In exchange for Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's disengagement plan, Israel is seeking to get a compensation package from the U.S. whereby the U.S. agrees to Israel's annexation of the major settlement blocks, including Ariel; the U.S. guarantees there will be no right of return; and the U.S. underwrites the cost of resettlement.

Not only are the Americans saying "no" to the package, they are making demands.

According to Israel National News, the U.S. has set five conditions for the Gaza retreat:

1. The plan must not replace the U.S.-backed Road Map plan;
2. The U.S. will not bear the costs of evacuating and resettling the nearly 8,000 residents;
3. The expelled residents must not be relocated in Judea and Samaria;
4. The evacuation must be not only of civilians but of all military residents; and
5. Israel must not annex any areas of Judea and Samaria.

The Americans have also asked that the withdrawal be carried out only after the U.S. elections almost eight months from now. They also concluded that it is important to the Bush Administration that the planned withdrawal not appear as a surrender to terrorism.

Furthermore, the U.S. is demanding that the fence stay close to the armistice lines and that it not circle the airport preferring to expose Israelis to terrorism rather than Palestinians to inconvenience.

To make matters worse, Prime Minister Sharon says he won't disengage without America's blessing and for that matter he won't hardly do anything without its blessing.

Where does leave Israel? Nowhere.

America's position couldn't be clearer. It is protecting the Palestinians at Israel's expense. America believes that it can better calm the Middle East if it forces Israel back to the '67 armistice lines rather than force the Palestinians to accept major territorial adjustments. America is entitled to try to protect its interests but so is Israel.

Israel accepted the Roadmap subject to fourteen conditions that the U.S. agreed to give consideration to. These included:

1. The absolute cessation of terror and incitement before anything is required of Israel.

2. "The future settlement will be reached through agreement and direct negotiations between the two parties, in accordance with the vision outlined by President Bush in his 24 June address."

3. "The removal of references other than 242 and 338 (1397, the Saudi Initiative and the Arab Initiative adopted in Beirut). A settlement based upon the Roadmap will be an autonomous settlement that derives its validity there from. The only possible reference should be to Resolutions 242 and 338, and then only as an outline for the conduct of future negotiations on a permanent settlement."

These redlines are being ignored by both Israel and the U.S. The Roadmap itself is very clear on what the Palestinians and the Arab countries must do in the first stage and nobody is demanding full compliance of the Roadmap let alone the conditions.

We hear about American and Arab demands but never about Israeli demands.

We hear from Bush and Sharon that they will never jeopardize Israel's security but we never hear from either about Israel's right to the land or Jerusalem or any other right.

We hear from both of them that the Roadmap is still the way to go.

I urge you to reread this Roadmap if you can stomach it. It is extremely oppressive to Israel. Nothing has been done pursuant to the plan by any Arab country or by the Palestinians to stop the violence. In effect, all Arabs have rejected it by their actions and even by their words. Nevertheless, Bush blindly enshrines it as the way to go and Sharon dutifully agrees.

Israel has no choice but to get off the Road and end the peace process. Everyone agrees that Israel has no partner in the peace process so in effect there is no peace process.

It is time for unilateral moves by Israel not only in relation to the Palestinians but also in relation to the U.S.

Israel cannot retreat from Gaza without an agreement with someone who will enforce security. But whom can Israel trust to prevent arms build up through smuggling via tunnels or ships or the manufacture of weapons, other than itself.

So Israel should forget about the pipe dream of bettering its position by retreating from Gaza. There is no upside.

Even if an acceptable security arrangement is negotiated, Israel should not withdraw from all of Gaza. It should keep certain settlements in Gaza in order to set a precedent for the rest of Yesha. It is not enough for Bush to stress that the evacuation shouldn't appear as "a surrender to terrorism," he should insist that terror cost the perpetrator. What better way then for Israel to keep some of the settlements.

When Sharon argued that it is not worth keeping some of Gaza because it would provoke the Arabs to further violence just as keeping Shaaba farm did, I was horrified. If that's not appeasement, what is?

Israel should formerly declare an end to the Roadmap. In deference to Bush it can wait until after the elections. At such time as the Palestinians get their act together and form a responsible government, negotiations can start without preconditions. Israel doesn't need a Roadmap to negotiate a deal. Nor does it need Oslo or Resolution 242. Nor does it need the involvement of the Quartet including the U.S., especially if the U.S. doesn't want Israel to do a "land grab" or if it doesn't want to underwrite the cost of the evacuation. Just think, no evacuation, no cost.

If the Palestinians should choose instead, to continue in the path of violence, Israel should invite them "to bring it on" and deal with them accordingly.

Meanwhile the Middle East is not standing still. American pressure is mounting on Syria and Saudi Arabia to change and Iraq is being stabilized. This will continue regardless of what is happening in Israel. Israel should not allow the payment for such developments to be Israeli blood or land.

As for the fence, Israel should build it where it wants to build it, not where America dictates. If America wants to go so far as to allow a mandatory resolution to be passed by the UN, Israel can always negotiate a deal afterwards. But what are chances of the U.S. government actually doing so? Nil.

As for fighting terror, forget about world opinion and do what is necessary. Hold the Palestinian people collectively responsible for what the PA permits. There are no innocent Palestinians. They have a government that they elected and continue to support. They also support terrorism to achieve their ends. They must be held accountable and I mean the people and not just the leaders.

Now that Israel has regained the upper hand she should press her advantage rather then to make a stupid deal as she did when she had the advantage prior to Oslo. It is not too late to take control of the situation.

Don't take orders... take charge.

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