It is easy to say who did not take it.
Not the government, which has become a choir of flatterers and yes-men. Sharon treats them with contempt. He would not dream of consulting them.
Not the Knesset, which has reached an unprecedented low. It now openly includes representatives of the underworld, a murderer who has asked for (and received) a pardon, and some small politicians who look as if they had been picked at random from the street. The Speaker is known as an entertaining character.
And not the public at large, of course. All public opinion polls show that the public wanted the Roadmap to succeed. All believed that Sharon was serious about seeking peace. On the left, too, there were many simpletons who lauded Sharon for changing his spots. Nobody asked the public if it wants to start a new round of violence.
Indeed, the latest poll indicates that 67 percent of the public did not support the attempt on Rantisi's life after it happened. But Sharon knew that the public would accept his decisions and follow him like the sheep on his ranch.
So, who took the decision?
That is no secret. The decision was taken by five generals:
• The prime minister, Ariel Sharon, a retired two-star general.
• The minister of defense, Sha'ul Mofaz, a retired three-star general.
• The chief of staff, Moshe Ya'alon, a serving three-star general.
• The Mossad chief, Me'ir Dagan, a former one-star general.
• The security service chief, Avi Dichter, with a rank equivalent to a three-star general.
This military quintet is now making decisions about the fate of Israel, perhaps for generations, perhaps forever. In Latin America they would be called a junta (military committee).
We have spoken more than once about the special status of generals-in and out of uniform-in our state. It has no equivalent in the Western world. In no democratic country does a general now serve as prime minister. In no democratic country does a professional soldier serve as minister of defense, certainly not one who was wearing a general's uniform right on the eve of his ministerial appointment. In no democratic country does the chief of staff attend all cabinet meetings, where he serves as the highest authority in all "security" matterswhich, in Israel, include practically all matters of national policy.
The rule of the generals is based on an extensive infrastructure. Israeli generals leave the army, as a rule, in their early 40s. If they do