With the smooth execution of the disengagement plan, Israel showed it is able to control its extremists and able to make and carry out difficult decisions. Contrary to Palestinian allegations, Israel itself hints at the possibility of more withdrawals in the future:

"I [ Foreign affairs minister Shalom] have already told [the European Union's special envoy to the Middle East] Javier Solana, if this model [of evacuating settlements] will work, and things will be calm and quiet, it will undoubtedly become a positive model for any future moves."

Shalom might be a bit too hopeful here.

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The disengagement plan, announced by Sharon 1.5 years ago, is a fact. It happened more quickly and less violent than expected, and Israel has shown both professionalism and determination in the execution of the plan. It has also shown it is able to remove settlements from 'Eretz Israel', and so reverse 'facts on the ground'. Opponents from both the right and the left are proven mistaken in their conviction that it wouldn't happen because of massive resistence from the settlers and their supporters, or because Sharon proposed it only to divert world attention from Israeli wrongs in the territories and would find an excuse to not carry it out in the end, or that it would have lead to a civil war, or would mean the end of 'Zionism'.

It is a bit strange, to put it mildly, that Israel is criticized by part of the left for evacuating territory and handing it over to the Palestinians. Some even call it a 'treacherous plan' of the cunning Sharon, meant to pull wool over the eyes of the international community. I will ignore the anti-Semitic connotations and focus on the fact that this can be said of every concession except for conceding at once to all Palestinian demands without getting anything in return. People who demand that, are not seeking a peaceful solution to the conflict, but the destruction of Israel. In their eyes, Israel can do nothing good, because Israel itself is the problem.

Sharon, as well as Abbas, wants maximal gain for his people with as few concessions as possible. In order to make concessions, both need to see the strategic gain for their own side. Altruism is scarce in the Middle East; it is not fair to blame only one side for this attitude.

Read more at http://www.mideastweb.org/log/archives/00000374.htm

Thursday afternoon, an Israeli Jewish man in an Israel Defence Forces uniform killed four people and wounded 12 as he opened fire at passengers on a bus in the Israeli Arab town of Shfaram. The terrorist was killed by a mob that boarded the bus after the shooting.

The terrorist, who deserted from the army about 6 weeks ago because he refused to carry out preparations for the evacuation of the settlers from the Gaza strip, was known for his right-extremist ideas and sympathy for the outlawed racist Kach-movement that wants to expel all Arabs from both Israel and the territories by force. He had turned very religious recently, and moved to the Tapuah settlement, one of the most extremist ones on the West Bank.

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This past week, a major international research report, "Islamic Extremism: Common Concern for Muslim and Western Publics", was published by the Pew Global Attitudes Project.

The report deals with attitudes towards different religions in 17 countries all over the world, views of Bin Laden, the headscarf, suicide bombings, immigrants and more.

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In Arab states that are faced with terrorism, like Egypt, it is fought relentlessly and nobody seems to care very much about the human rights violations that brings along. This is, to a lesser extend, also true for European countries that faced terrorism in the past like Germany, Spain and the UK. Yet if Israel does the same it is condemned for it in harsh words, and divestment campaigns are set up.

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