Ariel Sharon: Discuss

“This ought to ignite some controversy. I keep trying to figure Sharon out. My current hypothesis:

Sharon is a shrewd Nationalist and a pragmatistst. He is willing to do whatever it takes to forward his Nationalist aims as he sees them. Like Nixon he will slug away and bomb away if it suits his strategy, or he will back off, reach out or do whatever it takes.

When invading Lebanon, settling the West Bank and gaza, and chasing Arabs off of land he wanted for other purposes suited his goals he did it. When evacuating Gaza and talking peace - even acknowledging a Palestinian state - suits his goals he will do it.

His ideology is the nation of Israel, he is not driven by Bible based visions of what Israel should be.

I am not even trying to address whether what he is trying will work. But, he is taking dramatic steps and seems to have George Bush's backing. Inded, he might be doing what he promised Bush some time ago.”

“Ooohhh.

I was wondering what took so long.

I must admit. The man has surprised me. I didn’t think there was a chance for peace with him in power, but if he is able to take some of the more moderate Likudist with him and attracts members of Labor, then maybe… maybe…”

“.... and shame on you for trying to force a Nigal conniption.”

“Here you go, pedZing:

STRATFOR

Israel: Sharon Splits
November 21, 2005 20 34 GMT

Summary

A tornado struck the Israeli political landscape Nov. 21 when Prime
Minister Ariel Sharon bolted from the ruling Likud party and called
for early elections. Sharon's new party will be personality-driven,
and likely will survive March 2006 elections with an agenda to
implement a more left-leaning policy of isolated disengagement from
the West Bank. Hamas, meanwhile, likely will refrain from a flare-up
in attacks to prevent the Israeli electorate from swinging to the far
right.

Analysis

Deliberating until the last minute, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel
Sharon on Nov. 21 announced his plan to depart from the ruling Likud
party and to form the new, centrist National Responsibility party.
Sharon has been a key member of Likud since its inception in 1973,
making his departure a massive blow to the the ruling party's
historic legacy.

With a new centrist party, Sharon, 77, will now run on a personality-
driven platform against the far-right Likud and the left-wing Labor
parties to ensure that the last years of his political career are not
gridlocked in a fragmented Likud. Though Labor experienced a revival
with the victory of Amir Peretz in the Labor party polls, it is
unlikely to garner enough popular support to defeat Sharon.

By bringing a new party onto the scene, Sharon is undoubtedly
crippling Likud -- at least for the time being. Sharon's centrist
party likely will survive only under Sharon, raising the real
possibility of a Likud revival once Sharon bids politics adieu. In
any event, Sharon likely will come out on top in the March 2006
elections, but not in a landslide victory.

The wounded Likud will struggle to form a sizeable coalition now that
Sharon has taken away a third of the party's Knesset members for his
centrist party. In Likud's remnants, former Finance Minister and
former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stands the best chance of
leading Likud in the polls, but he will prove unable to threaten
Sharon seriously. Netanyahu, 56, is still viewed as a right-of-center
politician with many years left in his political career. It would
serve his interests well to hold off on battling Sharon, and so
risking a major defeat, in order to preserve his image in the Israeli
political arena.

Sharon now faces the task of building a majority coalition in the
Knesset. Rumors have been circulating among Israel's political and
security elite that Sharon is seriously considering a plan for
isolated disengagement from settlements in the West Bank. Though
Sharon has a reputation as a hard-liner on national security issues,
he leads a faction in Israel that believes the survival of the Jewish
state depends on gradual and limited disengagement from the
Palestinian territories. The emphasis is on maintaining Israel's
strategic position in the Arab world, even if this risks a short-term
increase in terrorism. Sharon would like to dedicate the remainder of
his political career to this agenda, but will hold off on talk of any
future withdrawals until after the polls in order to avoid alienating
voters from the right. Such an agenda would be possible only with
Sharon's decision to bolt from the far-right Likud, where a
considerable number of members strongly oppose granting more
territorial concessions to the Palestinians. Sharon's new party will
likely look to Labor supporters led by ousted Labor leader Shimon
Peres for coalition support, along with the Shinui and Meretz-Yahad
parties.

Meanwhile, Palestinian factions are closely observing the unfolding
events in Tel Aviv. A preoccupied Israel bodes well for Palestinian
militant group Hamas, which is preparing its debut on the political
scene with the Palestinian legislative elections slated for January
2006. As Stratfor has mentioned, Hamas is attempting to follow the
Hezbollah model by building up social support through its grassroots
ties and penetrating the Palestinian political infrastructure, while
maintaining its profile as a powerful militant resistance group with
the ability to drain Israeli defenses and enforce Israel's divorce
from the Palestinians. The fragile period of calm declared in
February at the Sharm el-Sheikh summit was primarily motivated by
Hamas' need to rebuild its infrastructure in the territories after a
number of Hamas leaders in the Gaza Strip were taken out by Israeli
forces and after its capabilities were severely drained in the West
Bank.

