The polls have closed in Israel’s parliamentary elections and Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s Kadima (”forward”) party has emerged as the victor with 28 seats, enough to secure a coalition government. The election was essentially a referendum on Ariel Sharon’s unilateral withdrawal plan, now under Olmert’s banner.

For the first time in years I am hopeful for peace in Israel. I am hopeful because the Israeli public has finally grown tired of the Oslo pipe dream and decided to adopt a realistic solution to the security situation.

The plan, in short, is to withdraw the outlying settlements in the West Bank leaving the majority of the land to the native Palestinians, and then to wall in the remainder with a state-of-the-art security fence (the area in question is small enough to completely surround with an electrified barrier). The area inside the fence will be given to a new Palestinian state that can be run in any way the Palestinians please.

This represents two key realpolitik advances in strategy.

First, the public has rebuked the Jewish extremists who have twisted dreams of ethnically cleansing the Arabs from the West Bank and establishing a new kingdom of David. The mainstream Israelis have realized that the West Bank is mostly the home of the Palestinians, and it is absurd for Israelis to push settlements inward.

Secondly, the public has realized that a contiguous barrier (only possible by withdrawing the outlying settlements) will cripple the Palestinian’s ability to attack Israel. The current wall, although not complete, has slowed attacks to one every few months when it used to be every other day.

The Palestinian’s chief weapon, the suicide bomber, is only effective if Palestinians can enter Jewish territory by crossing the border. If no Palestinians can cross the border, then no suicide bombers will be able to attack the cities.

The only option remaining to Hamas will be to attack well guarded checkpoints. In these engagements Israel has the decisive advantage. Not only are the Israeli soldiers always able to repulse these attacks with large Arab casualties, but with the settlers removed from Palestinian areas the Air Force can strike back at will without worrying about collateral damage against Israeli settlers. The Army will also be able to operate more freely in retaliation raids because Israel will no longer be responsible for policing the areas they attack.

Hamas can huff and puff, but they will never blow this wall down.

Some may say that the barrier is unfair because of all the suffering it will cause the Palestinians. I believe that self defense includes the right to inflict suffering on your enemy, in fact, it almost always does. Israel is a secular society under the firm rule of law and prosperous markets; they have the right to separate themselves from a society governed by religious fanatics who swear themselves to the destruction of Israel. If that separation is what it takes to stop the killing of Israelis and to preserve the nature and prosperity of Israeli society, then so be it.

For now, I wish good luck to Ehud Olmert as he forms a new government, and good luck to the people of Israel in their fight to preserve themselves.