| Eventually Israel is going to have to evacuate most of the West Bank settlements, to secure peace. Israelis will probably never agree to a unitary state in which all residents would be equal citizens. The world will not tolerate the hardening of the present situation in the West Bank into a permanent apartheid state. Therefore the settlements must go. So why wait? It will never be any easier. Doing it now would blunt Israel`s critics and forestall the kind of economic boycott in Europe that would harm Israel`s economy. It would also eliminate the need for roadblocks and checkpoints that have damaged the Plestinian economy and feed the flames of Palestinian hatred. Evacuating the settlements does not mean Israel need abandon a security presence on the West Bank. That can wait until there is an agreement that gives Israel reasonable security. Without the humiliations and economic distress caused by the settlements, such an agreement would be more likely. |
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