This time the Philistines didn't wait for Samson; they've sent their temple
crashing down on their own heads.
After the usual preliminaries - weeks of infighting, mutual killings,
colorful atrocities and general mayhem - Hamas has routed its rival
Palestinian faction, Fatah, and now claims control of its own little state
of horrors in an isolated Gaza.
Fatah in turn has taken refuge across the Israeli border on the West Bank,
and begun hunting down Hamas types there. In short, the long-sought
two-state "solution" to the Arab-Jewish conflict has become a three-state
muddle, the "peace process" has produced its usual violent result, and the
authority of Mahmoud Abbas' "Palestine Authority" has been limited to the
West Bank - if his gunmen can hold it.
In short, the first round of the Palestinians' civil war has ended in a draw
with blood splattered everywhere, the spectators fleeing, and the ring cut
in half.
Yet every crisis is also an opportunity. Fatah is making moderate noises
again, as it does between violent intifadas, and the Israelis seem
determined to at least pretend that they have a Partner for Peace - if only
on the West Bank. The money and arms should soon be flowing to Fatahland
from Israel and the West in hopes of creating a model there for Arab-Jewish
harmony, or at least wary co-existence, while Gaza is left to stew in its
own jihadist juices. Call it peace through quarantine.
The Israelis have tried withdrawing to safety before - with unhappy results.
Their hasty withdrawal from Lebanon allowed Hezbollah, another terrorist
outfit, to take root there and threaten both Lebanon's government and
Israel's security. By last summer, missiles were landing regularly in the
Galilee, a cross-border raid touched off a full-scale war, and Hezbollah's
part of Beirut was reduced to smithereens while Katyushas landed in Haifa
and all across northern Israel.
The same story repeated itself in Gaza after the Israelis pulled out of
their settlements towns and villages there. Instead of bringing peace,
missiles began falling on the Israeli town of Sderot. Once again an Israeli
retreat had only brought the enemy closer.
The tactic of building a wall - excuse me, Security Barrier - around the
Jewish state and retreating within its confines may have largely eliminated
the suicide bombings that used to make life in Israel a recurring horror.
But missiles can fly over walls. So this time the Israelis are hoping for
the best form of security: peaceful neighbors. Beginning on the West Bank.