Road Map and Israeli Independence
While I believe the road map to be very adverse to Israel's interests, I respect the fact that others disagree.
Israel's government, however, does not disagree with me. Almost of all of the ministers who voted in favor of the road map stated that they believe the plan to be very dangerous to Israel. Their vote to accept the document, it was explained, was solely to avoid a confrontation with the United States.
Israel desperately needs U.S. support and should indeed attempt to avoid confrontation with the U.S. However, the notion that any disagreement would have disastrous consequences is absurd. Instead, instinctively accepting everything proposed by the U.S. has and will continue to undermine Israel's ability to act in its own national interest.
With respect to the road map, the pressure from the U.S. was far from overwhelming. It's unlikely that the Bush Adminstration was looking for a fight with Israel's supporters in Congress, Christian groups and Jewish organizations. Last year, when Israel rebuffed Bush's demand to immediately withdraw from West Bank cities the IDF had entered, Bush was the one who backed down.
Amazingly, the cabinet's approval of the road map comes just a week after Prime Minister Sharon postponed his meeting with President Bush following a series of suicide bombings. It is now clear that Sharon badly miscalculated in deciding not to meet with Bush and try to persuade the White House to change the plan.
Would the current government have destroyed Iraq's nuclear reactor, as the Begin government did in 1981? Would it have built a single settlement, or developed and annexed areas of Jerusalem that were captured in 1967? Would it have authorized Mossad agents to kill PLO leaders, as routinely occurred in the 1970's and 80's? Or would it have declined to take such actions, due to fear of offending its main ally?
posted on 5/25/2003
