The European press continues to denounce and revile Sharon,
overlooking the resistance to the Disengagement Plan Sharon
is encountering in the settlements. The state radio station
devoted an entire hour to what it called "Sharon's wall,"
making not one reference to the Disengagement Plan in Gaza.
The security barrier has turned into a topic for productions
and exhibitions.
Newspapers are casting doubt on the intentions behind the
Disengagement Plan, saying it is designed to tighten the hold
on the Palestinians. Anti-Israel propaganda is still rolling
forward full steam.
In Brussels the Plan is described as a cunning scheme devised
to preserve control of the rest of the territories. European
Foreign Minister Javier Solana said Europe will thwart any
Israeli scheme not to continue with the Road Map and to
prevent the setup of a Palestinian state after the
disengagement from Gaza or to continue imposing a blockade on
Gaza after the withdrawal.
The Europeans disseminate Palestinian propaganda against the
plan and allege that it is intended to imprison one million
Palestinians. The French and the Spanish are working to
extract Arafat from the siege on the compound in Ramallah as
the Israeli withdrawal approaches, in order for him to become
involved in the process.
Sharon has not boosted his image and nobody sees him as a de
Gaul, the president who overthrew the government with a
putsch and a pledge to defend Algeria, later betraying French
settlers by leaving them to the rebels. "There is reason to
suspect Sharon's motives, but his plan is worthy of support,
no matter what his true intentions are," writes the
L'Economiste, which printed a photograph of Sharon
with an olive branch in his mouth.
