Beijing, China -- Israeli former president Ariel Sharon and his successor, Mr. Ehud Olmert, based their detachment policy on a key presumption: that peace could be made by abolishing any involvement with the Palestinians. The kidnapping episode days ago and the increasing conflict that followed testifies that this is a fantasy. You cannot simply go home. The problem you leave behind will come back to haunt you.

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China -- The United States has been pushing countries such as China to monitor bank transactions. That focus on money-laundering makes sense. But the news media are part of the checks and balances in the American system. If that makes President Bush angry, too bad.

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