Hamas' strategy at this juncture is to maintain the period of
relative calm to make it to the January 2006 elections and covertly
to transfer its militant capabilities from the Gaza Strip to the West
Bank, where the opportunity to launch strikes on Israeli soil is far
greater. Still, the resistance movement's momentum will be sustained
by sporadic attacks staged by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the
al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade. Though Hamas will lay low to prevent the
Israeli electorate from swinging to the far right and to encourage
more unilateral withdrawals by Israel from the West Bank, the group's
militant agenda suggests that its political and militant branches
will likely divide down the road in order to ensure the movement's
survival.

The political shake-up incited by Likud's growing fragmentation and
Peretz's recent victory in the Labor party polls carries far-reaching
consequences for Likud's fate. Though the break-up has momentarily
weakened Likud, Sharon's political gamble will likely pay off in the
early elections.”

“Ruthless - that's the word I was looking for in my first post!


I was listening to a lot of analysts discuss the situation on the radio and I was thinking - this is big, why hasn't it hit TT yet?

I don't trust Sharon, mmyself. I do want Israel to survive, thrive and be at peace. If Sharon could deliver that, I'd have to say I was wrong about him ealier on - when he was just a ruthless thug in my book. Now I think he might be a brilliant, patriotic, ruthless thug. How4ever, I'm not sure what game he is playing or what his goal is.”

“Interesting that Stratfor analysis seemed very close indeed to what I've been thinking and hearing. It is a cautious prognostication since it doesn't really extend far out in time.

The one thing that surprises me is the prediction that Hamas wants to avoid a swing to the right in Israeli politics. I would think they welcome polarization and intensification of conflict. Of course, I am no expert on Hamas and the current thinking of its leaders may be far from that which is reflected in their Charter.”

“Sharon is nothing if not smart.

It's called triangulation. Take a hard line. Build your reputation. Then, reach across and make the deal.

Bush, actually, should learn from this. He's good with the hard line, but he never makes the deal.

And this is also why the Hillary Clinton position on the war is also the best one. Oppose pull out. One day the Dems will run the war and they need to approach the inevitable dealmaking from a position of strength.”

“Just a few thoughts...

Does the fact that he started his “reaching out” right after he got busted for taking some $700,000 in illegal kick backs from a Greek resort scandal figure into his nationalism? The handing over of Gaza is an absolute disaster and does nothing but put Israel in even greater danger. The worst thing is that Palestinian peace wasn’t even in the deal. They just handed it over. Has the attacks stopped? No. Will they stop? No. The difference now is they are within range of even bigger Israeli communities.

Then just when I think shlt can’t get any crazier they agree to Condi Rice’s pressure and agree to let the Egyptians, the fukcing EGYPTIANS and the E.U. be responsible for boarding crossings. And run salt in the wound they tell Israel they can have cameras at the crossings but they aren’t allowed to do anything there. The only this can get any crazier is for this fat, bloated bag if shlt to actually get re-elected. Sharon won the last election on the no land for peace platform and he won by a 80% landslide. Keeping Israeli land was an unprecedented mandate. Sharon sold his people out. He sold his nation out.

One thing most people don’t realize is that Israel is our canary in the coal mine. What happens to Israel; so goes the rest of the world. What do you think might be the effect of a terrorist organization getting what they want on terrorists across the globe? It tells them all they have to do is keep attacking and wait it out. It tells them they can win.

The uprooting of Gush Katif effected me so much more than I thought it would. For a week I listened to Israeli National Radio as they tore barricaded Jews from synagogues. Entire families we carried out of their homes and cast aside. Why were they there? Because the nation of Israel sent out the call to Jews around the world, “Come! Come home! Come and make a better life while strengthening the nation of Israel!”. It was the government who sent them there. The conditions of the “disengagement” (I prefer to call it “disinheritance”) were such that these families lost their houses even though they still have to pay the mortgages but they would be compensated at pennies on the dollar. They were taken out way back in the summer. Do you know where they are now? Still shacked up in hotels that are being paid for with their compensation money. And I don’t think I need to tell you how big Orthodox families can be. The government has no where for them to go to, is not making any headway at all in finding them a new community, and on top of that the government isn’t even making the payments to the hotels. And on top of THAT the government lost $1 billion dollars that was to be used for the disengagement. Poof! It’s just not there. Don’t know where it went but it’s just gone. These people can’t even get to their belongings which are still in containers and if they do somehow get to their stuff they have to pay to have the containers opened.

