IS THE FENCE FINALLY GOING UP?

It appears that the even Sharon and Peres have accepted the need for a physical barrier between the territories and Israel proper. In light of the gains made by Operation Defensive Shield, two more steps need to be taken to move back towards peace - the expulsion of Arafat, and the evacuation of the isolated settlements. The question is whether the Bush Administration has the vision and courage to press for these critical steps, or will it fall back into the Oslo delusion of leaving the settlements to the final status, and leaving the fate of the Palestinians to the tryanny of Arafat.