George Bush’S Great America [EN]: Chapter 261

< Episode 260 >

Ariel Sharon, with his keen intellect, immediately understood the man’s intentions and the strategy behind his actions.

He was a soldier through and through. Starting with a paratrooper brigade at a young age, he participated in eight operations. His distinguished service led him to become the principal of the Army Infantry School remarkably early in his career. Israel had no shortage of talent, so they wouldn’t have entrusted such a role to a novice of only 30 years old.

Later, he commanded the 38th Armored Division during the 3rd and 4th Middle East Wars, consistently leading from the front in Israel’s victories.

It might sound arrogant, but he was genuinely competent. While military skill didn’t guarantee political savvy, he was quite adept in politics as well.

Ariel Sharon, having forged his path within the Liberal Party, willingly became Prime Minister, embracing the destiny he had carved out.

The 11th Prime Minister, a war hero, could easily grasp the full scope of the scheme.

‘He’s trying to station troops in Israel to keep the EU in check! To maintain Pax Americana’s [American Peace, a term referring to the relative peace in the Western Hemisphere and later globally due to the dominance of the United States] hegemony!’

Indeed, if he were in that position, he would do the same without hesitation. Yet, he also understood why rumors circulated about the man having a dual personality or being a madman with bizarre ideas.

‘Just a few months ago, Yasser Arafat, the father of Palestine, died from a stroke. The 40-day mourning period hasn’t even ended. Offering peace talks at this moment was a perfect move! Unbelievable!’

Rather, now was the only opportunity. If he could overcome the massive backlash from Israel, he could achieve peace, even if it were a contradictory peace born out of greater fear. And what was wrong with a contradictory peace anyway? Has there ever been true peace on this planet since the dawn of civilization?

After all, isn’t the current peace just an illusion created by Pax Americana, which emerged victorious from the Cold War? Furthermore, it was a peace established because of the threat of nuclear weapons, a byproduct of the Cold War.

Every nation on Earth hides a dagger while preaching peace. Truly, it was a case of having honeyed words but harboring treacherous intentions.

‘Damn it. Breaking away from the United States now would be too great a loss. Of course, not forever, and at most, it would only be for the President’s four-year term, but even that would be a significant blow.’

But where does the guarantee of four years come from? It came from Ariel Sharon’s assessment. And what was that based on? It was based on the 22nd Amendment to the United States Constitution [which limits the president to two terms]. And this President has enough power to tamper with the Constitution.

‘Besides, the Israeli lobby holds considerable influence, even outside of election season. The reason he’s going this far, risking his political life… it can’t just be because this guy is kind.’

He didn’t believe in altruism. More precisely, he believed there was always a motive behind a person’s actions. And among politicians, that motive was usually ambition. There were those not driven by ambition, but they rarely rose to prominence and often had their careers cut short. Fish cannot live in overly clean water, and water that fish cannot live in is not fit for human consumption either.

‘Should we actively side with the United States? Is this for Israel’s glorious future and true glory?’

No, if he did that, Ariel Sharon’s political career would end, not someone else’s. A Prime Minister who ignored public sentiment would quickly find himself out of office. That’s why they desperately create support to avoid falling.

‘Patriotism is important, but without ambition, the story doesn’t even begin to make sense.’

So, let’s summarize. Let’s consider the conclusion Ariel Sharon reached with limited information in a short amount of time.

‘This man, with his nonchalant expression, is trying to become the Napoleon of the modern era?’

He took another breath, desperately trying to find evidence to support his conclusion. It was as if he were back in his days as a soldier, where every step was a matter of life and death.

‘The fact that he recently relinquished a significant portion of his power is meaningless.’

Power is not divided; it is shared. The difference is that true power dispersal requires a process of ‘pulling down and sharing’ rather than the powerful person generously handing it out as a favor.

Even if a powerful person distributes power, it ultimately amounts to creating a foothold for themselves. To put it bluntly, it’s like throwing a bone to befriend a hostile dog.

In simple terms, it’s the difference between holding cash and buying stocks while accepting potential losses. The commonality is that both are ultimately the investor’s assets.

‘He said he was sharing power, but he was actually consolidating it. That explains our sluggish lobbying efforts. He doesn’t need Israel’s help for his future.’

Then why was this situation created? Simply for another power grab? A President who ends the division of the Korean Peninsula and then brings peace to the historic land of Israel and Palestine. There was no way he wouldn’t be tempted.

