Israel cancelled a meeting with Palestinian negotiators on Thursday following a mortar attack on a Jewish settlement in the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian official said.
Ha’aretz reports that Abbas fired his security commanders in response to the mortar attacks:
Palestinian Cabinet Secretary Hassan Abu Libdeh said Abbas took “punitive measures against officers who did not undertake their responsibilities, which led to the latest developments in Gaza,” dismissing several commanders and accepting the resignations of others.
“These are very dangerous developments, and they violate the legitimacy of the Palestinian Authority,” Abu Libdeh said. “No one can continue with these violations.
Excuse me but, what does Abbas expect? Most of his so-called “security forces” are terrorists or terrorist wannabes, and he’s already made it clear that he has no intention of cracking down on terrorism. Either Abbas is incredibly naive or – more likely – expected this all along and is welcoming the excuse to avoid the bargaining table.
Opportunity for peace? Yeah, sure. As Allison says, it’s more like Groundhog Day:
Over the past four years, we’ve been burned and we’ve been hurt. We’ve tried to believe in ceasefires and been disappointed. And while it did us good to see what happened in Sharm el-Sheikh, it’s going to take more than fancy speeches to make us believe we are finally headed towards a real peace.
When it comes to the Mideast, unfortunately the lesson is that if you never expect anything, you’ll never be disappointed.
It’s vital that the IDF show restraint and discipline in this latest chapter. The rest of the world needs to see that it’s NOT Israel that instigates these attacks-counterattacks. In theory at least, this is a fresh start to the negotiating. Abbas needs a little room to whip his strays into line; either that or prove conclusively that the Pals DON’T want peace. Hold onto your judgement for a month or two. There are going to be attempts to sabotage this process, that’s a given.
None of the above constrains Israel from doing whatever it needs to do on it’s own territory.
Oh come on, you can’t possibly believe that anymore! The world will never view Israel as the “good guy”, even if it were to sit quietly and fail to react as Iran launches nuclear weapons and Arab armies march on Tel Aviv. The world would put on a show of horror at the destruction of Israel after the fact – just like the Holocaust – and there would be a display of crocodile tears for those “poor Jews”… but don’t kid yourself into thinking that Israel could ever score popularity points while continuing to exist.
Israel’s responsibility is the security of its citizens, not brownie points among people who hate it no matter what.
I very specifically said “None of the above constrains Israel from doing whatever it needs to do on it’s own territory.” and I’d include completeing the fence in that. As long as Israel is seen as ‘trying’ to make peace, the US can and will use it’s veto to protect Israel from the UN. But if the IDF is aggressively conducting an offensive campaign, it will give Abbas no option but to abandon the talks, and leave the US with no moral highground to stand on. Keep in mind that the US is trying to keep the lid on the rest of the Arab world.
We, arguing here, have the luxury of not having to suffer consequences; the politicians, much as I despise their slimy hides, DON’T have that.
I actually meant to say ‘diplomats’ rather than “politicians” but “slimy hides” makes it difficult to tell the difference…
But if the IDF is aggressively conducting an offensive campaign, it will give Abbas no option but to abandon the talks.
Where do you get “offensive” campaign from? Offensive against what state? There’s no Palestinian state for Israel to conduct an “offensive” against; just disputed territories that were won in a defensive war by Israel and whose current status is unclear, and that limited Palestinian autonomy in these territories has resulted in nothing but more terrorism. Israel has done nothing but try to protect its own territory all along, so I don’t quite get your point.
You’re being argumentative, Sari. I never said anything about a “state”.
I call them palestinians or Palestinians because I’m trying to communicate; everybody knows who I’m referring to.
Do you want to be right or do you want peace in the ME? Of course I’m cynical about Abbas’s motives but as I said earlier, as long as Israel takes the high road it leaves the Bush admin some negotiating leeway and puts the lie to all the leftist anti-Zionist propaganda.
Personally, I don’t give this latest effort much chance of success.
“Israel has done nothing but try to protect its own territory all along,”
Nothing but that? What do you call the settlements? Do you consider all of Judea and Samaria to be part of Israel’s territory to use as it sees fit?
Is Israel trying to defend its territory from Arabs who just happen to live on some of it?
Oh shit, I HATE having to argue BOTH sides of a discussion!
Spare me, Anon, the bloody minded Arabs have been attacking and killing Jews in the Middle East long before the State of Israel was created. The land the original Jewish settlements sat on was purchased from the Arabs. If the surrounding Arabic states hadn’t declared war on Israel, the land you’re kvetching about would still belong to Jordan, Syria, and Egypt, not be in dispute.
A card layed is a card played.
You don’t hear the Slavic states, Germany, or Poland whining about their current borders (anymore ;).
Dan,
What Segacs was saying is that Israel has done nothing but defend itself. Are the settlements in Judea and Samaria nothing but Israel defending its territory? What is Israel’s territory?
“The land the original Jewish settlements sat on was purchased from the Arabs.”
And that’s great. Purchasing land is quite fine. Expropriation and annexation is another thing.
What do you think should happen to the Arabs who just happen to be residing in Judea and Samaria? If all of Judea and Samaria rightly belongs to Israel because Israel won it in a defensive war, I don’t see a reason those 2 300 000 Arabs shouldn’t be all deported to where they belong.
Your turn, Sari…
Anon,
I agree but I believe that it’s only 1 million Arabs or maybe less.
Sari has adopted an under seige mentality, just waiting for the next assault. The walls have gone up and it is difficult to step away and consider the changes that are happening.