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Middle East
Palestinians urge roadmap execution
2003-12-20
Palestinians had little other choice Friday than to call on the international community to speed up implementation of the peace roadmap after Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon threatened unilateral measures if the peace process continued to stall.
Well, fancy that. Whoever expected that to happen?
"We must intensify our efforts with the quartet to come up with timetable for the roadmap," said Palestinian negotiations minister Saeb Erekat. "We want the roadmap to be implemented the way it was adopted by the UN Security Council, and the quartet must devise a mechanism to oversee its implementation," said Erakat.
"Yes. Make us do it. But don't go interfering in our internal affairs!"
Sharon told a security conference near Tel Aviv Thursday that he would implement his own "disengagement plan" should the Palestinians not meet their commitments under the roadmap in the coming months. Unilateral measures would include the dismantlement of some Gaza settlements and the de facto annexation of parts of the West Bank, although the hawkish premier did not go into details. Palestinian communications minister Azzam al-Ahmad charged that Sharon wants to execute a roadmap devoid of any substance and one that reflects his own reservations.
The Paleos used the one we came up with for toilet paper. Now they're bitching that Sharon is going to do as he pleases? What'd they expect us to do? Make them a better offer?
"Sharon wants to impose his solution on the Palestinian people by applying his own vision and interpretation of the roadmap. For him, it means autonomy on 42 percent of the Palestinian territories. We asked the quartet ... and the Security Council which adopted it to take their full responsibilities in implementing the plan because they are the only instances that are entitled to interpret it."
Posted by:Fred Pruitt

#17  Planer Dan, I'm sure the "World Court," which is the Left's poor substitute for the ICC,and those who ascribe to it will whine about the security fence all they want, but they have no jurisdiction over the sovereign nation of Israel or PM Ariel Sharon.
Furthermore, Sharon pretty much has President Bush's blessing on everything he's doing.
What can you do about the ", divisive,unilateral" actions of either the USA and/or Israel if you're a member in good standing of the axis of weasels?
Bupkus as they say in old Jerusalem!
Posted by: JenLArt   2003-12-21 5:54:33 AM  

#16  I agree woith you O.P.

By the way, Hasn't the Palistinians via Hamas pretty much 'Executed' (as in killed) the roadmap already when they blew up that bus?
Posted by: CrazyFool   2003-12-20 11:06:02 PM  

#15  Truer words seldom spoken. Bravo O.P.!
Posted by: Chef   2003-12-20 6:15:36 PM  

#14  Glenn (NR) #12: Israel would be hurt economically if the EU forbade imports from them. Not an insurpassable problem, but potentially a hassle for so small a country.
Posted by: rkb   2003-12-20 6:13:59 PM  

#13  The Paleos still don't get it. Kofi, another Arab, doesn't get it, either. Russia got it, and it led to their collapse. Europe knows it, but pretends it doesn't exist.

If you don't have the means to back up what you say, your words have no more effect than flatulence.

The United States knows this. We have a military that is second to none. The Japanese are beginning to catch on - and doing what it takes to be taken seriously. China tried to trump technology with manpower, and saw the effectiveness of that in Iraq - now they're scrambling to save face.

The United Nations has no means of enforcing its edicts, and is no more than a debating society. The moral judgment argument died when Libya and Syria became heads of organizations that both should have been censured by. The inability of the United Nations to deal - effectively or otherwise - with problems without the FORCE of the United States backing it up destroyed its credibility as a source of solutions. It will now die a long, slow, painful death and wither away. The European "Union" is foundering fast as the different members see how the entire organization is a house of cards designed to prop up its two weakest (morally, economically, ideologically) members.

"Palestine", an Arab myth, is dissolving into a chaotic swirl of partisan bickering and criminal thuggery that will collapse as soon as the outside money finally dries up. As a Futures guess, I'd give it 18 months - about six months after the collapse of support from Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Iran. The support from those countries will dry up with the threat of military action by the United States.
Posted by: Old Patriot   2003-12-20 4:41:34 PM  

#12  PlanerDan #11: And then what?
Posted by: Glenn (not Reynolds)   2003-12-20 4:23:53 PM  

#11  My only concern is the Hague court -- apparently the UN has referred the building of the wall to the court. Although I think the wall is perfectly fine, I'm not sure it'll pass muster with the Axis of Weenies in Europe, and the court will succumb to what the rest of Europe has experienced - placating their growing muslim populus. sigh.
Posted by: PlanetDan   2003-12-20 3:56:12 PM  

#10  Great analysis, one of the Army of Steves. For my two cents worth, I think that the money has been slowly drying up in Paleo-Land, so it is getting more difficult for the Paleos to keep the momentum up of their attacks. Sammy's contributions are gone, so that leaves Iran and Saudi. They are becoming more and more preoccupied with their own problems. When the Paleos whine and complain, that means that they are hurting. Also, glorious Hamas leaders are hiding under the bed alot lately, so the leadership is lacking.
Posted by: Alaska Paul   2003-12-20 2:37:16 PM  

#9  Great insight, Steve, thanks.
Splodydope?:) That's now in my personal lexicon.
Posted by: Gasse Katze   2003-12-20 12:03:00 PM  

#8  God Bless General Sharon. Looks like he is in line to win his third war without deploying anything larger than a brigade. Gotta love a man who knows how to fight and win without spilling too much of his citizens' blood.

