(Ha'aretz) Ari Shavit - Between 1986 and 1991, when the peace process was in a state of utter stagnation, an average of about 29 Israelis were killed each year in hostile actions. From 1992 to 1996, the years of the Oslo paradigm, about 86 Israelis were killed each year. From 1997 to the middle of 2000, during which former prime ministers Benjamin Netanyahu and Ehud Barak tried to carry out various revisions in the Oslo process, about 40 Israelis were killed each year. Since the withdrawal from Lebanon and since the Camp David and Taba concessions were offered to the Palestinians, nearly 300 people a year have been killed in hostile actions. The significance of these figures is clear: an Israeli withdrawal or a promise of a withdrawal does not lead to an end of the bloodshed. On the contrary, every time Israel withdraws, the hostilities increase. Thus, in the given Middle Eastern reality, handing over territory costs human lives. A withdrawal from the West Bank and Gaza will not decrease the terror, but will increase it; the withdrawal will not decrease the national expenditure on security, but will increase it; the withdrawal will not bring quiet to our cities, but rather an outbreak of violence and the danger of war.
2002-12-12 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive