die ich sehr respektiere. David von Israellycool sieht den Rueckzug aus Gaza anders als ich, mit durchaus einleuchtenden Gruenden. Ich korrigiere gern meine eigenen Ansichten mit denen anderer. Jede neue Einsicht ist wertvoll, auch wenn ich bei meinem …

Thanks for your opinion. I think we are using a similar analysis, but arriving at different conclusions.

But I have to reject your comments o Rav Ovadia. Yes, he has made some ostensibly ridiculous and offensive statements in the past, but when it comes to halacha, the man is a recognized giant. And it was in that context that I quoted him.

I think Israel CAN afford to disengage from the Palestinians, and I don’t mean just Gaza. I consider myself right wing (I used to be in agreement with Avigdor Liberman and Netanyahu on most issues), but there is a limit to how long the Palestinians can be kept without either citizenship or self-rule. Yes, we do have historical ties to these places, both ancient and recent- but that wasn’t why we came there. We were repeatedly attacked, and we had to take away from our enemies the convenient launching pads for further attacks. Now, when Jordan and Egypt are no longer really dangerous to us, I think we can afford to give it back. In pragmatic terms, it makes perfect sense, and as for faith issues, I see nothing here that the “pikuah nefesh” principle could not override. If the Jews are allowed free access to our holy places, and the security of the piligrims is guaranteed, political ownership over the places themselves is not necessery.

The big question, however, is whether or not the pullout will result in a decrease of Palestinian attacks. If not, the IDF will be forced to re-enter Gaza, which will instantly undo any gain for Israel and any benefit for the Palestinians from the pullout.