Some PA officials secretly wishing for Sharon win
By Arnon Regular
In an about-face, members of the Palestinian leadership are quietly hoping that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon wins in the Likud referendum today on the proposal for a unilateral disengagement from the Gaza Strip. This was not so 10 days ago.
You have to wonder. Was this a subtle attempt to influence the Likud voters to reject the plan? And what about this?
The change in the Palestinian stance does not reflect an acceptance of the American statements, which came during Sharon's visit to Washington. Prior to Sharon's departure for the U.S. senior Palestinian officials did not believe the Prime Minister was serious about departing from Gaza. Making matters worse, Bush's statments caught them by surprise.
But with the passing of time the Palestinians understood that whether Sharon succeeds or fails in the referendum, there is a new dynamic in play, which is reminiscent of the snowball effect that accompanied the IDF withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000. They also had time to receive clarifications on the Bush statements, whose formulation may be new but whose substance is no different from those aired by President Bill Clinton and other administration officials.
Really? You could have fooled me. I mean, I've heard right-wing opponents of Sharon's plan claim this over the last few weeks without much conviction. But this is Ha'aretz. Color me confused.
