Marie Komar (6 Jan 2006)
"Israel's Post-Sharon Future"

The Omega Letter Intelligence Digest
Vol: 52 Issue: 5 - Thursday, January 05, 2006

Israel's Post-Sharon Future
It is becoming apparent that Ariel Sharon will never return to office as Israel's Prime Minister following his most recent stroke, even if he should survive. For Israel, it is almost like hearing George Washington had suffered a stroke.
Ariel Sharon is truly one of the fathers of modern Israel. Born in 1928, Sharon was a platoon commander at age 21 during Israel's 1948 War of Independence.
He was severely wounded during the battle to relieve the Siege of Jerusalem. Sharon commanded a paratroop brigade druing the 1956 Suez War.
By 1967, Major-General Ariel Sharon commanded Israel's paratroop brigade during the Six Days War. He founded Israel's Likud Party in 1973 before returning to combat in the Yom Kippur War. it was Ariel Sharon who exploited a breach in the Egyptian lines and crossed the Suez Canal, turning the tide of battle towards Israel.
(In the 1990's I became good friends with Dror Ziegermann, then Israel's consul-general to Canada. Dror told me first hand about Sharon's exploits -- Zeigermann commanded the first tank to cross the Suez -- with Sharon sitting in the gunner's seat.)
Loved by the Israelis and hated by the Arabs, it was Ariel Sharon's prearranged 6 a.m. visit to the Temple Mount in September 2000 that Yasser Arafat used as an excuse to launch the 2000 'Oslo War' that has so far claimed thousands of lives on both sides.
Ironically, of all the things Sharon did on Israel's behalf, the decision for which he is likely to be most remembered was the Gaza Disengagement Plan that turned over the entire Gaza Strip to Palestinian control.
The Gaza Disengagement Plan was so unpopular among Sharon's Likud Party that he split off from the party late last year to form the new Kadima party, composed of politicians from the left and right held together only by their personal loyalty to Ariel Sharon.
Should Sharon be unable to return to office, (almost a certainty) it leaves Israel temporarily in the hands of Sharon's deputy, Ehud Olmert, the former mayor of Jerusalem. Olmert can serve a maximum of 100 days before Israel must elect a new leader.
It is indicative of the deep divisions among Israelis that the two favorites to succeed Sharon are left-wing dove Shimon Peres, former Prime Minister and architect of the failed Oslo Accords, and right-wing hardliner Benjamin Netanyahu -- also a former Prime Minister -- who ran in 1992 on his opposition to the Oslo Accords.
While Netanyahu is not as trusted by most Israelis as Peres, Netanyahu is widely seen as the best choice for a wartime leader.
Assessment:
Let's take a look at a few of the Sharon policies his illness have put up for grabs. Sharon was widely expected to have surrendered additional land in the West Bank to the Palestinians.
As he did in Gaza, Sharon was prepared to dismantle settlements and evict Israeli settlers by force. Israel's separation fence was also a Sharon brainchild -- it was as much a part of his 'unilateral disengagement' policy as was the Gaza withdrawal.
The separation fence was part of a much broader Sharon strategy.
By unilaterally withdrawing from Gaza, Sharon was able to dampen criticism of the fence, which Israel rightly claims is a self-defense measure against Palestinian terror. Its completion would also have put key areas of the West Bank on the Israeli side.
Sharon's withdrawal from Gaza was part of a much larger strategic plan. While Gaza was militarily strategic, given its shared border with Israel, the greatest military threat comes from the West Bank. At some places along the Green Line, Israel is only a dozen miles thick.
An all-out attack against Israel's center from the West Bank would cut the country in two, with Syria to the north and Egypt to the south. Sharon's fence would have incorporated some of the West Bank and expanded Israel's vulnerable center.
Sharon had also signed on to President Bush's 'two-state' solution. Peres supports the idea; Netanyahu is opposed to it. All that is now in doubt.
Sharon's stroke puts Ehud Olmert in charge while the Israeli Defense Forces are training for a possible airstrike against Iran's nuclear facilities. While Israel had confidence their old general, nicknamed 'the Bulldozer', was up to the challenge, Olmert may elect to postpone any military action until after the election.
Israeli intelligence estimates say that late March will be the 'point of no return'. If Iran's nuclear facilities aren't destroyed before that, any Israel attack would be against an Iran armed with nuclear missiles capable of striking anywhere in Israel. Israeli elections would just about coincide with Iran's 'point of no return'.
Sharon's illness could not have come at a worse time for Israel's security.
Israel's security fence is now in doubt, raising the possibility Israel may soon become a 'land of unwalled villages' again, as Ezekiel predicted. The stage is set for a major conflict over the West Bank and Jerusalem, especially if Netanyahu wins the elections. That is in line with the prophecies contained in Zechariah chapter 12.
Israel's elections are scheduled to come at a point in history when Israel is facing its 'point of no return' with Iran, one of the major players, together with Russia, in the Gog-Magog invasion.
This is another one of those situations where we can't be sure if we are going north or south at the moment, but we are clearly still following the Bible's roadmap for the last days.
We pray God will grant the Israel electorate Divine wisdom in the coming days. They will need it.
Archives of past issues of The Omega Letter Intelligence Digest plus many other Omega Letter member features can be found at: www.omegaletter.com


