Best and worst

The current Israeli situation reminds me of Charles Dickens's immortal
phrase from "A tale of two cities," "it was the best of times, it was the
worst of times." There are so many contradictory indications that it is
difficult to tell which way things will go.
In the pro column, Israel completed the disengagement from Gaza, and reaped
a lot of positive response. Pakistan is talking to us, and a large
delegation of Pakistani businessmen are due to visit Israel soon. Bahrain,
Qatar, Oman and Kuwait are talking about talking to Israel. Pres. Katsav
has invited the King of Morocco to visit Israel.
The UN General Assembly has passed the first resolution introduced by Israel
and has established by consensus an annual international Holocaust Memorial
Day (a bit late, but better than never). The UN Security Council has
criticized Syria for its involvement in the assassination of former Lebanese
PM Rafik Hariri and has put the Assad regime on notice the it could be
subject to sanctions. The attitude towards Israel at the UN has definitely
improved.
The terrorist threat to Israel has been reduced by extensive Israeli actions
in the wake of the suicide bombing in Hadera, dozens of leaders of Islamic
Jihad, Hamas and al Aksa Martyrs Brigades have been killed and about a
thousand in the West Bank arrested (some have been released). Also, the
Security fence is being completed, and although not a perfect barrier, it
has significantly reduced the number of serious incidents. US Secty. of
State Rice has reiterated that Israel has the right to defend itself against
terrorism, and has warned Pres. Abbas of the PA that he must act against the
terrorist organizations.
The statement by Pres. Ahmedinejad of Iran about "wiping Israel off the map"
has brought widespread international condemnation, and made clear that
Israel's actions have nothing to do with the pure hatred that emanates from
Iran, and elsewhere in the Arab world.
Nevertheless, everything is not pickles and honey (just checking to see if
you're awake). On the con side, the Iranian threat is real, and their
development of A-weapons continues, with no sign of real international
action. The UN, despite improvement, is still dominated by the Arab/Muslim
coalition and is still generally anti-Israel.
Pres. Abbas of the PA has done nothing about the terrorist organizations,
and has stated explicitly that he does not intend to disarm them. Hamas will
participate in the January PA Legislative Elections, and will probably win a
large number of seats. If they get a majority it will significantly change
the political situation, although most commentators still expect Fatah to
win, mainly because in polls the majority of Palestinians are fed up with
the general violence and lack of law and order, which they attribute to the
terrorist gangs.
The rioting of Muslim youths in Paris and elsewhere in France is a flexing
of their muscles. They have torched ca. 1,000 vehicles and many schools and
other buildings. One can expect much greater violence and political
pressure produced by the unassimilable Muslims in Western Europe.
In Israel itself the political situation is in stalemate, with no-one being
able to predict what will happen tomorrow and whether or not the Sharon
Government will fall, when there will be elections, who will lead Likud, and
so on. The country is divided, with a large proportion who consider
themselves secular Israelis first, and a large minority who consider
themselves Jews first, many of whom eschew democracy and think its a good
thing that Rabin was assassinated. Its a fine kettle of fish.