The fourth of July represents freedom to Americans. Freedom from British tyranny, freedom from the extra U, freedom from tea, freedom from a class system,...
In Israel, we are hoping for the Freedom of the soldier who was kidnapped, Gilad Shalit.
In Israel, however, the fourth represents nothing. No BBQs and no fireworks, even though we got rid of the Brits and got rid of the U, they still like to spell k words with a q. We are still held prisoner to ourselves and to world opinion.
The deal that the palestinians didn't accept included prisoners freed, and another withdrawal from Gaza. They had to guarantee an end to Kassam rockets and return our soldier. They wouldn't agree to that.
Looking at the entire picture, it looks like they want/need the Israeli army in the strip. Since the day Israel left they have been doing everything they can to get Israel to take it again. The fact that there was not a welcoming parade upon the reentry is the most surprising thing of the whole ordeal. It was only after shooting nonstop rockets at Israel, which Israel had promised to retaliate for, but never would, did they go to the next step of kidnapping a soldier. If we hadn't entered the strip, which we almost didn't, they probably would have just invaded assuming that we must all be braindead with no capacity to defend ourselves.
We have no deterrent capability. Not negotiating over the soldier is not going to give us deterrence because next week we will let them get away with a thousand other things.
Has anybody ever heard the expression, "if just one rocket lands..." That's Israeli deterrence for you.
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