And there are even more communities in Hevrone and Samaria that are on the chopping block. And for what? It surely isn’t safety and peace because the Palestinians have already said they are not stopping anything and Hamas is looking like they will be the ruling group in Gaza. Terrorists are pouring in every day and Alqada training camps are already being built as we speak. I’ll never forget the rage I felt seeing the pictures of Palestinian militiamen burning synagogues and desecrating their torah arcs, urinating on holy sites and standing on top of synagogues shooting their guns in the air waving the Palestinian flags. And seeing the banners (some of them were U.N. banners even) that said, “Today Gaza! Tomorrow Jerusalem!”.

My prediction is that if Sharon somehow, G-d forbid!, gets reelected there will be more land handed over and the global community will begin to push for internationalizing Jerusalem and Israel itself.

So, no, I’m not too hip on Sharon. I can only hope that Uzi Landou can manage to beat both Sharon and BB in March’s elections.”

“I forgot about Sharon's 700K scandal. That's an interesting connection.”

“And he let his son take the fall for it too.

If you think American politics is corrupt go read about Israel's system. It's the most corrupt government on earth. And don't even get me started on Bush's part in all this.
last edited: 11/23/05 10:47:53 AM”

“One question for Nigal and anyone else who finds the scandal relevant: Did the scandal come out because Sharon was making highly controversial moves to withdraw from the Gaza Strip, or did he make highly controversial moves to distract from the scandal.”

“The decision to hand over Gaza did not come about until after the scandle broke. You connect the dots. This doesn't let Bush Rice off for their part though.”

“LOL! That could make it like sort of the mirror image of the "Wag the Dog scenario" Make peace to distract the public!”

“Seriously thoug, I can't imagine any Palestinian leadership (regardless of how Hamas does) accepting any agreement that Sharon is ready to offer.

This is part of what puzzles me and makes me wonder if Sharon is actually planning some unilateral withdrawals from the West bank (aka Judea and Samaria) and, perhaps, forceable transplantation of both Arabs and Jews. His apparent insistence that he will not do any more unilateral withdrawals just doesn't add up with what he seems to be doing.”

“I wouldn't even be that upset if it did make peace. It never will though. If we look back through history the only time the enemies of Israel say they want peace is when Israel fights back and pushes them to the brink of defeat and distruction. Even at Camp David when Israel gave Arafart everything he wanted he still turned it down.”

“The peace would last long enough for a US election then pieces again.”

“Another Stratfor article:

Israel: Sharon Repackaged
November 25, 2005 18 06 GMT

Summary

Israeli opinion polls published Nov. 25 project that Israeli Prime
Minister Ariel Sharon's newly formed centrist party -- Kadima
(Forward) -- will win the most seats in early elections set for March
2006. Despite his new packaging, Israeli's premier remains the same
old security conscious hawk. Ultimately, it is Sharon's ability to
reposition himself on the Israeli political spectrum that has made
his gamble to leave his old right-wing group, the Likud party, worth it.

Analysis

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's new centrist party Kadima
(Forward) would win March 28 early Israeli elections, according to
public opinion polls published Nov. 25. The survey, jointly sponsored
by Yedioth Ahronoth, Maariv, and The Jerusalem Post newspapers,
showed Forward getting between 32 to 34 seats, Labor clinching about
28, and Likud winning only 12 to 13 seats. Overall, the right-wing
bloc, consisting of Likud plus smaller parties, would control no more
than 30 seats in the 120-member Knesset. Additionally, reports
suggest that Israeli elder statesman and former Labor Party boss
Shimon Peres might be joining Forward.

Sharon's domestic political maneuverings, in which he shifted from
the right-wing's periphery to the political center, have allowed him
to engage in high-risk moves on the foreign policy front -- such as
heeding U.S. demands for the emergence of Palestinian polity -- which
in turn have resulted in success in both the domestic and foreign
policy arenas. While a Palestinian state in some shape or form will
eventually emerge as a result of Sharon's actions, the aging Israeli
pragmatic conservative has sought to consolidate the Jewish state's
security as it seeks to disengage from the Palestinian territories.
Sharon's departure from his erstwhile party -- Likud -- and the
formation of the new centrist party will likely facilitate this move.

Sharon divorced himself from Likud, the party he helped found,
because he had decided it was high time to launch a party more
capable of achieving his political goals rather than being forced to
compromise to gain the support of party elements further to his
right, such as Benjamin Netanyahu and his ilk. Though many of the
details remain fuzzy, Forward will primarily serve as a centrist
vehicle to advance Sharon's view of what a final settlement between
the Palestinians and Israelis should look like.

During such times of transition, it is useful to reflect on how the
world has -- or has not -- changed.

