The Road Map

Fire of Liberty

While the MSM have been harping that President Bush has caused a rift with Israel by telling Israeli PM Sharon to end any settlement expansion in certain areas of the West Bank, they failed to realize that the President and PM are in total agreement that the pull-out is not intended to be a full pull-out due to the fact that the Palestinians also have to fulfill their part of the roadmap. I think this editorial in The New York Post puts it best when they wrote:

That's because Bush's statement, his first verbal acknowledgement of a commitment he made in a letter to Sharon a year ago, constitutes a vindication of the prime minister's settlements policy.

For Sharon, who spearheaded the construction of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, those towns were always meant to be "facts on the ground" — helping ensure Israel's security, yes, but also designed to maximize Israel's leverage whenever the Palestinians finally got serious about negotiating.

For all the talk about Israel's obligations under the U.S.-sponsored road map, the fact remains that as far as Sharon is concerned, that agreement has not yet taken effect. And for the simple reason that its first, and most important, requirement — that the Palestinian Authority confront and disarm terrorist groups — has not yet been met.

Yes, the US and Israel are in full concordance that while the Israelis should abandon various settlements they should also get the Palestinians to put an end to terrorism. If you are giving up your strategic outposts, you should at least get something out of it. Though I doubt the Palestinians will reciprocate, you have to value what Sharon and Bush are trying to do. I can assure you that the parents of the Israeli kids who patron Sbarro, the malls and ride the buses will truly appreciate this effort.