I understand that many Israelis are not happy with the Gaza pullout, and many who gambled and built their homes there want to stay. But what does it mean when a few stand in the way of the best chance to cool off the middle east and stop the bloodshed” From the Washington Post today we see what happens when individuals cannot admit that their time arguments in the democratic process have had their run and did not win the day:

Thousands of Israeli army troops moved into Gaza Monday morning to serve eviction notices on settlers and confronted hundreds of opponents blocking their way into communities across the coastal strip.

Soldiers had intended to enter 21 Jewish settlements to give residents who live in them 48 hours to leave. But in at least five communities they were prevented from doing so by young settlers who oppose the evacuation.

The confrontations over Israel’s disengagement from Gaza were mostly peaceful except for scattered scuffles between young men and soldiers. In some cases, Army jeeps and police cars were vandalized by mobs of opponents, who punctured tires, tore out radios and poured dishwater detergent on the vehicles.

Israeli military officials said the resistance was not unexpected but warned that starting Wednesday, there would be little tolerance for obstruction of the operation designed to clear the settlements over the next three weeks.

As long as the resistance is more the form of a final protest it will be a reasonable, if not short sighted, response to the Gaza pullout.

But you still have to wonder. I have seen many interviews and reasons on why the pullout should be resisted and they seem to fall into two broad camps: not until there is peace from the Palestinians and we cannot evacuate the sacrd lands.

Personally, I see a lot of selfishness in these remarks. It has been clear for decades roughly where the borders would be between a Palestine and Israel, and these people settled there knowing what could come. And what must come. Are we again seeing a case of ‘Us’ verses a chance at regional and world peace? Do these settlers understand we need turn the middle east from hatred and bloodshed to democratic and peaceful co-existance? Yes, lands once traveled by your ancestors may be under Palestinian control – but the same is true for much of the world’s ancestors in the case of that region of the world. It was the prime nexus of civilization for for centuries.

I guess there are always going to be some who put their wants above all others. Who convince themselves they cannot live unless they get what they are due.