CHALLENGES 2006-2007: BRAVE NEW PLANS FOR MIDEAST FALL APART.

by PETER HIRSCHBERG

JERUSALEM, Dec. 31, 2006 (IPS/GIN) -- Israelis had been captivated by the idea: They could withdraw from Palestinian areas, which they realized they could no longer control, without having to negotiate with the Palestinians, whom they did not trust.

When former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon unilaterally evacuated all the settlements and the Israeli army from the Gaza Strip in August 2005, he won massive public backing. And as Israelis moved into 2006, they were ready to support him again, in an election to be held in March.

Even though Sharon had publicly stated he would not carry out a further withdrawal in the West Bank, most Israelis believed he would. No less important, they believed he was the only leader who could.

They didn't get a chance to find out. On the night of Jan. 4, 2006, Sharon suffered a massive brain hemorrhage that has left him in a deep coma ever since. But unilateralism did not die; Sharon's successor, Ehud Olmert, was an even greater believer. Displaying rare candor for a politician on the campaign trail, he explicitly told Israelis ahead of the March election that he planned to unilaterally…