The Omega Letter Intelligence Digest Vol: 52 Issue: 5 - Thursday, January 05, 2006
Israel's Post-Sharon Future It is becoming apparent that Ariel Sharon will never return to office as Israel's Prime Minister following his most recent stroke, even if he should survive. For Israel, it is almost like hearing George Washington had suffered a stroke. Ariel Sharon is truly one of the fathers of modern Israel. Born in 1928, Sharon was a platoon commander at age 21 during Israel's 1948 War of Independence. He was severely wounded during the battle to relieve the Siege of Jerusalem. Sharon commanded a paratroop brigade druing the 1956 Suez War. By 1967, Major-General Ariel Sharon commanded Israel's paratroop brigade during the Six Days War. He founded Israel's Likud Party in 1973 before returning to combat in the Yom Kippur War. it was Ariel Sharon who exploited a breach in the Egyptian lines and crossed the Suez Canal, turning the tide of battle towards Israel. (In the 1990's I became good friends with Dror Ziegermann, then Israel's consul-general to Canada. Dror told me first hand about Sharon's exploits -- Zeigermann commanded the first tank to cross the Suez -- with Sharon sitting in the gunner's seat.) Loved by the Israelis and hated by the Arabs, it was Ariel Sharon's prearranged 6 a.m. visit to the Temple Mount in September 2000 that Yasser Arafat used as an excuse to launch the 2000 'Oslo War' that has so far claimed thousands of lives on both sides. Ironically, of all the things Sharon did on Israel's behalf, the decision for which he is likely to be most remembered was the Gaza Disengagement Plan that turned over the entire Gaza Strip to Palestinian control. The Gaza Disengagement Plan was so unpopular among Sharon's Likud Party that he split off from the party late last year to form the new Kadima party, composed of politicians from the left and right held together only by their personal loyalty to Ariel Sharon. Should Sharon be unable to return to office, (almost a certainty) it leaves Israel temporarily in the hands of Sharon's deputy, Ehud Olmert, the former mayor of Jerusalem. Olmert can serve a maximum of 100 days before Israel must elect a new leader. It is indicative of the deep divisions among Israelis that the two favorites to succeed Sharon are left-wing dove Shimon Peres, former Prime Minister and architect of the failed Oslo Accords, and right-wing hardliner Benjamin Netanyahu -- also a former Prime Minister -- who ran in 1992 on his opposition to the Oslo Accords. While Netanyahu is not as trusted by most Israelis as Peres, Netanyahu is widely seen as the best choice for a wartime leader. Assessment: Let's take a look at a few of the Sharon policies his illness have put up for grabs. Sharon was widely expected to have surrendered additional land in the West Bank to the Palestinians. As he did in Gaza, Sharon was prepared to dismantle settlements and evict Israeli settlers by force. Israel's separation fence was also a Sharon brainchild -- it was as much a part of his 'unilateral disengagement' policy as was the Gaza withdrawal. The separation fence was part of a much broader Sharon strategy. By unilaterally withdrawing from Gaza, Sharon was able to dampen criticism of the fence, which Israel rightly claims is a self-defense measure against Palestinian terror. Its completion would also have put key areas of the West Bank on the Israeli side. Sharon's withdrawal from Gaza was part of a much larger strategic plan. While Gaza was militarily strategic, given its shared border with Israel, the greatest military threat comes from the West Bank. At some places along the Green Line, Israel is only a dozen miles thick. An all-out attack against Israel's center from the West Bank would cut the country in two, with Syria to the north and Egypt to the south. Sharon's fence would have incorporated some of the West Bank and expanded Israel's vulnerable center. Sharon had also signed on to President Bush's 'two-state' solution. Peres supports the idea; Netanyahu is opposed to it. All that is now in doubt. Sharon's stroke puts Ehud Olmert in charge while the Israeli Defense Forces are training for a possible airstrike against Iran's nuclear facilities. While Israel had confidence their old general, nicknamed 'the Bulldozer', was up to the challenge, Olmert may elect to postpone any military action until after the election. Israeli intelligence estimates say that late March will be the 'point of no return'. If Iran's nuclear facilities aren't destroyed before that, any Israel attack would be against an Iran armed with nuclear missiles capable of striking anywhere in Israel. Israeli elections would just about coincide with Iran's 'point of no return'. Sharon's illness could not have come at a worse time for Israel's security. Israel's security fence is now in doubt, raising the possibility Israel may soon become a 'land of unwalled villages' again, as Ezekiel predicted. The stage is set for a major conflict over the West Bank and Jerusalem, especially if Netanyahu wins the elections. That is in line with the prophecies contained in Zechariah chapter 12. Israel's elections are scheduled to come at a point in history when Israel is facing its 'point of no return' with Iran, one of the major players, together with Russia, in the Gog-Magog invasion. This is another one of those situations where we can't be sure if we are going north or south at the moment, but we are clearly still following the Bible's roadmap for the last days. We pray God will grant the Israel electorate Divine wisdom in the coming days. They will need it. Archives of past issues of The Omega Letter Intelligence Digest plus many other Omega Letter member features can be found at: www.omegaletter.com