Two Lively Letters in the NatPo Respond to J. Kay's "Masterstroke" Malarkey

Two days ago Kay claimed that Sharon's Gaza "disengagement" was "a masterstroke"--and lively letters did indeed ensue (scroll down to "Israel's failed Gaza policy"). The first, written by William Nicholls, professor emeritus of Religious Studies at UBC, notes that "the residents of southern Israel who have been subjected to daily rocket attacks" would be hard-pressed to agree with Kay's characterization. Moreover, not only has Sharon's unilateral decision not moved Israel and the Palestinians any closer to peace, it has shown us "what a Palestinian state in Judea and Samaria would look like."

Exactly.

The second letter, by Justin Kaminker of Kingston, Ont., echoes the first, observing that

If there were any masterstroke in the 2005 disengagement, it was in teaching Israel not to make the same mistake twice.

In other words, the "masterstroke" was a massive fumble, J. Kay's fulminations notwithstanding.