A clandestine undertaking on behalf of Israel, the Jets and the Jews.

 
Ariel in The New Republic

In an article in this week's New Republic, editor Peter Beinart recalls an exchange between Prime Minister Sharon and a Likud Knesset member, leading him to question Sharon's desire for peace:

"A lawmaker from the settlement of Ariel asked whether his children would have to move. 'You can build [there] for your children and grandchildren, and I hope even for your great-grandchildren,' the prime minister replied--although Ariel sits well inside the West Bank. If Sharon truly believes that, he may not be serious about a peace deal himself."

Beinart's implicit criticism is misplaced. Even under the Clinton Plan, under which Israel would have relinquished more than 95% of Judea and Samaria, Ariel – which has nearly 20,000 residents and the College of Judea and Samaria – would have been annexed to Israel as part of the Western Samaria settlement bloc.
posted on 6/09/2003