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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| GazaÂ’s harsh lesson in democracy (GREAT summary of the current situation) |
| 2006-06-30 |
| The Israelis are a plain-speaking, unsentimental people. The conversation, when an Israeli explains why his people do what they do, usually begins with the words "Look, let me tell you,” spoken with that rough-edged Hebrew accent. Now, let’s listen to the Israelis: On Sunday, Israel’s enemy, the Palestinians, having dug an 800-yard tunnel from Gaza, burst out and attacked an Israeli border outpost from behind. They killed two soldiers and abducted a third, Cpl. Gilad Shalit. The Israelis quickly massed their forces on the border with Gaza, the Palestinian territory from which they had recently, in a magnanimous unilateral gesture, decamped. The terrorist organization Hamas, which is also the elected Palestinian government, acknowledged they had sanctioned this tunnel incursion. But they apparently thought better of it after the fact and called on the Israelis to exercise restraint. They did not offer up Cpl. Shalit. They suggested a prisoner swap. The usual formula is several hundred bomb-making terrorists for one soldier. The Israelis declined. By Tuesday, an increasingly alarmed Hamas -- the terrorist organization sworn to the destruction of Israel -- announced they had accepted a document implicitly recognizing Israel. Israel has shown that it is willing to overly a group’s terrorist past and move forward toward peace. But what Israel wanted at this time was not another worthless piece of paper. Israel wanted Cpl. Shalit. Israeli tanks, helicopter gunships and artillery began dismantling the infrastructure of Gaza, to shut Gaza down while they searched for Cpl. Shalit. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called on the Israelis to pursue diplomatic options. So they did. They sent four of their fighter jets to buzz a seaside home belonging to President Bashar Assad, to encourage him to tell his Hamas pals it was time to let the Israeli go. The Israelis also seized about 30 Hamas members of parliament, indicating they might consider trading them for the 19-year-old soldier. It is quite possible Shalit’s abduction is the result of Hamas infighting -- that the most extreme of the extremists wanted to squelch any signs of weakness in other factions, and figured abducting an Israeli solder was a good way to do that. The most extreme terrorist elements of Hamas were dictating foreign policy, and those elements of Hamas interested in putting forward a slightly more moderate image failed to either control them or present a convincing demonstration that they cared to. The Palestinians elected Hamas in part because, aside from its long track record of purposefully blowing up civilians with suicide bombs, it has a long history of providing social services to them.Now the Palestinians are facing a humanitarian water and power crisis. There will be people who blame the Israelis for this.It was, however, the predictable result of Hamas policy decisions that compelled the Israelis to shut down Gaza while conducting combat operations in a time-sensitive search for their abducted soldier. So much for the elected Hamas government’s concern for the well-being of its own people. Now the Palestinians, who have very little experience with democracy, are learning something about its complexities. The Israelis, who live in an extremely bad neighborhood, don’t mess around. They make it very clear where they stand and what the consequences of any action against them will be. When people plot to kill their people, the Israelis kill them. When Israel is attacked, they fight back. That’s why they are still able to live there. The Israelis have again spoken very clearly to Hamas and the Palestinian people. If Hamas wants to convince the world, and more importantly the Israelis, that it is a government and not a terrorist organization, it has to behave like a government, in matters of both foreign and domestic policy.It must recognize that as a state, it is accountable for its actions. The Palestinian people, likewise, need to understand that an election is something that gives the people a voice, and choices, with consequences. |
| Posted by:PlanetDan |
| #9 damn....busted |
| Posted by: Frank G 2006-06-30 21:04 |
| #8 Double posting? Yup, he's drunk. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2006-06-30 20:58 |
| #7 I might take that bet.... the EU has it's idiots and fools, but overall, via force of public opinion, they seem to be more malleable re: Islamist terror. Perhaps a typical Islamist strike to blackmail the Danegeld will be necessary to convince the majority, but..... of course, I could be drunk from the O-Club.... |
| Posted by: Frank G 2006-06-30 20:51 |
| #6 I might take that bet.... the EU has it's idiots and fools, but overall, via force of public opinion, they seem to be more malleable re: Islamist terror. Perhaps a typical Islamist strike to blackmail the Danegeld will be necessary to convince the majority, but..... of course, I could be drunk from the O-Club.... |
| Posted by: Frank G 2006-06-30 20:51 |
| #5 EOZ, unfortunately I don't think I will take your bet. To paraphrase H. L. Mencken, "nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the Europeans." |
| Posted by: RWV 2006-06-30 20:24 |
| #4 You'll pay for it 6. |
| Posted by: gromgoru 2006-06-30 19:34 |
| #3 The Israelis are a plain-speaking, unsentimental people Not like RB softy Gromgoru. |
| Posted by: 6 2006-06-30 13:05 |
| #2 RWV, I am willing to bet you $50 that within six months the EuroImpotents are going to pay the bills for restoring everything back in mint condition. "Humanitarian crisis" or not ? Some people dont learn. |
| Posted by: Elder of Zion 2006-06-30 11:10 |
| #1 Don't look for there to be a long line of Western donors eager to rebuild the damaged infrastructure either. If the Paleos have the money and skill to build tunnels, they can fix their own mess. |
| Posted by: RWV 2006-06-30 09:45 |