The horrific repercussions of Sharon and Olmert's disengagement disaster are becoming increasingly clear every day -- even to many of those who have deliberately blinded themselves for so long. It was only a matter of time. But it's much too little, much too late.
Since Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip in the summer of 2005, Palestinian terrorist organizations based there have increased their rocket attacks on Israeli communities in the Western Negev, firing more than 1,000 Kassam rockets at Israeli civilians. In addition, the terrorists have stepped up their arms smuggling operations via tunnels in the southern Gaza Strip, bringing in more than 30 tons of high explosives.
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The Palestinian terrorist groups in Gaza have lately intensified their attempts to carry out large-scale attacks against Israeli population centers.
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In addition to their cynical tactic of using Palestinian civilians as human shields by firing rockets from densely populated areas, Palestinian terrorists are now increasingly mobilizing civilians in order to protect themselves from Israeli counterterrorist operations.
And Yoel Marcus, disengagement supporter extraordinaire:
Israel withdrew unilaterally from the Gaza Strip, thus signaling that it is capable of not only dismantling Jewish settlements, but also returning territories to the Palestinians under a peace agreement. Regrettably, it is now becoming clear that the most extreme and pessimistic Jewish settlers are the ones who were right. The Palestinians do not want to recognize Israel or come to terms with its existence. And this time, under the baton of Hamas, they are once again not missing a single opportunity to miss an opportunity.
Of course what's missing from these confessions is any mention of the thousands of shattered lives, shattered dreams, shattered greenhouses and flaming synagogues ... {have you ever tried to type with clenched fists?} ...
And the much-touted benefits? The public relations and peace dividends? Where are they? The EU and the UN are still issuing the same condemnations, Amnesty International is still singing the same song. If anything, the international pressure is continuing to mount.
In such a situation, there is no joy in "I told you so." None whatsoever. Just a fervent hope that it's not too late to salvage some shred of something from this mess and that the phrase "never again" will begin a second life in Eretz Yisrael.
