John Nichols: Many Israelis shun Sharon's madness

The theory that the Israeli government is the best or even the closest ally of the United States in the Middle East lost a good deal of credibility over the weekend as Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon willfully defied the call of President Bush for withdrawal of Israeli defense forces from the Palestinian Authority "without delay."

Sharon did not merely delay, he ordered troops to aggressively extend an assault on Palestinian communities that is destroying lives, infrastructure and the prospects for an honest peace. Even after repeated calls from Bush and other U.S. officials, Sharon made a mockery of the U.S. initiative. The weekend that should have seen Israeli soldiers pulling out of the West Bank instead saw the Israeli military engage - on Sharon's orders - in the wholly unnecessary bulldozing of civilian homes in Jenin, Nablus and other Palestinian communities. Additionally, Israeli generals continued to refuse to allow ambulances to aid wounded civilians, drawing loud objections not merely from Palestinians but from Israeli human rights groups.

Bush's understanding of the Middle East is, to be sure, rudimentary. And his penchant for following the fierce anti-Palestinian line of congressional allies such as Tom DeLay is even more surely a factor in his approach to the region. But can the president really believe that he is not being played for a fool by Sharon? If that is the case, then he is not being played for a fool - he is a fool.