Sharon and Bibi’s masquerade
PM will attempt to return to his image of a national leader who expands settlements
The Gaza disengagement has not been completed yet, and this week the involvement process is already beginning. The expected face-off between Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and former Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which is scheduled to take place during the next few weeks, will focus mainly on the West Bank.
Netanyahu will try to convince Likud Central Committee members that he withstood U.S. and international community regarding concessions in this area (as opposed to his rival, who had unilaterally relinquished control over the Gaza Strip), and Sharon, for his part, will attempt to prove that giving up Gaza will help Israel keep most of the West Bank settlements.
Despite American and international objections to Israeli construction in the area known as E-1 (the corridor that joins Jerusalem and Maale Adumim), Sharon will seize the opportunity to prove his ability to face pressures and insist on the construction of another neighborhood in the area in a bid to connect Jerusalem to Maale Adumim and seal the gap between Judea and Samaria (from south to north) to prevent the free movement of Palestinians between the two regions.
In the coming weeks Sharon will make an effort to return to his previous image of a national leader who enforces and expands the settlements. He will make general statements about his willingness to achieve peace, but he will remain focused on the moderate right, assuming the far right would automatically back Netanyahu.
Therefore, the evacuation of illegal settler outposts in the near future is inconceivable. Sharon is in no position to offer Netanyahu another reason to criticize him, and the prime minister’s partners from the Labor party will not apply an exceeded amount of pressure on the matter.
Battle will focus on public image
Given the choice between Sharon and Netanyahu, it is clear who Labor would pick.
Moreover, attempts at expanding outposts and at illegally seizing land near the settlements will undoubtedly gain the sweeping support of Netanyahu’s camp, along with silent support from Sharon’s.
It would be safe to assume the settlers and their right-wing supporters will respond to the disengagement by establishing new illegal settlements and outposts.
The war current war between Sharon and Netanyahu is an opportunity that does not come their way every day.
This war will consist mainly of statements and focus on public image. Both Sharon and Netanyahu will try to present themselves as the Lord Keepers of Israeli nationalism. They are turning to the east, to the West Bank, and not west, to the U.S., whose threats will be pushed aside for a while.
Only if Sharon comes out victorious from the Likud Central Committee elections would he attempt to return to his all-Israeli paternal image ahead of his next task: The implementation of the Road Map for peace, keeping the settlement blocs as a part of Israel and dismantling of solitary settlements that are not included in these blocs.
Netanyahu, in turn, will try to shed his far right image and return to center stage following general or primary elections.
The two candidates will eventually become their old selves again, but the masquerade is just beginning.
Yehuda Litani is a journalist, filmmaker and frequent contributor to Yedioth Ahronot newspaper
