Among the many casualties of Israel's war with Hezbollah is the prime minister's vision to draw the country's final borders and withdraw Jewish settlements from the West Bank of the Jordan River.
Even leading members of Prime Minister Olmert's Kadima Party are saying withdrawal plans are impossible after the rockets and missiles from Israel's enemies this summer were launched from the territory its army evacuated.
Making matters worse, a recent internal government assessment leaked this week to the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz found a withdrawal would expose Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and the Ben Gurion Airport as targets for rocket attacks if the prime minister's plan proceeded as initially planned next year.
Yesterday, a member of Kadima and key member of the panel that helped develop the strategy known here as "convergence" and "realignment," Otniel Shneller, told The New York Sun he would not support an exit from the West Bank until the government could at least guarantee the long-term safety of the residents of Israel's northern towns and cities. Most northern Israelis are returning to their homes this week after spending more than a month taking refuge from Hezbollah's Katyusha rocket attacks in other parts of Israel.
"We have to wait," Mr. Shneller said. "Right now we need to find a solution in the north of Israel. Until then, we cannot withdraw from the West Bank. We need to be sure first that Hezbollah will never fire a rocket against our citizens again."
Well that makes sense, and its been a constant argument against pulling out of the West Bank. If you need any proof that Israel's concerns are genuine, just look at the situation in the Gaza Strip with Hamas. Also, as the article points out, the areas that Hezbollah were launching their rockets from were areas that the Israeli Army unilaterally pulled out from only a few years ago. Of course this will be seen by the Islamofacists as "Zionist Imperialism" and "Zionist occupation of a sovereign people." And of course, the LLL will report these statements as if they were fact, without giving content.
Israel's fears are genuine. They face regimes that are hell bent on destroying her at any cost -- even the cost of their own citizen's lives.
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