| The colossus of Israel's Center-Right is no | | | | of America to enter the playing field. If the |
| more. Sharon's cerebral hemorrhage, induced | | | | Israelis cannot "get their act together" to |
| coma, and declared departure from Israel's | | | | follow Bush's Roadmap for Peace (i.e., land |
| political life have created a grave and | | | | for peace), there will be consequences that |
| vacuous ability for Israel to carry on viable | | | | neither Israel nor the US wish to |
| negotiations with either the Palestinians or | | | | face-especially, at this time. |
| other belligerents. This assessment is more | | | | |
| an international impression and less an | | | | Today's (January 5, 2006) super bowl input |
| Israeli one; however, it is the international | | | | meeting organized by the President-bringing |
| community's perception that overwhelms. | | | | scores of former Secretaries of State and |
| | | | Defense together to discuss Middle East |
| Successors are no where to be found compared | | | | issues-did not circumvent Israel's political |
| with the stature and personality of the | | | | crisis. Rest assured that prickly pear was |
| "Bulldozer." PM stand-in, Ehud Olmert, the | | | | discussed: What to do after Sharon? |
| quintessential bureaucrat, along with | | | | |
| recently-rejected Labor leader, Shimon | | | | Sharon's void must be filled. Time does not |
| Peres-may try, but their finest hour will not | | | | permit that luxury. This is precisely why if |
| survive the Humpty-Dumpty fall that Kadima | | | | Netanyahu by default ascends to the occasion, |
| ("forward") sustained. Likewise, who knows, | | | | he will be getting a call from Washington |
| heard and seen Labor's new choice: Amir | | | | posthaste. That exchange, you can be certain, |
| Peretz? All we know is that he's a flaming | | | | will express the will of the Presidency of |
| socialist! | | | | the United States. The Roadmap for Peace will |
| | | | be the express topic and staying its course |
| That leaves Benjamin Netanyahu and the party | | | | will be the measurement of Presidential |
| which Sharon forsook, Likud. Kicking off the | | | | support behind Israel's future leader. |
| New Year some 400 Likud delegates championed | | | | |
| the actions of a former leader of Likud, | | | | Just as in each crisis the U.S. exacts |
| Menachem Begin: Preemptively destroy Iran's | | | | something from Israel (e.g., Israel stayed |
| all-too-clear nuclear program-designed to | | | | out of the Gulf Wars); Israel then extracts |
| "Wipe Israel off the Map!" | | | | something from the U.S. (more military |
| | | | cooperation, hardware, etc.). |
| Likud member, Ra'anana Deputy Mayor Uzi | | | | |
| Cohen, expressed the overwhelming majority of | | | | This provides a unique opportunity-or should |
| Likud members: "Bomb Iran's nuclear reactor | | | | we imply temptation-for Israel. Is it time to |
| before it is too late." The echo from Iran's | | | | go on the line and have the U.S., once and |
| President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad mirrored his | | | | for all, guarantee-underwrite- Israel's |
| holocaust remarks-Sharon should die. | | | | peace? For Israel to comply with Bush's |
| | | | Roadmap-she will have her quid pro quo; she |
| Converging upon the Middle East landscape are | | | | always does. |
| the Israeli March, 2006 elections, and Iran's | | | | |
| nuclear bomb. Indifference is not an | | | | The U.S. and Israel are being driven together |
| option-either on the part of Israel or the | | | | by events and forces beyond their immediate |
| U.S. | | | | control. Iran's reprehensible threats, |
| | | | Islamic radicalism on her borders (Hezbollah, |
| Netanyahu's break with Sharon was decisive-we | | | | Hamas, Islamic Jihad), as well as throughout |
| will not back out of the territories; we will | | | | the region, and now political chaos in |
| not close one more settlement! For Netanyahu | | | | Israel-events have simply overtaken us. |
| to "move to the center" and become more | | | | |
| Sharon-like, might be a wise political | | | | It's time for the President of the United |
| decision, but a bitter pill to swallow-he is | | | | States to make his move. Israel may have no |
| no heir apparent to Sharon; he abides his | | | | choice but to swallow a bitter pill . . . in |
| rival. | | | | order to secure her survival by the world's |
| | | | only super power. Indeed, it may appear bold, |
| In sum: Israel's infrastructure, systems, | | | | rude and even insensitive to the Israelis-but |
| military, ad nausea, ad infinitum, are | | | | who else can get us back on the Road again? |
| irrefutable, but her political leadership is | | | | |
| paralyzed by the current chaos created by | | | | "He will cause to bear upon the many a |
| Sharon's diminishing. | | | | covenant . . ." (Daniel 9:27). |
| | | | |
| This leads to the title of this brevity-it is | | | | Please see the four-part series on the U.S. |
| time for the President of the United States | | | | |