Sharon first rose to national prominence for his role in the Arab-
Israeli wars, and later for alleged war crimes in Lebanon. He was
considered at the right edge of Likud's right wing, a man who could
never even consider treating the Palestinians as negotiating
partners. In 2005, however, he became the first Israeli prime
minister to surrender territory to the Palestinians -- namely, the
Gaza Strip. Subsequently, he is now viewed as a political centrist.
To Likud's right wing, and to political parties even further to the
right, the abandonment of such land is tantamount to treason -- or
even heresy.

But is Sharon leading Israel into a new era? Hardly.

Bear in mind that Sharon's Gaza pullout did not result from
negotiation. Rather, it resulted from a decision by Sharon to
consolidate Israel's borders. To Sharon, the benefit of protecting a
handful of Jewish settlers in the Gaza Strip simply did not justify
the burden. He sees the bulk of the West Bank in a strikingly similar
light. But rather than a full Gaza-style pullout, Sharon envisions a
redrawing of the Israeli-Palestinian border -- roughly along the
lines of the separation wall he is building -- reapportioning the
West Bank into Israeli and Palestinian sections. The Israeli sections
would be fully integrated in Israel, but the Palestinian sections
would for all practical purposes constitute walled-off islands.

A quick glance at a map indicates that such reapportioning would
permanently split the Palestinians of the West Bank into a number of
geographically discrete sections permanently unable to function as a
cohesive political entity. Just as separate -- and extremely
antagonistic -- factions dominate Gaza and the West Bank, so too
would be the various sections of the West Bank under Sharon's divorce
plan.

Centrist? We think not. Instead, Sharon is proving to be extremely
canny, capable and credible. Forward was ranked as the country's most
popular party before Sharon even announced its name Nov. 24. And
Sharon now is not too far away from divorcing the Palestinians from
their only real chance of actual statehood, even were he to grant
statehood to them in name”

“That's also an interesting report from Stratfor.

Two details caught my eye:

1) speculation that Shimon Peres would join Sharon's party - an interesting development that would lend some additional energyn to Sharon's group, it could give Peres some more clout, or would he be seen as an opportunist?

2) The analysis seems to be suggesting that analyzing current politics: Likud Alliance, Sharon/Forward, and Labor alliance, in terms of right, left, center misses some key elements of what Sharon is about. I wish they'd be more precise in describing what this other dimension is.
Part of this is related to the claim that Sharon isn't leading Israel into a new era. To me this is an open question, if he succeeds, it will be a new era. If he fails, it may be the same old same old.”

“"it could give Peres some more clout, or would he be seen as an opportunist?"

Ped, did you know that throughout Pere's 40 year political career he has never even been elected to any position? Not once. He's a lap dog who goes with the wind to get appointments.”

“He does seem to be acting like a lap dog, but I believe he has regularly been elected to the Knesset since before I was born or something close to that - and he was Prime Minister twice.”

“He was never elected by the people. He was elected to the Knesset through his party's inner elections. He failed to win the PM proistion outright in the 84 elections because Labor didn't win big enough. Labor's defeat was the first one under Peres. Only after bringing the smaller Lekud under the umbrella did he get to serve two years (sharing with Yitzhak Shamir). It was manuvering, not elections by his people.

His second term was only after his boss Rabin was murdered and he served out the rest. He's never been chosen by his people.”

“Given the way the Parliamentary system works its a little unfair to make that criticism. He was at the head of the Labor list many times when he got elected. It is true that the list did not perform all that well when he was at the head, but he was on the list and was chosen the way everyone else in key national offices was chosen - until very recent changes.

It's no biggie to me. I've never been a Peres fan. I'd probably vote for people you despise even more if I was an Israeli.
last edited: 11/28/05 7:45:05 PM”

“Today's headlines from Israel:

Sharon's new party will favore PA state and more hand overs.

National Union and National Religious Party are talking about combining forces.

Not even the Israeli Arabs want the radical left to help them.

The Pa, with the EU's help has begun the push for Jerusalem.

And meanwhile the fruits of Shoron's peace plan keep coming to fruition.Over the past 24 hours, a terrorist attack was foiled, Kassam rockets were fired, firebombs were hurled, terrorists rioted, PA police fired on an IDF unit, and more.

Is this Shoron's new direction?”

“Poll Shows Voters Rejecting Future Withdrawals
By Ezra HaLevi

A poll conducted this past week supports the assertion by politicians across the political spectrum that once the novelty of PM Sharon's Kadima Party wears off, voters will oppose its platform.

The poll, conducted by Smith Research and Consulting for the Zionist Organization of America, found that of the 500 Israeli Jews polled, 67% are opposed to major withdrawals from Judea and Samaria in response to the Palestinian Authority's failure to combat terror groups. Among self-proclaimed Kadima supporters, 54% opposed further unilateral withdrawals.

Just 28% of the Jewish public, and 37% of Kadima constituents, said they support carrying out significant withdrawals if the Road Map is not advanced upon due to PA inaction.

