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COMMENTARY OF THE WEEK

Why is Sharon destroying Synagogues?

By Dr. Aaron Lerner, World Jewish News Agency International Commentator and IMRA Director, Israel.             

September 8, 2005

If all goes according to plan Prime Minister Ariel Sharon will truly make history tomorrow when for the first time in both modern and possibly ancient history the army of the Jewish People will intentionally and deliberately destroy every synagogue in Gush Katif.

When the issue first came up there was some confusion regarding the position of Jewish law on the matter, with the possibility that it was preferable for the Jewish State to raze these places of worship in order to spare them from being defiled after Israel retreated from the area.

But that is no longer the case. Rabbinical authorities now have made it clear - and for the record - that if the choice is between having Jews destroy a synagogue and Arabs defiling it, it is preferable to afford the Arabs the opportunity. Here's the puzzle:  the decision of the rabbis offered Sharon a tremendous opportunity to avoid Israeli casualties and divert public rage away from him. With the time saved from not having to demolish the synagogues, the IDF could have probably completed the retreat Friday morning, thus reducing the possibility of last-minute Israeli casualties.

Today Sharon faces the rage of the religious community for destroying Jewish places of worship and will no doubt face the rage of the national camp as scenes of Palestinians celebrating the "liberation" of the Jewish communities of Gush Katif are broadcast after the retreat. If the synagogues had been left intact they would have certainly been the focus of the Palestinian celebrations - an ugly scene that Sharon could have blamed on the rabbis rather than on his decision to retreat. As an added PR bonus for Israel, pictures of Arabs destroying Jewish places  of worship broadcast overseas would help buttress Israel's position that it  requires and deserves a free hand to defend itself against post-retreat threats emanating from Gaza.

Why then didn't Mr. Sharon exploit the decision of the rabbis for his own political benefit and the benefit of the State?

Could it be that he wanted to save the Palestinians the shame?

Highly unlikely.

The answer is, unfortunately, probably much more simple then that: Ariel Sharon made a decision and announced it and he will be damned if he changes it just because of a change in circumstances. That's the story of the retreat in a nutshell.  Sharon decided to retreat and nothing will get in his way.  Not the collapse of the underlying logic of the move nor the gross failure of the working assumptions that served to justify retreat.