The Lynchpin of Ariel Sharon

20060107

        The recent tragic illness and hospitalization of Ariel Sharon has added to the already escalating tensions that have plagued the Middle East for the past several months. Few people realize when a great leader is in power how much influence that leader exerts, especially when times are trying. When such a leader is suddenly gone, the results can be tragic.

         So, it is with Ariel Sharon. A man beset by his enemies and often his own people, Sharon sought to establish the one thing that Israel needs above all else- security. Sharon understood, more than most, that without security there is no peace, and that security cannot be found where there is constant conflict. Because of that realization, he conceded the Palestinian territories in spite of fierce opposition from his own people and derision from his enemies.

         While the withdrawal was the most obvious sign of Sharon’s greatness, consider the lesser facts that go along with that act. He managed to keep Israel from degenerating into civil war as a result of his plan. He managed, over the past several years, to keep the boiling pot of the current intifada from degenerating into all out war. He managed to keep the peace with Jordan and Egypt, in spite of provocation from Islamic radicals in both of those countries. He steadfastly ignored the ravings of lunatics like Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, in spite of the fact that the man’s words are tantamount to a declaration of war.

         The fact that Sharon may not resume his place as Israel’s leader should give the world pause, not because the tensions that threaten the region are inevitable, but because his absence means that other great leaders will need to fill the gap left by this great man’s departure. The nations of the world, especially the US and Europe, must carefully consider what must be done to maintain the peace and must not hesitate to act when the time comes.

         The truth is that, once again, we find the Middle East poised on the brink of events that could easily lead to war, and the departure of Ariel Sharon from the seat of leadership can be the lynchpin that sets that course into motion unless others intervene.

DLH