A follow-up question found that of those who oppose unilateral withdrawal
under those circumstances, 75% responded that they would not vote for a
party that would support such a move, and 18% would. Among those intending to
vote for Kadima who oppose unilateral withdrawal under those circumstances,
68% responded that they would not vote for a party that would support such a
move, while 20% would.

The ZOA-sponsored poll is significant in that is seems to bolster claims by political pundits that once the novelty of the big-name celebrities migrating to Sharon's party wears off, the public will not place the Kadima slips in the ballot boxes.

"It is funny to see that politicians are taking part in a game of 'A Star is Born' [popular Israeli talent show similar to American Idol –ed.] and it seems that it is not by chance that elections will be held after Purim," Shas Party leader MK Eli Yishai said earlier this week. "The present election campaign revolves around important ideological issues and I am certain the public is more impressed by the migration of birds than by the migration of politicians."

Dr. Aaron Lerner of Independent Media Research Analysis analyzed the poll in light of the current political scene. "While [recent Labor Party defector] Chaim Ramon and many others associated with the Kadima Party openly state that Prime Minister Sharon will carry out a significant unilateral withdrawal from Judea and Samaria if it is not possible to advance in negotiations with the Palestinians on the basis of the Road Map after the elections because the PA fails to fight terror - and that this is the most likely scenario - Sharon opts to dodge the question."

Lerner was referring to a direct question to Sharon asked by Arutz-7's Haggai Huberman at the Editors' Convention at Sokolov House in Tel Aviv Thursday. Huberman asked the prime minister what his plans are for after the elections should the PA continue to fail to fight terror. Sharon repeated his standard declaration of commitment to the Road Map, insisting that there are no additional plans such as the Disengagement Plan in the works.”

“Stratfor

Israel: The Suicide Attack and its Consequences
December 05, 2005 13 22 GMT

Summary

A suicide bomber detonated Dec. 5 in Netanya, Israel, killing five
people and wounding scores. The attack, claimed by two Palestinian
militant groups, will lead to an Israeli retaliation and could
adversely affect the Palestinian parliamentary elections slated for
Jan. 25.

Analysis

A suicide bomber exploded at the Hasharon shopping mall in the
Israeli coastal city of Netanya on Dec. 5, killing five people and
wounding as many as 40. Both the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade and
Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) claimed responsibility for the
bombing, which followed a weekend of Palestinian rocket attacks into
Israel, and Israeli airstrikes against Palestinian facilities.

Israel likely will respond to the bombing by engaging in strong
reprisals in both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. With early
elections to be held in the spring, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon --
who recently left the hard-line right-of-center Likud party to form
his own Kadima party, dominated by pragmatic conservatives -- needs
to demonstrate that his new group will be tough against Palestinian
militants, even though it has said the creation of a Palestinian
state is one its key objectives.

Although a tough, but measured, response will aid Sharon in his re-
election bid, the reprisals could disrupt the timetable for the
planned Jan. 25 elections to the Palestinian Legislative Councils.
The ruling Fatah party already is facing difficulties holding
primaries, given the violence from dissident younger-generation Fatah
factions.

Action against the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade will further complicate
matters for the ruling Fatah, while attacks against the PIJ could
force the hand of Hamas -- the largest Palestinian militant group --
even though it has largely upheld the truce in hopes of making gains
in the January elections.

Although Hamas is solely focused on transforming itself into a
political movement -- albeit with a military wing -- the attacks by
the smaller militant factions and Israeli action against Palestinians
will make it increasingly difficult for it to strike a safe balance
as a "resistance" group that is moving toward emerging as a political
party.

The Dec. 5 bombing in Netanya provides the opportunity for Sharon to
show that he might be a pragmatic politician, but that he is resolute
when it comes to Israeli national security. On the Palestinian side
of the equation, Fatah and its main challenger Hamas both face the
common threat to their objectives from the violence perpetrated by
their smaller rival factions”

“Israel to strike back.

Abass said of the attacks; "[It] causes great damage to our commitment to the peace process [sic]."

But on the same day as the attack he announced that the families of PA martyrs would begin recieving $200 a month.

I see only one excuse for someone to think Israel's capitulation is a good thing...

”

“The root of the problem is clear 3 minute worksafe vid”

“Why is it when I see these two duchebags together all I can think about is Statler and Waldorf sitting in the balcony on the Muppet Show?

”

“Well thank heavens for a man like Sharon. Weapons smuggling is only up by 900% since the pull out of Gaza. Yay! Peace is finally here!”

“Next round of expulsions started yesterday. Yippy skippy! Thanks Sharon!

While at the same time the noose around Sharon's neck tightens as police are finally conecting the dots on Sharon's $3 million bribes. This truely is a man of virtue and a man for the people.

