Why Sharon Chose to Give Up

William Safire quotes Ariel Sharon on why the Prime Minister came up with his pre-emptive surrender (Gaza Withdrawal) plan.

"Back in November, so many plans were around," Prime Minister Ariel Sharon told me yesterday just before heading back to Israel, "from the Saudis, from Geneva, from the Arab League, and I saw we could not resist those pressures without a plan of our own.

"What could I do — destroy the Palestinian Authority? No — Israel cannot take on its shoulders the lives of three and a half million Palestinians. Sign a peace agreement? No — terror would only begin again. Leave as is? No — I've seen everything in Israel since the War of Independence, and it's my responsibility to deal with it now.