There is no give on the other side so we'll just keep pounding away at them. No flexibility; no give. It's just as sad as ever. Perhaps there is a small glimmer of a possibiity here
Sharon has said that he is willing to make painful concessions, give up land, give up some settlements, welcome a Palestinian state. He is waiting to see some sign - in deed, not words - of a Palestinian state that is both able and willing to take a monopoly of force and make peace with Israel. So far, not a sign except a few words from Abu Mazen. So, you think he should 'take advantage' of this 'glimmer' by stopping the fight against Hamas, while Hamas is neither stopping nor being stopped by any Palestinian agent? Why the hell should he? If there is a glimmer, it will only shine when the other Palestinians decide, as Abu Mazen has apparently decided, that the intifada is not going to work and should be abandoned. They won't decide that if Israel starts giving them anything unilaterally while the intifada is still going on.
Any Israeli Prime Minister who failed to reward Palestinian deeds in the right direction would be a fool. By the same token, any Prime Minister who was gulled into - yet again! - rewarding words without deeds would be an even greater fool.
I was disheartened to hear President Bush seem to buy into the pretense of Palestinian reform, when Arafat still calls most of the shots. There will be neither peace nor reform until the day that Arafat is carried out feet first, may it be soon. |