BTW- Thanks for starting this thread Ped. It's nice to have a place to vent my splean.”

“Nigal it is interesting to see how you read events in Israel. I'd give you an argument, but I definitely do not trust Sharon - don't know what his real agenda is and honestly don't know what Israel should do next. So, I really don't have a stance from which to argue.

I think a lot of the West bank settlers are kooks, but next to Hamas, they are sane rational folks I'd love to have next door.”

“Oh sure, every groups got their kooks. And yet sometimes what we call kooky is that way for a reason. The whole of the Hilltop Youth has gotten a bad wrap for the actions of a very, very few. For the most part they are just observant Jews who have chosen to go out into the desert where there is nothing and Arabs won’t even go and they establish communities. Then when they have established something their enemies want it. Every place the Jews choose to live, they thrive.

Look at Gush Ktif. The Arabs told them they were crazy for going there and the land was curse and nothing would grow there (that’s why the Arabs weren’t there). The Jews settled there, built vibrant communities complete with schools, malls, and build a multi billion dollar agri export empire. No white trailers here. We’re talking whole towns. The land produced for them and them alone just like the Torah said it would. Now the Arabs have been given the land and guess what? The only thing they can get to grow are some strawberries and they can’t produce the bug free veggies the Jews did. So now they are begging the Jews who they had kicked out if they could please help them.

Now that is some chutzpah!”

“Speaking of Ariel Sharon he's just been rushed back to the hospital with a possible second stroke.”

“That is horrible. May he live to be 120.

Arutz Cheva is reporting he has had a significant stroke and power has been shifted to Ehud Olmert.

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news.php3?id=96065
last edited: 1/04/06 3:54:54 PM”

“It's getting worse...

(IsraelNN.com) After taking blood thinners to prevent another clot which led to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s minor stroke last month, doctors are now concerned that inter-cranial bleeding may be more significant as a result.

Hadassah Hospital official Prof. Shlomo Mor-Yosef reported a short time ago that the prime minister is in a medically induced coma, placed on a respirator and is on his way to the operating room where doctors will attempt to stop cranial bleeding with a minimum of neurological damage.”

“Damn”

“The UN in 11/29/1947 partitioned Palastine . While the Zionist led by Ben Gurion accepted this pertition, the the Palestiniam Arabs and surrounding arab states did not. On May 14, 1948 the Zionists declared their own state. The next day the Palestinian; aided by the armies of Jordan, Syria, Egypt, Lebenon, Saudi Arabia and Iraq launched a war to prevent the formation of Israel. In the course of this war Jordan annexed the west Bank, and Egypt annexed Gaza. Neither country allowed the Palestinians to form their own state. Sound familiar??

The six day war in 1967. The Isarelies struck first, after Nasser of Egypt declared his intentions to annihilate the Jewish state; Israel was incontroll of the Sinai, West Bank, and Golan Heights.

So in essence land provided for Palestinians was taken by other Arab states but the palestinians were not allowed self rule. It was then taken by the Israeli's for protection of Israel

All the anger that palestinians have directed to Isreal and the US should instead be focused on their arab breathren, who really screwed them by failing to build a Palestinian Sate in 1947

See From Beirut to Jersalem by Thomas Friedman.
last edited: 1/04/06 11:40:49 PM”

“If you look at the history of the region Jordan is actually Israeli land according to the original deal. Jordan told the Arabs to come and join them but they refused. Even when the PA has been given everything they want they refuse. Why? Because as their charter states, they seek the destruction of Israel. And the thing everyone who supports these poor Palestinians is that they have more rights living under the "oppressive" Israelis than they would have in any of the Arab states. I laugh my ass when I see the hippy protesters carrying signs and waving the PA flag because they don't even realize what type of state they are supporting. No rights whatsoever. No freedom of religion. No freedom for women. And G-d help you if you happen to be a homosexual.

The Palis are having a hell of a time over Sharon's stroke. Goes to show they don't even see him as a friend.


(IsraelNN.com) Palestinian Authority (PA) residents in Shechem fired weapons in the air in an act of joy over prime minister Ariel Sharon’s condition.

PA residents in the Balata area of Shechem were firing their weapons in the air. No injuries were reported.”

“They said it was a "gift from God," Nigal!”

“Boy that Allah is a real sumbeetch. LOL! I'm glad Hashem's a bit more levelheaded and reasonable.”

“This doesn't sound so good:


The huge stroke suffered last night by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of Israel, caused by uncontrolled bleeding into the brain, is likely to be devastating and nearly impossible to treat because Mr. Sharon, 77, is taking blood thinners, neurologists say.

Although Mr. Sharon was taken to surgery to try to remove the blood pouring into his skull, it was a desperate move, neurologists said.

