Ariel Sharon is returning to Israel early after the latest suicide bombing, but before he left,
he had this to say. Sharon is a soldier, and as a soldier, he knows what’s at stake in this conflict. A few selected quotations:
To anyone who tries to blackmail Israel into making concessions — either big or small — through the weapon of terror and intimidation, or tries to blackmail the state of Israel through sowing fear, I say today: Israel will not surrender to blackmail. He who rises up to kill us, we will pre-empt it and kill him first.
I depart now to Israel with a heavy heart, heavy with grief and heavy with rage. The rage of every man and woman in Israel. The rage of each and every Jew in the world. The rage of all those who share our values: freedom, liberty and democracy Israel will fight for these values. Israel will fight anyone who tries to threaten these values. Israel will fight anyone who tries, through suicide terrorism, to sow fear. Israel will fight, Israel will triumph and when victory prevails, Israel will make peace.
Israel shouldn’t have to fight for these things alone.
