Yesterday, the Israel cabinet finally backed the initiative of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to pull out completely Israeli settlements from the Gaza Strip. He said in a speech that this was the hardest thing for him to do. Mr. Sharon said, "But the decision I took today with my government was the hardest of all my career."
Seems like only yesterday when the Israeli government was pushing hard deep into Palestinian territory in order to partake of area it occupied out of the war it won in the 1960's. But now, they are making the opposite move. This is perhaps just the right move for them since these two steps backward would mean one step ahead in forging finally a most secured, unthreatened and permanent State of Israel.
Yet all is not well. Many skeptics in the Palestinian rank cried unfair compromise believeing that Sharon is offering pullout from the Gaza Strip as a hidden bait, while in the long run, it plans to keep or gain wider area in West Bank, a sort of a one-for-you-two for me deal.
Another hindrance may also arise if the Israeli parliament would later refuse to approve the needed budget that would fund this major pullout. If that happens, the Sharon's gambit of a major pullout from Palestinian territories may be stunted and result to nothing in the end.
Will peace finally come between the Palestinian people and Israel? What's On Your Mind?
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