Netanyahu Resigns to Protest Israeli Withdrawal from Gaza

Israeli politician Benjamin Netanyahu resigned as finance minister after the cabinet voted to approve the first stages of the Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. Resignation on a matter of principle one of the most noble and decent things a politician can do (and it has become terrifyingly rare). One would be more impressed with Mr. Netanyahu’s decision had he done it when it might have done his backers some good.

The Sharon government embarked on the unilateral withdrawal from Gaza and bits of the West Bank for one reason and one reason only – the settlements there cannot be readily defended by the Israeli Defense Force. As a former general, General Sharon understands the need to get troops out of exposed areas, and despite what any one says, this is not about finding peace. It is about finding security within a border that can be defended. Unfortunately, on the Israeli right, there is a segment of opinion that says every grain of sand is Jewish and needs to be defended to the last drop of Jewish blood – the Masada Syndrome, and in that case, the Romans will always win.

Mr. Netanyahu is, if nothing else, a Jewish nationalist and Israeli patriot. One can take him at his word when he says, “A unilateral withdrawal without anything in return is not the way.” In other words, to him, the withdrawal is a quid lacking a pro quo. Were he to get something tangible in exchange, perhaps he would accept the “loss” of those settlements. The Palestinian Authority under Mahmoud Abbas is not in a position to delivery anything tangible, though, since Hamas commands the loyalty of the militants.

However, Mr. Netanyahu’s resignation cannot prevent the withdrawal now that the cabinet has approved it. Only the Jewish militants with guns willing to shoot at other Jews wearing the uniform of the IDF can to that, and that will be unpleasant for any friend of the Jewish people. Had that resignation come when Mr. Sharon first proposed it, before a faction with a vested interest in withdrawal had arisen and before the media offensive began, he could have derailed it. Now, 55% of Israelis approve of the disengagement policy and 39% oppose it according to a survey in the newspaper Yediot Aharonot. What Mr. Netanyahu does for a living will not change that now.

And yet, no one has opted for the obvious solution: leave the settlers to their own devices while withdrawing the IDF protection. There is no need to knock down their homes, nor any need to make them resettle elsewhere if they don’t want to do so. Just let them live under the Palestinian Authority. Let them work out their own modus vivendi with the residents of Gaza. If they can do so, it would represent a huge step forward for peace. And if they don’t, they’ll gladly resettle anywhere the Israeli government chooses.



© Copyright 2005 by The Kensington Review, J. Myhre, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent.
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