Israel Matzav

The wages of civil war

For those who've been wondering why it's been quiet for the past several hours, I'm sitting in Terminal 3 in London Heathrow on my way to Boston (and starving for a Kosher sandwich since those are only available in this terminal to those who enter the terminal directly and not to transfer passengers). I tried logging in from Brussels a few hours ago, but it didn't work. And that cryptic post last night was from Ben Gurion Airport - so far the only place I have found with good, free internet access.

The 'Palestinians' are collecting the wages of their civil war this morning. The EU has decided to resume aid to the new 'Palestinian government'headed by former Finance Minister Salam Fayyad. EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana told reporters the 27-nation bloc will resume direct financial aid that was frozen more than a year ago. But they're going further. Solana said that the Euroweenies will also resume aid to Gaza by 'bypassing the Hamas government.' You all watched the pictures from Gaza last week. Do you believe that the Hamas 'government' can really be bypassed?

But it gets worse. The Bush administration is going to follow suit later this week. And last night, Prime Minister Ehud K. Olmert told the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations that he plans to release 'tax money' to the 'Palestinians' in Judea and Samaria and allow them access to Israel proper.

"We will cooperate with this government," Olmert said in a Manhattan address to the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. "We will defreeze monies that we kept under our control because we didn't want these monies to be taken by Hamas to be used as part of a terrorist action. And we will do what we can to upgrade the quality of life [in the West Bank]."

Olmert said that there were still terrorists in the West Bank waiting for the opportunity to attack Israel, and that the right balance had to found to allow more access to the Palestinians in the West Bank, without risking Israel's security. [There ain't no such thing. CiJ]

"In the new circumstances we can perhaps take more risks than in the past," Olmert said. "The purpose is to project to the Palestinians that when they are ready to refrain from terrorism, there is a genuine chance for a different life for them and ourselves."

Olmert said that he would be willing to "talk seriously about a political horizon" with Abbas to define what a permanent agreement between Israel and the Palestinians would eventually look like.

Between Israel and WHAT 'Palestinians'? Hamas or Fatah? (As if it really matters). In Judea and Samaria or in the Gaza Strip (since they are now clearly two separate 'countries'). And can someone please explain to our imbecilic (and I'd use a stronger word but I want kids to be able to read this blog) Prime Minister that the ONLY reason the 'Palestinians' are refraining themselves from terrorism is that the IDF is in their faces all over the place.

Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Netanya: Get ready - God forbid - for deja vu all over again.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 11:26 AM