The European Tribune is a forum for thoughtful dialogue of European and international issues. You are invited to post comments and your own articles.
Please REGISTER to post.
Sharon's said a lot of things. Just four years ago he was attacking those who called for a unilateral withdrawal from Gaza by saying that abandoning even the smallest, most isolated Gaza settlement is equivalent to abandoning Tel Aviv...
In the past couple years he has added dovish remarks to his standard repertoire of hawkish ones. His closest advisors have over the past year or two been talking openly to the press about evacuating 90% of the West Bank. (i.e. almost as much as Barak's final offer of 92% at Taba, I believe the Palestinian final offer was about 97%) When asked about the remarks Sharon promptly says he has no plans for further evacuations. Then the next time he talks about the need for large scale 'painful sacrifices' being needed. Considering that if he wanted to follow the hawkish policy he could have happily stayed in Likud, I think it's clear he wants further evacuations.
As kcurie has pointed out, the big territorial difference between the left and Sharon's newfound center seems to be over Jerusalem. The left is fine with what the Palestinians and Israelis agreed to at Taba -i.e. dividing up E. Jerusalem into its predominantly Arab and predominantly Jewish neighbourhoods, the center isn't. The two also seem to have a different perspective on whether Israel should seek a negotiated final settlement with the Palestinians or just go its own unilateral course.
by Frank Schnittger - Sep 17
by Frank Schnittger - Sep 10 3 comments
by Frank Schnittger - Sep 1 6 comments
by Frank Schnittger - Sep 3 32 comments
by Oui - Sep 6 3 comments
by gmoke - Aug 25 1 comment
by Oui - Sep 19
by Oui - Sep 18
by Oui - Sep 1719 comments
by Oui - Sep 154 comments
by Oui - Sep 151 comment
by Oui - Sep 1315 comments
by Oui - Sep 13
by Oui - Sep 124 comments
by Oui - Sep 1010 comments
by Frank Schnittger - Sep 103 comments
by Oui - Sep 10
by Oui - Sep 92 comments
by Oui - Sep 84 comments
by Oui - Sep 715 comments
by Oui - Sep 72 comments
by Oui - Sep 63 comments