IDF withdraws from northern Gaza, Palestinian militants agree to ceasefire

As you've probably heard now, Israel is finally backing out some forces from Gaza as the "Road Map" catches some wind. This positive turn has been a long time in coming, but similar plans have failed before. The cease-fire itself contains numerous demands on Israel, such as the release of all Palestinian prisoners. Errrr...It nearly collapsed before it started when Israel attacked militants all over. It could be attributed to a systemic problem in Israel's government, in which it's dependent on the military for intelligence, as columnist Aluf Benn points out in Haaretz:

The political echelon in Israel is held captive by the Israel Defense Forces and the intelligence community, because it lacks an independent unit that is exposed to sensitive material and can ask questions before decisions are made. Prime ministers usually depend on their own military experience and judgment. It is true that tedious staff work is not always the recipe for successful decisions... The Israeli "system," in which decisions are improvised and shot from the hip, is an almost guaranteed recipe for failures. That is the way it is now in day to day decision-making about military operations and assassinations, and that is the way it has been for decades in entanglements like the settlements, ultra-Orthodox draft deferments, the occupation of Lebanon and various failed defense projects.

Another Israeli angrily rejects the Jewish outpost 'pseudo-evacuation,' in the West Bank, which in reality are mostly uninhabited, 'decoy' outposts which are suitable to make a show of the government doing something, while the large settlements continue to grow 'naturally.' Of course, Ariel Sharon went on to declare a few days ago that construction would continue in settlements like Ariel, but 'without fanfare.' An article in Al-Ahram claims that it's just going to be the same game with the settlers, over and over. If this continues, it's unlikely for a firm peace to hold.

Posted by HongPong at June 30, 2003 03:16 AM
Listed under Israel-Palestine .