Hemorrhages in the brain while the patient is taking blood thinners "are usually devastating events," said Dr. Matthew E. Fink, chief of the Division of Stroke and Critical Care at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. "This sounds really terrible."

Statistically, the likelihood of death is greater than 80 percent, Dr. Fink said.

"They are trying to save his life with surgery, but this is an extremely hazardous procedure," Dr. Fink said. "The goal is to save his life, but there is not much evidence that it will preserve neurological function."

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/05/international/05medical.html”

“Well, in case anyone wondered:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060105/ap_on_re_us/robertson_sharon”

“Gotta love Pat. I wish he would stop talking now.”

“Well I'm sure he'll feel god's wrath pretty soon himself.

Robertson that is.
last edited: 1/05/06 6:49:19 PM”

“I don't have much time for Sharon, but I don't wish ill on him. It also leaves Isreal in political turmoil just when in needs stability.”

“Bio outline from a pro-Israel group (forwarded to me by a Zionist friend):

The Life and Accomplishments of Ariel Sharon

Written by Gilead Ini of the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America (CAMERA.org). This timeline may be reprinted without CAMERA's permission

Feb. 27, 1928: Born in Kfar Malal, a a Jewish-owned agricultural community (or moshav) north of Tel Aviv where his parents, Samuel and Vera Scheinerman, settled after fleeing the Red Army in Russia.

Aug. 23-26, 1929: Arab anti-Jewish violence erupts across British Mandate Palestine. Rioters destroy several Jewish communities, but unlike in 1921, when Kfar Malal was razed by Arabs, Sharon's moshav survives.

1942: Joins the Haganah, a militia formed to defend Jewish villages against Arab attacks.

1947-49: After the United Nations votes to partition Palestine into two states (one Arab and one Jewish), Arabs renew anti-Jewish attacks; Sharon joins Israeli army.

May 1948: Takes part in battle for Latrun to break the siege of Jerusalem during Israel’s War of Independence and is seriously wounded.

1953: Father of Counter-Terrorism. Heads Commando Unit 101, formed after repeated Arab infiltrations kill hundreds of Israelis. The unit specializes in counter-terror strikes behind enemy lines. Sharon invents many counter-terror methods still in use today.

October 1953: Two Arabs infiltrate Israel from Jordanian-occupied West Bank town of Kibya, murdering a woman and her two young children. In retaliation, Sharon’s Unit 101 raids the town and destroys 42 houses. Although Sharon says the demolished houses appeared to have been evacuated, Jordan reports sixty-nine civilians killed in the operation.

1956: As raids against Israel from the West Bank and Gaza Strip continue, Egypt's Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalizes the Suez Canal and blockades the Straits of Tiran to Israeli ships. This prompts a British-French-Israeli invasion of the Sinai peninsula. Sharon is criticized for disobeying orders while taking part in the invasion.

1962: Wife Margalit dies in car accident.

1967: Egypt's Nasser again blockades the Straits of Tiran, expels UN peace-keeping troops from the Sinai Peninsula and masses troops on Egypt's border with Israel. From Golan Heights, Syria bombards Israeli settlements with mortars. Israel reacts on June 5 with a pre-emptive attack against Egypt. Sharon, in command of an armored division, is pivotal in Israel's success on the Egyptian front.

October 1967: Eleven-year-old son Gur dies, accidentally shot by a friend playing with an antique rifle.

1971: Sharon is given assignment to fight terror emanating from the Gaza Strip. Arab attacks go from 34 in June to one in December.

1973: Retires from military and helps found Likud, a new coalition of political parties. He rejoins military and is instrumental in repulsing the Egyptian-Syrian surprise attack. After the war, Sharon is elected to the Israeli Knesset.

December 1974: Resigns from Knesset

June 1975-Feb. 1976: Serves as advisor to Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.

1976: Forms new political party, Shlomtzion.

1977: Shlomtzion wins two Knesset seats, and merges with Menachem Begin's Likud.

1977-81: Sharon serves as Minister of Agriculture. Spurred by security and ideological considerations, he expands Israeli settlement in the West Bank.

1981-83: Serves as Defense Minister. During his term, he oversees the evacuation of Israeli settlements in the Sinai, which Israel turns over to Egypt as part of peace treaty.

1982: Oversees Israeli invasion of Lebanon, where the PLO has a multi-thousand-man army, in an attempt to halt terror attacks and to rid Beirut of Syrian troops. After Palestinian terrorists shoot and wound Israeli ambassador to Britain Shlomo Argov in June, Israel launches "Operation Peace for the Galilee" and invades Lebanon. The PLO retreats from Lebanon, and Syrian troops evacuate Beirut.

August 1982: Bashir Gemayel, a Lebanese Christian, is elected president of Lebanon, but is assassinated before taking power.

