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Some of the local coverage of the Israeli disengagement from Gaza has been nothing short of alarming.
Take the above Business Day cartoon for example. Most people would consider the business newspaper to be fairly reasonable and pragmatic. They are; except when it comes to Israel. Israel takes the first step to create change in a seemingly intractable conflict but still the Business Day cartoonist can’t see past his own predetermined prejudices.
Can he reasonably argue that Israel should withdraw from all of Gaza and the West Bank in one big bang manoeuvre?
Israel has categorically stated that they are disengaging in the hope that mindsets can change so that the two parties can get back to the negotiation table. Negotiations call for two sides to make compromises. Generally you can only win a concession from the other side by making one yourself. If Israel were to make all their concessions in one big bang swoop they would have nothing left for the negotiating table!
Land in the West Bank can only be relinquished via a negotiated settlement whose outcome will end all claims of belligerency.
Israel has made the first move, received nothing in return, and still the Business Day attempts to whip up some anti-Israeli rage.
Yesterday I managed to catch three separate interviews with the acting Israeli ambassador to South Africa, on SAFM, SABC Africa, and SABC3 news at 10. (The news at ten interview was head and shoulders above the first two.)
Not once was the ambassador asked a real question from an Israeli perspective. Not once was he asked, “Is there a worry that you are sending a signal to the terrorist groups that terror works?”
his cartoon's arent even drawn well
Posted by: Anti-UN | August 16, 2005 at 12:43