Even Ariel Sharon himself was tempted by the position of Prime Minister, so how could the President of a superpower not be tempted by this title?

Even without that, he was being considered the most likely candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005. In fact, the Nobel Foundation had already tried to award it to him, but he refused with his famous statement, ‘I have not yet brought true peace to the Korean Peninsula.’

‘The one who brought true peace to the land flowing with milk and honey [a biblical description of the promised land]. The American religious community would support that as well.’

The land flowing with milk and honey that God had originally promised ironically became a land flowing with blood and bones. As Canaan changed hands repeatedly, faith and promises gradually deteriorated and turned into a cursed land, mirroring the steadily accumulating corpses.

‘The reasoning is complete. Then the choices I have to make are…’

For a brief moment, Bush realized that Ariel Sharon’s consciousness had drifted far beyond the conference room. He noticed this because Sharon’s focus was more unfocused than necessary.

“I think you’ve roughly realized it, but inviting you to Camp David is inviting the ‘leaders of nations.'”

Upon hearing those words, Ariel Sharon’s suspicion turned into conviction. A flimsy imagination based on reasoning? Who cares. That’s what he thought. And even if it wasn’t true, he couldn’t arbitrarily go against the US President’s wishes.

If it were another president, it wouldn’t be a problem. He could just show a moderate amount of sincerity and be done with it.

However, even within certainty, a trace of doubt remained, like shadows following the light.

He opened his mouth to resolve his doubts, speaking reflexively.

“Does that mean, by any chance?”

“The US government wants to formally recognize the Palestinian government, and we will bring this matter to the UN later. Is that okay?”

There was nothing more and nothing less. This meant they were going to properly set the stage before even starting negotiations.

Should he deny it here and postpone the meeting? Or should he acknowledge it? Although he didn’t want to acknowledge it, it was only a matter of time before this came to the surface.

And unlike Taiwan, Israel doesn’t wield as much influence as China. Furthermore, Israel had completely ruined its national image due to the two consecutive Intifadas [Palestinian uprisings against Israel].

Therefore, if the recognition of the Palestinian government went to the UN, the result was obvious.

In fact, under normal circumstances, it would be right to postpone it, but now was the time to take a gamble. At least, that’s what he thought. The intuition that had made him a Prime Minister and a commander was tingling.

But will this feeling be right? Is it simply his delusion? Even if he acknowledges it, will the people accept it? Even though his approval ratings are already declining due to the Intifada, what should he do if the lifeline he’s trying to grab is a rotten rope?

“…I will acknowledge it.”

Bush was genuinely surprised by that reaction. He considered the possibility that he had misspoke or that the interpreter had made a mistake, but that didn’t seem to be the case. Unable to express this outwardly, Bush responded with a broad smile, unlike the subtle smile he had been wearing until now.

He acted as if he had successfully buttoned the first button.

‘Hmm, they’re accepting it more readily than I thought. Well, they must be feeling anxious since I didn’t mediate the Second Intifada. The movement that originally ended in 2003 continued until 2005.’

Originally, he was planning to put some pressure on them if they didn’t accept it. It was going to be a sloppy agreement anyway, but that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t do anything.

Bush’s expected blueprint was to have everyone talk nicely and end it well. In the process, he would warn Israel to stop acting up and plant the message in Palestine that the United States wants peace.

Then the United States would have done enough. They directly summoned the leaders of the two countries and even used Camp David. Furthermore, they declared that they would no longer stand idly by in the face of violence. This was the first objective: to show off.

So what was the second?

“It’s great that the conversation is flowing smoothly. Then we will now regard the Palestinian Authority as a formal government. I hope you two will coordinate the details.”

Surprisingly, Ariel Sharon’s reasoning was partially correct.

It was to once again inform the EU whose sphere of influence the land of Israel and Palestine is currently in. As the EU began to extend its hand into the Middle East in earnest, it was incorporating everything within reach into its sphere of influence. Since circumstances had recently been detected in which they were trying to lend a hand to Palestine, Bush had no choice but to become a little impatient.

At least if they were destined to be inseparable from Israel in the near future, he had no choice but to maintain his sphere of influence by doing even this kind of futile, scarecrow mediation.

However, this time, a result that even Bush had not anticipated at all was about to emerge, like a series of four consecutive earthquakes.