Professor Shlomo Avineri gives his view about Ariel Sharon’s plans vis-à-vis Gaza:
Q: Do you believe this Gaza initiative is a genuine endeavor by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to carry out unilateral disengagement from Palestinian areas?
A: “It certainly looks like this. Nobody knows motivations and I am unable to read the tea leaves. But there’s no doubt that in the last year or so Sharon has moved gingerly, but surely in this direction. It started with his talks about having to make ‘painful concessions’; he referred to the Israeli rule on the West Bank and Gaza as an occupation that has to end – not the usual language used by Likud people… [U]ntil now we have had some words, some planning… but the ultimate test will be implementation. But I think the way is very clear.”
…..
“Unilateral disengagement has really a twofold agenda: On one hand it is trying to put, as much as possible, an end to the Israeli occupation of the Palestinians… On the other hand, it is the only reasonable way Israel can put a stop to suicide bombing… For that you need a unilateral disengagement, for that you need to make it difficult, if not impossible for them to get into Israel.“To have a meaningful barrier, you need to take down some settlements, and the settlements in the Gaza Strip are an obvious case – and as Sharon has said – they are not going to remain under Israeli rule.”
(Hat tip: Gur Hirshberg.)