What is Prime Minister Ariel Sharons strategy?
Matt Rees: Since Sharon came into office, Israeli forces have pursued a policy of targeting Palestinian paramilitary police and other forces accused of mounting attacks on Israelis, in the hope of making the cost of continuing the intifada too high for Arafat and the men around him who are held responsible for leading a lot of the guerrilla fighting going on. But while the strategy is designed to make the cost of continuing to fight too high for the Palestinians, it doesn’t seem to be having that effect. With Tuesday marking the anniversary of the founding of the State of Israel an event called “Al Nakbah” (the catastrophe) by Palestinians they’re expecting trouble all over the West Bank and Gaza, and possibly even among Arab communities inside Israel. Still, Sharon has chosen the route of ratcheting up the pressure on Arafat, and he’s not likely to change that decision. Israeli settlements in the West Bank and Gaza appear to be emerging as a point of contention between Israel and the
