Sharon knew that all he had to do was stick with his own beliefs and everyone will come around. He has managed to take the Palestinian - Israeli conflict hostage, actually scrap that, he has managed to take the entire Middle East hostage to his vision of a lasting peace, legitimized it by utilizing the most impudently Likud supporting American Administration and is shoving it down the Palestinians' throat until they swallow it. Surprise, surprise, the results are better than expected for Sharon with the international community lining up to congratulate him on his reelection, Egyptian President Mubarak inviting him for talks and even Yasser Arafat extending his hand for peace to the man that has not only managed to successfully cajole the international community into sidelining him, but also continues to brutally kill the Palestinian people.

Since the Israeli Election Day, 16 Palestinians have been killed. On Saturday Israeli tanks attacked a Palestinian field in Beit Hanoun, Gaza, fired shells and injured seven Palestinian children, while in the south of Mount Hebron, near the West Bank village of Yatta, Israeli soldiers prevented Palestinians from plowing their land, confiscated the Palestinians' farming equipment and watched as Israeli settlers from Susya beat the Palestinians and damaged their property. Wide-spread Israeli operations continued Saturday in Hebron which has been placed under strict curfew. A Palestinian woman returning home from hospital was wounded when Israeli troops enforcing the curfew shot at her taxi. Israeli forces also managed to demolish a block long fruit and vegetable market in Hebron, just in case food shortages were not disastrous enough. While all this was taking place, US Secretary of State Powell remarked before a national conference of Americans interested in U.S. foreign policy, "they cannot get a state by using violence to get a state" and urged Palestinians to halt their terrorism. Perhaps Powell was not aware that lately the only violence is coming from the Israeli army as scores of Palestinians have been killed on land that is legally and without negotiation theirs.

In his autobiography, "Warrior," Mr. Sharon said that his goal "was to create in the Arabs a psychology of defeat, to beat them every time and to beat them so decisively that they would develop the conviction that they would never win." In March of last year, Mr. Sharon said of Israel's response to Palestinian terrorism: "The aim is to increase the number of losses on the other side. Only after they've been battered will we be able to conduct talks." This is the basis on which Sharon was reelected, this is the plan he is pursuing and this is what the American Administration is supporting as it announces that it expects a further delay of about six weeks before proceeding with the 'roadmap' to allow Sharon to form a new coalition government.