Disengagement involves the removal of about 8,000 well-fed settlers from their government subsidized houses in Gaza to government-granted residences within Israel. More air-time, newsprint and bandwidth have probably been wasted on this mini-event than were spent on the expulsion and flight of 600,000 Jews from Arab countries, bereft of their belongings, to be packed into tents on their arrival in Israel, or scattered to the four corners of the Earth. Yesterday, Israel TV Channel 10 started an hourly series of broadcasts that played, over and over, the same tapes of the same empty luxury homes in Gaza. No "tragedy" was evident there, except that they interfered with a perfectly good screening of Dr. Zhivago.

What is more important, involving and interesting: seeing the same empty houses and the same comments over and over, or watching Julie Christie in all her glory, as she was then? Fanatics rambling on about "Greater Israel" and commentators saying "on the one hand this, and on the other hand that" are BORING. Even for a news nut like me, there was no contest. Even George Bush and his dog had to get into the disengagement act with a totally inane interview. The dog was more interesting than his master and gave about as much information. Most Israelis are rightly fed-up with disengagement non-news for breakfast, lunch and supper.

Nonetheless, on the day that the disengagement starts, I would be remiss in my duty if I did not add my own devalued 2 cents. Against the torrent of hyperbole generated by the media, the Yesha council, the government, the Jewish fanatics and the Palestinian Arab fanatics, I can only try to point out quietly, a few obvious facts. [more]

by Moderator @ 12:06 PM CST [Link]