A Bitter Irony

Witness the plight of the Jewish evacuees, forced out of their homes and farms in Gaza in a vain attempt to appease world opinion. Many of them are still living in tents more than two years after Ariel Sharon's 'disengagement with reality'.

Those fortunate enough to have a solid roof over their heads, are living in these prefabricated houses in the town of Nitzan, just outside Ashkelon.

Whilst they were farming their plots in Gush Katif, things were relatively peaceful and contacts between Jews and Arabs were in the nature of trade and employment.

Everyone acknowledges that the retreat from Gaza was the most monumental mistake, creating a vaccum for Hamas to quickly fill with terror and despair. It seems that only Mr Olmert fails to recognise this mistake, which - even under Gazan rocket fire - he is still so eager to repeat in the West Bank.

If he fails to acknowledge the truth, perhaps he might accept a bitter irony:

The settlers of Gush Katif never came under rocket fire until they returned to Israel proper.

In Olmert's Israel, it may be safer outside the Green Line than in!