I have never denied that Israel seeks to maintain a certain amount of control over Palestine. From the official point of view, such control is necessary to protect the Israeli people. I would love to know how you think the Israelis can be safe from terrorists when the apparatus of Palestinian government is inextricably linked with the apparatus of terrorism. I will also admit that the Sharon administration probably seeks control as much for retaliation as for security; the settlement policy still in effect makes that plain. The problem is that, should Israel grant the Palestinians full independence, they will be unable to protect themselves from terrorists by any means short of total isolation. Unless the Palestinian government can show itself capable and willing to prevent terrorists from operating in their country, there can be no independent Palestine.