Wednesday, March 13, 2002

Puzzling Timing: An Onslaught Before Zinni's Arrival
The word from Washington, as most people here suspected, was that the general was carrying nothing beyond the Bush administration's desire to keep the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from interfering with business elsewhere — notably in Iraq.

That situation, analysts said, suited Mr. Sharon at this juncture. His strategy toward the Palestinians was no mystery. As he said himself last week, he hopes to batter them into getting rid of Mr. Arafat and sitting down to talks. That was why he placed restrictions on Mr. Arafat, and why he ordered the huge operation into the West Bank and Gaza.

But as a veteran of many military and political wars, Mr. Sharon has always been aware that he cannot proceed without support from his government, his public and Washington. In recent days it had begun to wane on all fronts.

In this context, General Zinni's mission offered an opportunity, even if there was a risk of an American rebuke. It gave Mr. Sharon time to carry out the military operations in the West Bank and Gaza and declare victory. An eventual withdrawal would appear as a gesture of cooperation with the American peace effort.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/13/international/middleeast/13ASSE.html

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