Sharon is preparing today to unveil his plan for a unilateral solution to the conflict, should negotiations fail with the Palestinians. Making every effort to ensure that the Palestinians will not be able to take part in peace talks, Sharon is steadily maneuvering to impose a solution on the Palestinians. If successful, the only party he would have to negotiate with is his own Likud party as he carves out what he thinks is a suitable amount of land for the Palestinians to live on.

The shrewdness Sharon has shown during the past three years of violence, as he attempts to dictate the outcome of the conflict while ducking his critics, has earned the attention of both Palestinians and Americans eager to read Sharon’s mind. Both will be listening attentively, as Sharon delivers his keynote speech at an annual ‘security’ conference, outlining for the first time his plan in public.

While Palestinians welcomed Sharon's recent hints at evacuating an unspecified number of Jewish settlements in the territories, this certainly did not include Sharon’s plan to selectively pullback leaving them with shrunken and divided enclaves, encircled by a Separation Wall that has been internationally condemned. Israeli media and political pundits opined that the plan would involve evacuating at least five small settlements while keeping large tracts of occupied land until an unspecified later date. Naturally, Sharon has remained vague to ensure he has an escape route from the Americans, who have voiced their strong opposition to any unilateral measures, and from his own Likud party and rightist government, who vehemently oppose the evacuation of any settlements, even unauthorized, uninhabited and illegal outposts.

Commenting on Sharon’s unilateral plans, a U.S. official said, "We don't consider this to be a viable solution that would add to the security of Israel."

While Sharon continues regurgitating his willingness to make “painful concessions” and to implement the “road map,” it is increasingly obvious that he is merely paying lip service to the international community, without any intention to follow through. As he implements his real agenda on the ground, including the murder of any chance for a just and lasting solution, opposition from the international community, and in particular the US, remains solely in the form of rhetoric. Meanwhile, Palestinians are left to face another gloomy Christmas, devoid of the single ingredient that makes this season joyous: hope!