April 13, 2005
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and President Bush met in Texas on Tuesday where they mostly ratified Israel's plan to withdraw from Gaza and portions of the West Bank this summer.
Israel is staking its existence on a lot of problematic ideas.
One is that her enemies will reciprocate, when they never have before.
Each time Israel has given up land in the past, the so-called Palestinians and/or Arab nations have made war, not peace.
They consolidate their position on the new land and start the terror all over again.
A senior Israeli official told me that they are in the pre-road map stage.
He said that means the Palestinians have to end terrorism, disarm the terrorists and change what they have been saying about the Jews in their media and in their children's textbooks.
Frankly, I do not believe that will happen given the history and Israel will be back to defending itself on a smaller amount of land as it possibly faces a nuclear threat from Iran and more terror from groups trained and based in Syria.
I hope I'm wrong, but I don't think I am.
I'm Cal Thomas in Washington.
Cal Thomas is a nationally syndicated columnist based in Washington, D.C. Watch his television show, After Hours with Cal Thomas, on the Fox News Channel, Saturdays at 11 p.m. Eastern Time.
