BYE BYE GAZA - Barry Chamish

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I think it went far better than anyone could have anticipated.
There were instances where the Israeli military seemed to be
more tolerant than circumstances required. Some people
may ask: If the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) can show this
kind of forbearance toward Israeli settlers even when they
break the law ­ some of them in very outrageous ways ­ how
can they justify their behavior in dealing with demonstrations
by Arabs who are Israeli citizens, and also Palestinians on
the other side of the border, who hold non-violent
demonstrations to protest Israeli government’s policies? As
we know, in previous instances where Israeli Arabs were
involved, several were killed by the Israeli police. That’s not
to take away any credit from the way [the IDF] handled the
settlers, but it does raise some serious questions [about]
whether it is necessary for them to be as brutal as they often
are in dealing with Israeli Arabs or Palestinians.
How did you think the Palestinians acted during this
withdrawal period?
They showed the kind of restraint responsible people hoped
they would by not engaging in activities that would have
made it impossible for [Prime Minister Ariel] Sharon to
continue the withdrawal, or to provide fodder for criticism by
Sharon’s opponents. So on balance, the Palestinians,
particularly President Mahmoud Abbas, behaved very well. I
also have to say Hamas, who most people believed would
act irresponsibly and attack the Israelis, also behaved well. I
think the reason they didn’t [attack] is not necessarily out of
compassion for the settlers or consideration for Sharon, but
because they understood the Palestinian public would have
been very angry with them ­ and they would have lost a great
deal of political support ­ had they attacked the IDF or the
settlers during the withdrawal.
What are the next political steps for both the Israeli and
Palestinian sides in coming weeks and months?