Man, I wish I was the firm who holds the contract to build this fence. How do they feel about coming to the northern border of the USA and walling us off from Hamas and Canada?
Posted by: badanov   2003-12-20 11:40:28 AM  

#7  In this case Arafat is particularly limited to react by the illegitimate, corrupt and chaotic nature of his regime. Sharon can change the direction of Israeli policy much more coherently. Arafat will now try to delay Sharon's implementation through different media. It is impossible to outmanuver an opponent when you are in charge of a rabble.

If Bush agrees that Sharon has found the only viable solution, GW will take Lebanon with the USMC to block the flow of weapons and jihadis. If they are complicit Sharon will delay hisplan until Iraq can be held with 50,000 US troops.
Posted by: Super Hose   2003-12-20 10:49:28 AM  

#6  Steve, that was *choke* *sniffle* just beautiful man! I would only add, and humbly, that the Paleos don't realize two other things:

1) that they've lost support since those heady days after Oslo. The ISM ptools and St Pancakes and Edward Said (pbuh) types have convinced them they're still the world's darling celebrity cause...

2) Dubya isn't like any other US Prez they've ever manipulated / dealt with and he actually expects something from them before he'll kiss Arafish's ring - and since they won't, he won't

You state the reason for their inability to recognize reality very very clearly: Blinded By The Light of their ideology. Good call, bro. They break my own personal Rule #1: Never buy your own bullshit.
Posted by: .com   2003-12-20 9:12:40 AM  

#5  Steve, I think you've nailed it.
It's as if the Paleos keep thinking if they do what they've always done in the past (make a lot of promises, gab about "peace" but keep killing Jews), surely the Israelis will bow to *world* pressure (from you know who: France, Germany, the Left in Britain, etc.) and come back to the negotiating table and get another Oslo or Camp David.
Or that George W. Bush will turn into Bill Clintoon/Jimmuh Peanut.
Neither of which is going to happen.
This is almost as fun as watching the DNC implode here at home. Almost.
Posted by: JenLArt   2003-12-20 6:44:44 AM  

#4  Oooh, the title. I envisioned something entirely different from, "Palestinians urge roadmap execution" Like, six turbans with rifles standing in a circle row being cheered by onlookers.
Posted by: Glenn (not Reynolds)   2003-12-20 5:52:22 AM  

#3  Now why would Israel want to go through the trouble and expense of building an eastern wall? That end of the West Bank borders Jordan.
Posted by: Bomb-a-rama   2003-12-20 2:30:27 AM  

#2  Good analysis Steve. I never really thought of it like that, but you make a lot of sense. Have I mentioned lately how much I love Rantburg? This site is the best. In-depth news, smart analysis, and you can even talk back in the comments. Major media is so dead.
Posted by: Scooter McGruder   2003-12-20 1:49:02 AM  

#1   What'd they expect us to do? Make them a better offer?

[cue music] "We have a winner!"

I read somewhere recently, in a discussion on World War II, that while Churchill knew exactly what kind of man Hitler was, Hitler never knew what kind of man Churchill was. Churchill could see clearly and think his way through the problem, whereas Hitler was blinded by his ideology and couldn't see Churchill as anything other than a drunken, syphilitic Jew. As a result Churchill always confounded him.

Same thing here: Sharon and his people can see clearly what Arafat, Rantisi, et al are, and can think their way through the problem. Pulling out of Lebanon didn't work, offering them a two-state solution didn't work, so -- onto the next idea, let's see if a wall and a unilateral declaration works. Maybe it will, maybe it won't, but they at least can work through the problem, because they see the nature of the men they face.

Arafat, Rantisi, et al can't do that. They're so blinded by their ideology that they can't see reality. As a result they fully expected us to make a better offer once they rejected the roadmap and continued to send over the splodydopes. And they're flailing now over Sharon's move because they can't figure it out -- why would he do that? They don't know Sharon so they can't get it. Hence their ineffectual moves.

I forsee this going as such: Israel will complete the western, northern and southern ends of the wall, putting it well past the original Green Line. Just as they're about to snap the chalk line for the eastern end of the wall the Paleos will finally see some sense and do a few things to cooperate -- but only a few. Bush and Powell and persaude Sharon not to build the eastern end, and Sharon will agree.

Why? Because he'll have 95% of what he wants, and that's good enough for him.

And the Paleos still won't have gotten the measure of him.
Posted by: Steve White   2003-12-20 12:40:14 AM  

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