A Chicago Tribune staff-ed about the implications of Ariel Sharon’s deteriorating health makes a point we rarely see acknowledged in the Western media–like it or not, IDF military operations and the security fence are effective in preventing Palestinian terror:
Sharon came to power in 2001 for one reason: Israelis trusted him to stop the Palestinian terrorist campaign of suicide bombings in Israeli cities. He began with bold military moves, sending troops into nearly every Palestinian town in the West Bank and Gaza. He also championed the concept of disengagement. He said he would wait no longer for the Palestinians to rein in the terrorists. He began building the separation barrier, despite furious protests from Palestinians and a rebuke from the World Court. It held, and attacks subsided.
