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Israel considers the military option
 
In a creeping military re-occupation of territory in the West Bank under the control of the Palestinian Authority, the Israeli Armed Forces give few signs that this will be a temporary operation and indeed many analysts believe that Prime Minister Sharon's long-term aim is the final destruction of Arafats regime, despite a commitment to withdraw troops from some areas within weeks.
 
Israel has palpably had enough of Western hypocrisy, the US led coalition reserve the right to bomb Afghanistan and to threaten other Muslim nations with military punishment for supporting terrorism, but create new bonds of friendship with nations having appalling human rights records, guilty of mass murder and terrorism, whether Russia, China, Iran or of course the Palestinians. The sight of Arafat and Mr Blair together on the steps of No-10 or Jack Straw in Tehran has infuriated an Israel that has been regularly on the receiving end of Islamic suicide bombings carried out by Palestinian or Iranian-sponsored groups.
 
Premier Ariel Sharon will no doubt ignore the views of Western countries as far as he can, Israel's survival is at stake, that of the USA is not.  The Israeli Armed Forces are indeed prepared for a major military operation in southern Lebanon and will not hesitate to take on and take out the considerable Syrian Forces defending the Hezbollah terrorist training bases in the Beka'a valley. If this in turn leads to a wider war with Syria then Israel will not duck the conflict.
 
A threat to the chances of peace
 
The USA is rightly seriously disturbed at the prospect of an already shaky international coalition being further undermined by a negative Muslim response to Sharon's actions and certainly any real chance of keeping Iran, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan involved may quickly disappear in the face of a renewal of a wider Arab-Israeli conflict. However, the terrorist threat, particularly by Iranian and Syrian backed groups to Israel is very real and though successive Governments in Jerusalem have gained a deserved reputation for toughness and intransigence these attitudes are firmly based on the realisation that to lose a war means annihilation, for its home territory is narrow and indefensible in the face of a determined and well-armed enemy.
 
Israel needs the buffer zone provided by the West Bank and the Golan, just as she needs and takes the water resources of these two areas and to the growing anger of both the Palestinians and Syrians   So, unless a genuine peace agreement can be reached that is based on long-term security guarantees for Israel first and foremost, because while Israel feels threatened, then there will be no chance of peace for anyone in the Middle East.  It comes as a surprise to many analysts that the matter of Israel being offered full membership of NATO has not been raised more seriously, the largely Muslim Republic of Turkey has long been an important member and is now Israel's closest ally in the Middle East
 
The proto-Palestinian state needs a secure, confident Israel as a neighbour and future partner and may be wise to seriously consider taking a major step into a modern secular cosmopolitan world and distancing itself from the increasingly extreme attitudes of its Arab neighbours, if for no other reason than providing a better future for its people and trying to remove the breeding ground for future terrorists.
 
Nexus

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