ISRAEL. THE WALL:

Jon Kofas writes: "Christopher Jones is correct that the World Court's decision cannot be dismissed as anti-Semitism, but there are people who use that decision and UN decisions condemning specific policies of the government in Tel Aviv for anti-Semitic propaganda. Well-intentioned analysts view the Wall as having both positive and negative consequences for Israel, to say nothing of its detrimental impact on the Palestinians. 1. There is no doubt that the Wall will make it more difficult, but not impossible for Palestinians interested in carrying out attacks against Israel. 2. There is no doubt that the Wall as something tangible offers psychological protection to Israel and it plays to the conservatives who want Sharon to adopt a hard line without making any concessions on statehood and settlement evacuations to the Palestinians. 3. The Wall also becomes a political-military line of demarcation that can be negotiated in the future and used as leverage for U.S. and EU aid. These are positive elements from Israel's perspective.

On the down side, the wall simply confirms to the entire world that Israel and its U.S. patron have no intention of compromising. Second, it demonstrates that Israel intends to be a Zionist garrison state that unapologetically punishes Palestinians collectively, an issue (collective punishment) that the UN has condemned. Third, the wall places the U.S. in an even more defensive position than it has been regarding its lack of balance in the region, especially given Iran's protestations to the UN about Israel's nuclear weapons. Finally, the wall will not stop attacks on Israelis, the Arab states will be compelled to provide more aid for Palestinians, and Islamists will find creative ways to increase their activities against Israel and U.S. interests around the world. In short, there is no military solution for this problem, any more than for Iraq, or Afghanistan. Only collective (U.S. must be included) pressure on both sides to compromise will result in a constructive solution. The U.S. must demonstrate leadership on this significant issue, and I am sure that after exhausting all other options, it will do the right thing, to quote Winston Churchill. Just as Greek-Cypriots and Turkish-Cypriots have learned to co-exist and make progress together, regardless of what Mr. Jones thinks about progress on the island, similarly, Israel and the Palestinians can and I am certain they will in our lifetime find a way to coexist".

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