear that no concessions should ever be made without receiving something concrete in return. There are many vital issues still on the table - Jerusalem; the "refugees"; the future of Jewish communities and land in Judea-Samaria. At a minimum, you don't make major concessions, like uprooting whole Jewish communities, without removing at least one of these issues from the table. Furthermore, with Israeli forces out of Gaza, Palestinian terrorists will be even closer to Israeli towns like Ashdod and Ashkelon, enabling them to launch rockets capable of inflicting serious damage to these places. (Ha'aretz)

Why Sharon's Critics Are Clueless on Gaza - Oliver Kamm
The dispiriting fact is that no negotiated two-state agreement is likely in the near future. The end of the conflict requires a changed relationship and mutual trust between Israelis and Palestinians. As an Israeli analyst, Dan Schueftan, says: "At this stage, it is extremely difficult to imagine how any amount of European funding or sponsorship could produce a mega-gimmick convincing enough to persuade Jews, except in the hard-core Left, to consider a refurbished version of the Oslo act of faith after that failed so miserably."

Sharon knows that Israeli security is ill-served by the diversion of effort to protect 8,000 Jewish settlers among 1.3 million Palestinians. To the settlers' anguish, he is evicting them as part of a wider plan to create the conditions for dialogue. The wisest course for politicians outside the region is to cease attacking Mr. Sharon for not being able to create peace by fiat. The cause of confidence-building and direct negotiations has never wanted for meddlesome outsiders; it should be given a chance to flourish unaided. (Times-UK)

Privatize the Peace Process - Glenn Yago and James Prince (NO LINK)
While the idea goes against the grain of a long history of liberal thought, disengagement and separation are the best hope for the sort of economic development that will give Palestinians a powerful stake in an enduring peace. Development of an economic infrastructure for a Palestinian state must precede any final political status agreements. By creating such an infrastructure and delivering private investment and job creation now, we have the opportunity to transform a constituency for violence into a constituency for growth and economic viability. Goods transport, free capital flows, and access to markets for Palestinian goods and services will be necessary, but not an integration of labor markets or free movement across borders that create dependency with Israel or threaten its security. (Wall Street Journal, 10Aug05)