Italy surrenders

Indications are that center-left candidate Romano Prodi has won a very narrow victory in the Italian elections. Though, Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has so far refused to concede.

Challenger Romano Prodi's center-left coalition won a narrow victory in the Italian parliamentary election, official results showed today, but Conservative Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi refused to concede defeat.

The Interior Ministry assigned Prodi's coalition -- an unwieldy alliance ranging from Catholics to communists -- four Senate seats chosen by Italians voting abroad, giving him the margin he needs to win both houses of Italy's parliament.

Already, however, Prodi is signaling a retreat in the war on terror.

Italian center-left leader Romano Prodi confirmed on Wednesday that his coalition intended to withdraw Italian troops from Iraq by the end of 2006, local media reported.

In an article in French daily Le Monde, Prodi said, "We will withdraw our troops from Iraq in agreement with the Baghdad government and we will send a civilian contingent to help with the reconstruction."

The center-left leader also said that he would be more pro-Brussels and less pro-Washington than Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

Pressed to say exactly when the troops would come home, Prodi later told Italian television that the Berlusconi government had already said soldiers would be pulled out by the end of 2006.

Prodi might even be more sympathetic to Hamas, a terrorist organization.

Mr Prodi is also likely to take a sympathetic approach to the Palestinians and act as brake on those in the EU who want to confront Hamas and cut off relations as much as possible.

Israel certainly wonders if this is an unwelcome change.

Italian author and La Stampa Israel correspondent Fiamma Nirenstein warned, however, that Prodi "will not be as friendly as Berlusconi in understanding that Israel must defend itself from terrorism" and will push Israel "to concede as much territory as possible."

Italy is practically on the front lines in the terror war in Europe. Milan is a center of terror networks. Underground networks bring operatives from North Africa up through Italy into Europe.

And yet, the Italian people, like Spain, have decided to retreat. They may find only too late that there is no negotiating or cooexisting with terrorists. The only currency with which you can buy a terrorist's good will is your life.