Avnery: Sharon's Thinking: "What is really important is the Weltanschauung, the world-view of Sharon as it emerges from Weisglass' long interview. When he exposes Sharon's ways of thinking, this sheds light on the basic beliefs and perceptions of his master. Sharon's world is one-dimensional, as limited as the flat world before Galileo. A world where brute force, and only brute force, reigns supreme. This is a world where there is no past and no future, no lessons of history and no foreseeing of things to come. Whatever exists now will exist forever.

"This is a world without moral constraints, where the opinions of mankind do not count. The world of Stalin, who once asked contemptuously: 'How many divisions has the pope?' His world looks like this: The only thing that counts is the interest of Israel and the Jewish people (as seen by Sharon). Their interest is to take possession of all of the territory between the Mediterranean and the Jordan (at least). The Palestinians are powerless. Hence, they are nothing more than an object to be kicked around as much as one pleases. Europe is a pathetic lot. To hell with Europe. There is only one real power in the world: The United States. They are the 'world management'. All the power of the US is concentrated in the White House. The President and a handful of other people are the managers.

"That's how it is now, and that's how it is going stay in future. Therefore, all we need is to maintain the power of the Israeli army and the alliance with the White House. All the rest is nonsense, fantasies of eggheads. The Israeli army and the White House - that is the winning combination. With it we shall take complete possession of the whole country. There is no need for a peace process, indeed, there is no need for peace. The Palestinians are a negligible factor. Let them vegetate for the time being in their ghettos. In due course, they will disappear from the country.

"This is, in free translation, the world of Sharon according to Weisglass. On the face of it, a realistic picture. Sharon's thoughts are primitive, and perhaps because of this, one might believe, he sees things as they really are.... Really? Is this in truth the real picture? History shows that brute military power is a blunt instrument that cannot solves complex problems. A leader who puts his sole trust in it will discover that it is a broken reed which wounds the hand that grasps it.... The world-view of Sharon, which at first appears so realistic, is the very opposite of realism. It is a view that will lead us to disaster."

Avnery: Sharon's Thinking: "What is really important is the Weltanschauung, the world-view of Sharon as it emerges from Weisglass' long interview. When he exposes Sharon's ways of thinking, this sheds light on the basic beliefs and perceptions of his master. Sharon's world is one-dimensional, as limited as the flat world before Galileo. A world where brute force, and only brute force, reigns supreme. This is a world where there is no past and no future, no lessons of history and no foreseeing of things to come. Whatever exists now will exist forever.

"This is a world without moral constraints, where the opinions of mankind do not count. The world of Stalin, who once asked contemptuously: 'How many divisions has the pope?' His world looks like this: The only thing that counts is the interest of Israel and the Jewish people (as seen by Sharon). Their interest is to take possession of all of the territory between the Mediterranean and the Jordan (at least). The Palestinians are powerless. Hence, they are nothing more than an object to be kicked around as much as one pleases. Europe is a pathetic lot. To hell with Europe. There is only one real power in the world: The United States. They are the 'world management'. All the power of the US is concentrated in the White House. The President and a handful of other people are the managers.

"That's how it is now, and that's how it is going stay in future. Therefore, all we need is to maintain the power of the Israeli army and the alliance with the White House. All the rest is nonsense, fantasies of eggheads. The Israeli army and the White House - that is the winning combination. With it we shall take complete possession of the whole country. There is no need for a peace process, indeed, there is no need for peace. The Palestinians are a negligible factor. Let them vegetate for the time being in their ghettos. In due course, they will disappear from the country.

"This is, in free translation, the world of Sharon according to Weisglass. On the face of it, a realistic picture. Sharon's thoughts are primitive, and perhaps because of this, one might believe, he sees things as they really are.... Really? Is this in truth the real picture? History shows that brute military power is a blunt instrument that cannot solves complex problems. A leader who puts his sole trust in it will discover that it is a broken reed which wounds the hand that grasps it.... The world-view of Sharon, which at first appears so realistic, is the very opposite of realism. It is a view that will lead us to disaster."