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Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Israel will seek to use Egypt and PA against Hamas
2009-01-05
"Hamas has already proved that it is not a partner [for peace] when it violated the cease-fire," a senior political source said Sunday in Jerusalem.

Israel will instead seek separate agreements with moderate Arab states, with the Palestinian Authority and with the international community. "The international community will initiate the agreements and will impose it on Hamas," the same source said. "The agreements will be with both the PA and Egypt and then if Hamas will not agree it will pay the price, mostly by even greater [diplomatic] isolation."

Israel is seeking three agreements:

  • On smuggling, a deal with Egypt, with American involvement, which already exists in the form of combat engineers working to uncover tunnels.

  • On the crossings, Israel would like to bolster a 2005 agreement with the PA, Egypt, and the EU, that will restore use of the Rafah crossing and deployment of PA and EU officials that will oversee its operation.

  • On a cease-fire, Israel would like to involve the U.S., France and moderate Arab countries, in a Security Council agreement that will grant Israel the right to respond to Hamas violations.
    • Posted by:mhw

    #24  Of course, that means everybody in Gaza will probably be dead in two weeks from fallout, but with Israel gone, who needs them anymore, right?

    Fallout isn't that big a deal. Yes, some people will get sick and die a little early. But two weeks is way too early. Hiroshima and Nagasaki started rebuilding in months.
    Posted by: Zhang Fei   2009-01-05 22:59  

    #23  Ed! I'm gonna miss Rantburg when Israel is going to disappear (nuke?). Judaism is a menace that preaches inequality and needs to be eliminated. Period. I'll feel sorry when Rantburg and its thugs arent around anymore.
    Posted by: Thilet Smith6893   2009-01-05 21:25  

    #22  JPost says that Mubarak just saw an EU delegation and told them bluntly that Hamas must not be allowed to claim victory. I can imagine the shock to the EU-types.
    Posted by: mhw   2009-01-05 21:04  

    #21  Anwar Sadat ring a bell? Muslim Brotherhood? You bet the Egyptians take it seriously.
    Posted by: Nimble Spemble   2009-01-05 19:42  

    #20  Ag2995, I suspect you're right. Iran may very well have gone too far for Egypts taste.
    Posted by: Mike N.   2009-01-05 19:22  

    #19  Read today that Hamas' big brother, Iran, put a bounty on Mubarek's head and the Egyptians are taking it seriously. One suspects Egypt at least is lined up.
    Posted by: Angens Ghibelline2995   2009-01-05 17:53  

    #18  Hamas in gaza is a pain for egypt, and a threat. Both directly as it borders them and hamas has ties with the Egyptian Muslim brotherhoo, and indirecetly, as Hamas interferes with the peace process, the success of which would take away one motive for the street to rise against Mubarak. They DONT want to occupy Gaza themselves, but theyd love Fatah to take it back, and might find a way to help achieve that end.
    Posted by: liberalhawk   2009-01-05 14:58  

    #17  I can't see how Egypt wants to get involved with this mess in any way, shape or form. Paleos are nothing but trouble.
    Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305   2009-01-05 14:40  

    #16  Gotta suck to be Mazen or...maybe not?
    Posted by: bradeous   2009-01-05 13:56  

    #15  I see the short bus arrived from Pakistan.
    Posted by: Pappy   2009-01-05 12:48  

    #14  As I recall, Egypt was not very impressed with their behavior during that impromptu Crash the Border Party a couple months ago.
    Posted by: swksvolFF   2009-01-05 12:30  

    #13  check out the Martin Kramer piece in the Jpost. He makes clear that Israeli is looking for an endgame to the current op where Fatah gets back into Gaza under cover of some international presence, possibly Egyptian. Note Egypt is specifiying that the Rafah crossing will be opened up ONLY if the PA/EU monitors go back.
    Posted by: liberalhawk   2009-01-05 12:29  

    #12  This very much sounds like an Olmert mouthpiece.


    I'm waiting for "I fart in your general direction!" myself.
    Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain   2009-01-05 11:57  

    #11  Hamas would be able to eject them again

    That might have been true a month ago. Less certain today. And likelyhood continues to decline as Israel both kills and dishonors them.
    Posted by: Glenmore   2009-01-05 11:47  

    #10  Hell, we had ground noise sensors that'd pick up footsteps from 100 yards in 'Nam, used 'em on the Ho Chi Minh trail. Bury some along the border, why dont'ya?
    Posted by: mojo   2009-01-05 11:30  

    #9  Every whackjob Arab wants to nuke Israel. Of course, that means everybody in Gaza will probably be dead in two weeks from fallout, but with Israel gone, who needs them anymore, right?
    Posted by: tu3031   2009-01-05 10:37  

    #8  Yes mhw, there's a subtext not being reported (surprise, surprise, surprise) to the Israeli pounding of Hamas now, rather than later. Hamas has been insisting that Abu Mazen's term of office as head of the PA officially expires on January 9, and has been rattling sabres and stating that they would bodily remove him from office and install their own guy on that day. The official Fatah position has been that (by calculating from a different date) Abbas still has a full year left in his term.

    Israel may be using the pre-inaugural power vacuum to maintain Abbas as head of "government", knowing full well that Hamas was certainly capable of kicking Fatah's skinny butt.
    Posted by: Seafarious   2009-01-05 10:37  

    #7  point taken Seafarious

    The normative view, as I understand it, is that if the PA were, by EU/UN/Egypt mandate, to take control of Gaza, Hamas would be able to eject them again in 3 months.
    Posted by: mhw   2009-01-05 10:30  

    #6  For the PA side of the equation, I noted Abu Mazen immediately flew to Ne York, ostensibly to press his case at the UN. My theory is that he felt an uncomfortably warm spot on his back right between his shoulder blades in Ramallah and decided NYC was safer.
    Posted by: Seafarious   2009-01-05 09:44  

    #5  The Egypt part seems to be working. Per JPost stories, Hamas slugs are in Cairo today begging Egypt for an open border and Egypt is lecturing Hamas on the need to respect Egypt.

    The other two legs of this strategy seem weaker.
    Posted by: mhw   2009-01-05 09:26  

    #4  That blood is poison man! Its prolly black.
    Filled with venom and ignorance.
    Posted by: bigjim-ky   2009-01-05 08:59  

    #3  You know, I'm going to miss TS6893's wit when the Jooos drain his blood to make matzoh. On the other hand, that's as close TS6893 will ever get to making any contribution to humanity.
    Posted by: ed   2009-01-05 06:50  

    #2  What is it! Jooooos are so shtupid. Jooos can't live with difference of opinion eh. We need to get rid of Hosni and his Joooos wife and attack Israel from the Egyptian side. Hezbollah, Iran, Syria and Egypt. And a few nukes. Chooose Jew...
    Posted by: Thilet Smith6893   2009-01-05 05:58  

    #1  This very much sounds like an Olmert mouthpiece.

    "and then if Hamas will not agree it will pay the price, mostly by even greater [diplomatic] isolation."

    Oh please

    I'd rather hear the Tzipi version
    Posted by: European Conservative   2009-01-05 00:14  

    00:00