1. BobW said:

Let's not neglect the PLO plans to reopen Dahaniyeh airfield into an airport. Now, consider whether Atarot Airport (formerly in Jerusalem, Israel) can be reopened to allow for an air link between both sections of the Arab nation.

Can an air ambulance helicopter be outfitted with machine guns, rockets and cannons? What is the PLO record on ambulances? Can a sovereign Palestine allow foreign aircraft to use the Palestine air corridor?

King David feigned insanity. Today, ...

Kol tuv,
BobW

2. freddie said:

I am a bit surprised and also honored that I remain on Ted's mailing list after have split from working with The Gang at the fine site, Israpundit. I had then and have now serious reservations as to the Bush "friendship" with Israel. Previous to the election in the United States, most of my colleagues tried over and over to convince me that Bush was thebest friend Israel had in an American president, and that he would protect those interests that both nations shared. I can but assume that the Road and the Quartet are both largely Bush strategies, and that Mr. Sharon is a useful tool for carrying out those positions presently favored by Bush. Recall that Bush, even Bush, needs to curry some favor among European allies for his initiaitive in Iraq, and thus he is willing to cater to their vision of a settlement for the M.E. And need we even begin to discuss OIL and the new Saudi King (and his relationships to Cheney/Bush). In sum, though Bush may still be a heroic icon to my fomer colleagues at Israpundit, it is, alas, my cynical nature that continues to be suspicious of most things that Bush seeks.

3. Laura said:

"The Quartet simply doesn't care about the threat to Israel. It accepts that the occupation is the cause of terror. Its game plan is to end the occupation in order to end the terror rather then to end the terror in order to end the occupation."
.....................................................................................
You had it right in the first sentence, the quartet doesn't care about the security of Israel. I disagree however that the quartet really believes the occupation will end terror against Israel, they know full well Israel will be in far more danger from the withdrawal and that's just fine with them. The quartet is only concerned with protecting themselves from islamic terror and thinks that selling-out Israel will lessen the islamic terrorist threat to themselves. They couldn't care less what happens to Israel or how many Israelis are murdered. This whole "roadmap" and "disengagement" debacle is about the quartet's attempt to appease the arabs and throw Israel to the arab wolves in order to make themselves safer, or so they think. But they will all get a rude awakening.

4. Ed D said:

You say that the Road Map was devised by the quartet and especially by Bush; however, I surmise that the Map was part of an agreement put forward by King Abdullah and approved by the quartet. Just to think of the many arms that will be smuggled into Gaza by way of air and sea is terrifying. Maybe, just maybe Hamas will creat an attack against Israel that even Sharon can't accept and will order a massive attack to wipe out the terrorists and take back Gaza. Wishful thinking!!!

5. Ted Belman said:

I agree with everything said here. Sharon is our last hope to stop the disengagement. The consequences are too terrible to contemplate. Nice to hear from you Freddie.

6. Tamar said:

Freddie! I still nudnik you on occasion also......and I never trusted Bushki or Arik.

7. ShyGuy said:

Teddy wakes up.

There is no hope in Sharon.

A million Israelis waking up and mass marching to the Gush is our only hope. But Israel slumbers.

8. Adam Khan said:

I don't believe this is Quartet pressure; I think it's Israel's own messianism. Just as the Americans were taken by surprise by former hawk Peres's Oslo, I think they were probably taken by surprise by former hawk Sharon's Gaza withdrawal. But the Americans can't be holier than the pope - or should I say, rabbi.

9. ShyGuy said:

Sorry, Adam, massive Israeli peace messianism was over when (choose 1 or more of the following):

[ ] Terrorism reached new heights after the Oslo Accords were signed.

[ ] Rabin, the messiah (some would say the white ass the messiah rode in on) , was killed.

[ ] Netanyahu was elected over Peres.

[ ] Arafat opens the Oslo War, after Barak offered the PA over 90% of their territorial demands.

[ ] Sharon defeats Mitznah, the latter being a proponent of a unilateral withdrawal of Israel from all of Gaza.

[ ] Sharon immitates Mitznah.

We just don't see the hugh amount of peace crackpots here anymore like we used to a decade ago.

10. georg von mecklenburg said:

The Kaiser rode through the gates of Jeruslaem on a white horse. If President Bush would do the same, I will command that he is truly a friend of Israel. This will not happen in my lifetime or in yours. Mr. Bush is no friend of Israel's not now or not even when he lied to his brother ( Governor of Florida) about moving the embassy to Jerusalem.

If the Quartet maintains troops in any form in Gaza, how will Israel retaliate should there be large scale attacks from the area? Can you imagine the uproar if American or British troops were killed in a retaliation strike by the Israelis?

I have to give kudos to the Palestinians.. for a rag tag non people, they certaily have whip lashed the Israelis into pure mush.

11. Ken Heller said:

Wendell Wilkie is credited with the following quote: "Every drop of blood saved through expediency will result in twenty drawn by the sword". I really wish that "Crime" Minister
Sharon internalizes the meaning of that statement before more Jewish blood is shed.
As a matter of fact, it would be nice for the President and the Secretary of State to heed those words and immediately cancel the failed Road Map and stop pressing Israel to commit national suicide. Oh yeh, they might also listen to me as I now divulge the crux of the Israeli/Arab conflict: The Arabs don't won't peace with Israel; they want peace without Israel. It's not rocket science folks. To believe any other way is to simply be patently ignorant of the realities that are the Middle East.