Gaza Withdrawal

Handing the Gaza Strip over to the Palestinians must happen at some point if there is to ever be a Palestinian State. Whether now is the right time to withdraw, I don’t know. The Israeli Government is more knowledgeable on the security situation in Gaza, so I would have to yield to their decision.

But one thing is certain, the withdraw is a huge concession on Israel’s part, and the Palestinians don’t seem to be offering anything in return. In fact, according to the latest AP report , “Palestinians held noisy demonstrations in Gaza City to celebrate the pullout. Young men cruised the city in open cars, some firing rifles into the air and brandishing rocket launchers.”

Rifles? Rocket launchers? Apparently, many of the Palestinians aren’t getting the point, and it doesn’t seem like the Palestinian leadership is doing anything about it. Since the Palestinians have used both diplomacy and terror to achieve their goals in recent months, it might not be very clear to them which tactic is working. My fear is that this withdrawal would send a signal that terrorism actually works. Many of the settlers who are being forced to leave the Gaza Strip have said that they believe Gaza will become a hotbed of Palestinian terrorism. Considering the fact that many Palestinians are greeting the withdrawal with rifles and rocket launchers rather than prayers and songs, I’m tempted to agree with them. But I have faith that if this is the result, Ariel Sharon will not hesitate to move back into Gaza.

Let it be clear that the Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip is a concession made to the Palestinians in good faith, and if the Palestinians do not hold up their end of the bargain (meaning, stop trying to kill Israelis, which really isn’t that hard to do considering now you have to go out of your country to get to them), then the Israelis will have no choice but to move back in and take care of the terrorist problem themselves. Any who wish to condemn such a move should remember the Israeli’s concession before voicing their objection. It should be obvious to all by now that the Israelis, at least, are working for peace.

Sha-alu Shalom Yerushalayim
Psalm 122:6

–J.E. Heath
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