In an article in the Kuwaiti daily Al-Siyassa titled "The Crime at the Kerem Shalom Crossing," Saudi columnist Yusuf Nasir Al-Suweidan argues that the June 25, 2006 attack at the Kerem Shalom crossing, in which Israeli soldier Cpl. Gilad Shalit was taken hostage, has turned the Palestinian dream of an independent state into a thing of the past, and that after Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, the Palestinians should have laid down their weapons and worked to develop Palestinian society.

The following are excerpts from the article: [1]

"When Vietcong Fighters Dug Underground Tunnels in Order to Reach the American Danang Base in South Vietnam... They Did so Inside the Borders of Their Homeland"

"When Vietcong fighters dug underground tunnels in order to reach the American Danang base in South Vietnam in the 1960s, they did so inside the borders of their homeland, Vietnam, and in the context of a minor world war in which the strong players were the Americans, the Chinese, and the Soviets.

"But the faulty course of action taken by the Palestinians, for instance this war of tunnels, is something else entirely. The tunnel dug by the terrorists from the Gaza Strip to the Kerem Shalom crossing took them outside the Palestinian border, and they used it to penetrate into Israel - an independent, sovereign, U.N. member state. There [in Israel] they perpetrated the crime of murdering two Israelis, kidnapping a third, and wounding others, with all the dangerous consequences that [such a] despicable attack has caused and will cause to the Palestinian side. As Palestinian Presidential Spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina put it: 'Things are back to square one'..."

Hamas' Claims of "Important Victory" in This Attack are Absurd

"It would be absurd to try to believe the claims of the terrorist Hamas movement, and of its allies and masters in Tehran and Damascus, that speak of an 'important victory' over the Israelis in this desperate attack. This [claim is absurd], for the simple and obvious reason that the military, political, and economic balance of power, along with every other parameter, will always favor Israel to a considerable degree, so that the very notion of equilibrium between the two sides in the conflict is [nothing but] a wild fantasy.

"[In addition] it would [be] a complete fantasy to think that the Israelis will react like 'harmless lambs' to what occurred near the Kerem Shalom crossing last Sunday. Several minutes after the terrorist attack, the crossings [were] closed and the Israeli military units began moving in battle readiness. This was the largest Israeli military build-up since the withdrawal from Gaza last September. This shows that the Israelis are determined to invade the Gaza Strip within hours [if three conditions are not met]: firstly, if the kidnapped Israeli is not released; secondly, if the firing of Qassam missiles into Israeli territories does not cease; and thirdly, [if] the terrorist infrastructure is not dismantled.

"If this invasion materializes, then this time, a new reality will be created in the Gaza Strip in which all talk about 'back to square one' will be nothing but wild optimism - since the [situation] will regress [far beyond that], to a level where it is possible to talk of a plan of deportation and demographic change in Gaza, and this [plan] might even be implemented soon. This will turn the Palestinian dream of an independent state into a thing of the past..."

"What [The Palestinian Masses] Need Most is Food, Medicine, Clothing... Not Explosive Belts, Car Bombs, and the Slogan, 'Congratulations, Oh Martyr, the Black-Eyed Virgin Awaits You'"

"The main mistake lies in the fact that the Palestinian organizations did not respond correctly to the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza... and its consequences. Instead of beating their swords into plowshares, pens, and other things that are needed for the development of Palestinian society - in terms of the economy, society, culture, and so on - most of them read the developments incorrectly and immaturely. This was exploited by the terrorist networks, that are funded and run by the regimes of the ayatollahs in Tehran and the Ba'th [party] in Syria, and [people] have been taken in by delusions and empty slogans like 'liberation from the river to the sea' [that are heard] among the poor, hungry, and desperate Palestinian masses. At present, what [these masses] need most is food, medicines, clothing, and other essentials - not explosive belts, car bombs, and the slogan, 'Congratulations, oh Martyr, the black-eyed virgin awaits you.'"