“September 2000, as Ariel Sharon, accompanied by a thousand armed paramilitaries, trudges to Jerusalem\u00c3\u00af\u00c2\u00bf\u00c2\u00bds holiest Muslim site to demonstrate Israel\u00c3\u00af\u00c2\u00bf\u00c2\u00bds exclusive sovereignty … Sharon\u00c3\u00af\u00c2\u00bf\u00c2\u00bds stunt predictably provoked Arab riots, which the Israelis suppressed brutally. The fuse was lit leading to Sharon\u00c3\u00af\u00c2\u00bf\u00c2\u00bds election as prime minister.”
\n…
\nPerhaps someone in the Bush White House reads intelligence reports (even newspapers would do) telling him how the Palestinians feel about confronting an Israel armed with American tanks, helicopters, missiles. Within months, teenage rioters with slingshots have given way to suicide bombers, and throughout the occupied territories there grows something like a public cult of the suicide bomber.”<\/p>\n
Article<\/a>.<\/p>\n This strategy reminds me of so many fascist stunts of history, from Mussolini’s March on Rome<\/a>, Hitler’s attempted<\/a> Beer Hall Putsch<\/a>, and the Paisley’s role in the fall of the Northern Ireland Executive<\/a> in the 1970s following massive Unionist unrest which led to 30 years of civil strife in that part of Ireland. Not forgetting Trimble and the mob at Drumcree<\/a>.<\/p>\n It’s amazing but sad how often strongarm street mob tactics prevail in places with weak democratic traditions. Or sometimes not so weak.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" “September 2000, as Ariel Sharon, accompanied by a thousand armed paramilitaries, trudges to Jerusalem\u00c3\u00af\u00c2\u00bf\u00c2\u00bds holiest Muslim site to demonstrate Israel\u00c3\u00af\u00c2\u00bf\u00c2\u00bds exclusive sovereignty … Sharon\u00c3\u00af\u00c2\u00bf\u00c2\u00bds stunt predictably provoked Arab riots, which the Israelis suppressed brutally....<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t