On the Gaza Evacuation

Tamar quotes an email received from a friend in Israel on the Gaza pullout. In a nutshell, she's impressed with the gentle yet firm manner that Israeli soldiers are enforcing the pullout.

This is an historic moment. No matter what the motives of the Sharon government, the pullout is a bold action. As a mailing I received from the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati puts it:

At a cost of more than $1.7 billion to the Israeli government, disengagement makes Israel the first country in modern history to give up land acquired in a defensive war (1967).

Whether this is the right course for Israel to take, it's neither my right or my intention to say.

As a Christian, I believe in the power that resides in the strong sometimes foregoing the use of power. There is little doubt that the same Israeli military which today is acting with such gentle firmness could destroy the forces of the Palestinian Authority many times over. But in an action that seems improbable from the militant and conservative Sharon, Israel under his leadership is voluntarily vacating Gaza. It's stunning to see...even as one's heart is touched by the departure of many who have never known life in a different place.