Sharon's love of chaos

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By Naguib Mahfouz

The repercussions of Sheikh Yassin's assassinati on will be frightening indeed, for it is one of the gravest developments to have taken place on the Palestinian stage in several years. It makes for an even more explosive situation and drives Palestinians to unprecedented heights of anger. It also establishes beyond all doubt that Sharon, whom President Bush once described as a man of peace, is in fact against any plans for peace. What he desires, rather, is that chaos and disruption should reign, enabling him to stay in power. For as soon as the situation cools down and the negotiations start again, his reign will no longer have any justification. This is as far as his personal ambitions go. As for his ambitions as a head of state, disruption will enable him to resume his plan of overtaking the occupied territories on the pretext of security considerations.

In my view, Sharon was fully aware of the potential Palestinian and Arab reaction to Sheikh Ahmed Yassin's assassination; it is precisely what he was aiming for. What he failed to calculate, rather, was the possibility of losing control of the situation -- of a complete catastrophe that will do away with him for good.

Based on an interview by Mohamed Salmawy.