September 1982: Israel assigns its ally, the Lebanese Christian Phalangist militia, the mission of rooting out remaining terrorist cells in two Palestinian refugee camps, Sabra and Shatila. Phalangists kill not just terrorists, but civilians as well.

Feb. 8, 1983: Israeli investigation into events at Sabra and Shatila, the Kahan commission report (http://tinyurl.com/e3wt8), finds that "absolutely no direct responsibility devolves upon Israel or upon those who acted in its behalf," but says Israel is indirectly responsible because it did not consider the danger posed by the Phalangists and did not restrain them after hearing reports about a massacre. The commission concludes that Sharon had "disregarded the danger of acts of vengeance and bloodshed by the Phalangists against the population of the refugee camps" and failed to order "appropriate measures" to prevent or reduce the danger.

Feb. 14, 1983: Sharon resigns as Defense Minister.

Feb. 21, 1983: Time magazine claims a secret "Appendix B" to the Kahan commission report details a discussion between Sharon and the Gemayel family during which Sharon "discussed with the Gemayels the need for Phalangists to take revenge for the assassination of Bashir" Gemayel. Sharon denies the claim and files a libel suit against Time.

Jan. 14, 1986: A U.S. court finds that Time defamed Sharon with false information in the February 1983 article.

1990-92: Appointed Minister of Housing and Construction. Heads program to absorb thousands of Russian immigrants.

1996: Appointed National Infrastructure minister

1997: Appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs.

October 1998: Participates in negotiations with Palestinian Authority at Wye Mills, MD. Under "Wye Accords" agreement, Israel agrees to redeploy from 13 percent of "Area C" in the West Bank, and Palestinians agree to prevent terrorism, collect illegal weapons, outlaw terrorist organizations, and end incitement.

September 1999: Elected chairman of Likud party.

Aug. 3, 2000: Palestinian Media Watch raises concerns about "eve of war atmosphere" generated by official Palestinian media outlets.
http://tinyurl.com/dh6rk

Sept. 18, 2000: Israel radio reports Palestinian Authority releasing prisoners, including terrorists, for extended furloughs.

Sept. 27, 2000: Bomb explodes near Israeli convoy in Gaza Strip, killing one soldier. The following day, an Israeli patrol is ambushed.

Sept. 28, 2000: Sharon visits the Temple Mount, the most sacred site of Judaism. He does not enter any Islamic mosques. After he leaves, Palestinian stone-throwers attack Israeli police. Later in the day, Palestinian rioters clash with Israeli troops in Jerusalem and Ramallah.

Sept. 29, 2000: A Palestinian on joint patrol with an Israeli soldier in the West Bank kills the soldier. Palestinians in Jerusalem's old city attack Jewish worshipers at Western Wall and Israeli police. In the ensuing clashes, four Palestinians are killed.

Feb. 6, 2001: Elected Prime Minister.

May 4, 2001: International commission set up to investigate cause of violence releases "Michell Report," which concludes that "the Sharon visit did not cause the 'Al-Aqsa Intifada.' "
March 27, 2002: A terrorist attack on a Passover Seder in Netanya kills 30, including elderly Holocaust survivors. Terrorist fatalities rose to 452 in 2002 with the number of injured reaching 2,309.

March 28, 2002: Sharon launches Operation Defensive Shield to root out terrorist bases in the West Bank.

June 16, 2002: Israel begins building security fence.

April 2003: The U.S., E.U., Russia and the U.N. propose a road map to achieve Israeli-Palestinian peace.

May 2003: Sharon's government accepts the road map with 14 conditions

2004: Israel continues to build security fence, which is credited with helping to reduce sharply the number of terrorist attacks.

Feb. 20, 2005: Route of fence altered in wake of Israel Supreme Court ruling.

Aug. 14-Sept. 12, 2005: Sharon achieves disengagement from Gaza. Israeli settlers and troops evacuate Gaza Strip and four settlements in West Bank.

Nov. 21, 2005: Establishes centrist Kadima party after quitting Likud. In the weeks that follow, politicians from across the political spectrum join Kadima, and polls predict the party will win in upcoming elections.

Dec. 18, 2005: Suffers mild stroke, returns to work few days later.

Jan. 4, 2005: Suffers massive stroke.”

“I think at the end of a man’s career or life it is good and right to look at the good things he did. What he did last summer was horrible and against Jewish law but that still can’t take away from what he did good in his life.”

“I’m almost hoping Sharon comes around and gets back into power. His second in command and acting PM Ehud Olmert may be worse than Sharon. He is trying to enact a 28% tax on all charitable items Americans donate to needy Israelis. There are tons and tons of charitable donations sitting in the ports waiting to be taxed.”

“According to this story in today's Haaretz, Sharon's doctors misdiagnosed him after his first stroke and the blood thinners they prescribed likely caused his brain hemorrhage.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/668482.html”