CHINESE ISRAELIS

In addition to two religious nutcases – senile Pat Robertson and terrorist Ahmadinejad – there are large numbers of ordinary Israelis who are pleased about Ariel Sharon’s incapacitating stroke.

Robertson announced that Sharon’s stroke was “God’s punishment” for withdrawing from Gaza, while Iran’s Ahmadinejad announced he was “praying to Allah” for Sharon’s death. While most all Israeli citizens aren’t this crazy or ghoulish, a lot of them think that Sharon’s passing will be, in the words of one Israeli friend of mine, “better for the future of Israel.”

Let’s call these folks Chinese Israelis. The Chinese have an ancient proverb: Be careful what you wish for, because you just might get it.

The reality is that Sharon’s passing is a disaster for the state of Israel. There is no one – no one – in the Israeli leadership who has a fraction of his stature. In terms of maturity, integrity, courage, and capability to ruthlessly defend Israel, no one in Israel comes remotely close.

The current antipathy towards Sharon in certain Israeli circles stems from his pullout from Gaza. As Sharon had devised an elaborate settlement plan in Gaza to divide and buffer the Palestinians, it was inexcusable in these people’s eyes for him to surrender the territory, allowing the Palestinians to transform it into a terrorist enclave.

Inexcusable because they were ignorant of Sharon’s strategic thinking.

Along with Israel, Egypt is the largest recipient of American foreign aid. Most of the $2 billion Egypt gets annually from the US is supposed to go for improving the Egyptian economy and lives of the Egyptian people. Instead, for years now, Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarik has spent it on weapons and the Egyptian military.

As Sharon personally explained to a friend of mine, Egypt now has a “qualitative edge” over Israel militarily. So Sharon went to the White House and made a deal with George Bush.

They agreed that in exchange for Israel pulling out of Gaza and turning it over to the Palestinians (what Bush wanted), Israel would get a package of weapons Congress had so far refused to approve (what Sharon wanted). Withdrawing from Gaza, Bush thought, would be the enticement necessary for opponents in Congress to relent.

Sharon wanted defensive weaponry to protect Israel from Egypt – and offensive weaponry to take out Iran’s nuclear facilities and its government if necessary. The weapons list is classified, but one item known to be on it is 500 BLU “Bunker Buster” deep penetration bombs, as well as a wide variety of “smart” munitions.

Sharon was far more concerned in terms of Israel’s security and survival over Egypt and Iran than he was over Palestinians – who, he thought, by having Gaza all to their lonesome would be painting a giant red bull’s eye on themselves. All in one tight small place, easy to wipe out if required.

With Sharon gone, Israel will turn to one of three politicians to be its leader. The Interim Prime Minister (and former Mayor of Jerusalem, Ehud Olmert, may be the frontrunner. Olmert is a protégé of Sharon’s, very sharp and bright.

His personality defects include a compulsive womanizing that make Bill Clinton’s efforts in this area look feeble. Sit him next to the attractive wife of a business or political associate at a dinner party and he will attempt to fondle her right at the table.

Olmert will make a deal with anyone who he thinks can further him politically, even the Ultra-Orthodox Jews who view the State of Israel as blasphemy against Yaweh and side with Palestinians trying to destroy it.

Second is Likud leader and former PM Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu. Bibi is an articulate showman, and an intellectual who can write well in defense of Israel. As a political leader he is incompetent, as shown by his utter failure as Prime Minister from mid-1996 to mid-1999.

Bibi is pro-capitalist and argues that to demographically overcome Palestinians, Israel must abandon all vestiges of socialism and become such a place of economic opportunity that Jews will migrate to it from all over the world. If only he had a personal integrity to match his intellectual integrity. While PM, he gained a reputation as a man whose word cannot be trusted, and who simply lacks any skill at managing and motivating those who work with and under him.

Third is Labor leader and former head of the Histadrut trade union federation Amir Peretz. He is the worst of the lot, a socialist gangster whose capacity for graft and corruption knows no bounds. His election as Prime Minister has been described as if “Jimmy Hoffa were elected President of the United States.”

Yet this March, Israel will choose one of these three men to lead it against the nuclear threat of Iran, the military threat of Egypt, the terrorist threat of Palestinians, and the global rise of anti-Semitism.

The time is not far off when Israelis will give anything to have Ariel Sharon back, and rue the unforgiving wisdom of Chinese proverbs.