Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Gaza and the West Bank...

While my sources are a little more than 2 years old (found HERE), it would seem that construction of both the settlements and the barrier are progressing at a rapid pace in the West Bank territories, and in the Golan Heights. It would seem that you are correct, and no NEW settlements have been constructed in Gaza, at least 21 are still operating under Israeli civilian leadership outside of the afore mentioned understanding that the settlements would be abandoned and torn down completely. Less than half have been destroyed, as promised in 2002.

The interesting thing about Gaza is that, while the settlements are still being constructed in the West Bank... the level of violence is almost non-existent compared with Gaza. Could it be that Jordan is the more "reliable" partner in this process, and the the violence in Gaza is indicative of a less-than-enthusiastic Egyptian effort to keep the border closed? Or is it more likely that the presence of the Israeli military in the West Bank is a greater deterrent than the THREAT of Israeli military presence in Gaza?

The choices seem so grim... if you "surgically" strike the terror targets, you risk missing vital targets. If you attack in force, you risk massive civilian damage and death. If you retailiate in kind, you are giving up the initiative and simply fighting a "reactionary" fight... always taking the first punch, as it were. Displacing Palestinians in Gaza simply moves them to another location... it does not remove the threat of violence from them, and is far more likely to breed more violent problems in the future.

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