Olmert's middle - schmiddle

By Aussiegirl

Middle, schmiddle -- an Israeli perspective on Olmert's policies of retreating to "defensible" borders by ceding Gaza and the West Bank to the Palestinians. Excellent analysis.

Jerusalem Post | Breaking News from Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World

Disengagement's logic is that of a householder who discovers his kitchen is on fire. Instead of dousing the flames or summoning help, he closes the door behind him and retires to the living room, where he lounges in front of the boob-tube. He has disengaged from the blaze.

OLMERT AND his fair-weather running mates call this scaremongering regardless of the fact that so far all scaremongers' predictions were unerringly borne out. Euphoria-engendering Oslo disintegrated into a murderous mess. Disengagement brought more Kassams to more and softer targets. Unilateralism emboldened Hamas instead of improving the prospects for coexistence.

Nevertheless delusional disengagement from reality continues to be upheld as the essence of prudence. Self-deception is bliss - at least until the rude awakening, which Olmert strives mightily to delay, so we'd follow him more readily to that vapid and vacuous middle ground, where we can savor a brew of half-coffee and half-tea.

The gullible are enticed over and over. The seeds of WWII germinated on the ostensibly sane and safe middle ground. Its allure facilitated the global cataclysm. Quintessentially moderate and pragmatic Neville Chamberlain was the middle ground's then-iconic high priest. In his gentlemanly manner, he was the consummate champion of cop-out. It wasn't a personal failing or idiosyncrasy. He wasn't pursuing a private agenda, which eventually collapsed catastrophically.
Chamberlain popularly reflected his nation's zeitgeist. Most Britons wanted to disengage. That's why middle Britons en masse supported the 1934 Peace Ballot.

It was promoted by Lord Robert Cecil, who won the 1937 Nobel Peace Prize for his folly. Some 500,000 canvassers went door-to-door to poll ordinary folk on whether they were for peace and against war - as manipulative as asking who's for healing and against pain (or for Olmert's moderation and against extremism).