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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Hawkmoon who wrote (37430)	8/12/2002 11:44:01 PM
From: Nadine Carroll	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

Sounds as if the various Palestinian groups are trying to organize themselves and get a new plan of operations together. But it doesn't sound like they are getting very far. So it sounds like there will be no deal (when Palestinian groups do not agree, the lowest common denominator is generally irredentism). From the Jerusalem Post: Hamas split over talks with Fatah By KHALED ABU TOAMEH Hamas is discussing a proposal by Fatah to restrict its armed attacks to the West Bank and Gaza Strip, as part of an evaluation of the almost two-year-old intifada. "We are studying the proposal and we will announce our final position when we finish," said Ismail Haniya, a senior Hamas leader. The proposal has already created a split in the Hamas leadership in Gaza, with different spokesmen giving contradictory statements. The Hamas leaders are now waiting to hear from the movement's leadership in Jordan, Syria, and Iran. Palestinian Authority security officials said last night that they don't believe the "outside" leadership of Hamas will accept the initiative. "Those sitting in Damascus and Teheran see things in a different way than their friends in Gaza or Jenin," explained a PA security official. "The local Hamas leadership is much more pragmatic. But in the end, it is the outsiders who set the tone because they have the money." Even if the Hamas political leaders decide to accept the plan, there is no guarantee that the movement's military wing would comply. Similarly, there are indications that the armed wing of Fatah, the Aksa Martyrs Brigades, will not stop its attacks inside Israel. Gunmen belonging to the two groups have already declared they will continue to operate inside the Green Line. Some Hamas leaders in Gaza expressed their dissatisfaction with the talks, saying that they are aimed at serving the interests of Fatah and the PA. Representatives of various Palestinian factions, including Hamas and Fatah, held another round of talks in Gaza City yesterday to try to forge a "unified leadership" and position on the future of the intifada. The closed-door meeting was also expected to establish a "unified council" to help reform and democratize Palestinian institutions. "Hamas has not given any assurances to any Arab, Palestinian, or international party that it will stop the resistance in all its forms, because the occupation is still present on our land," said Haniya. "Our people have the right to resist this occupation and to defend itself with all means available." He denied reports that Hamas had already promised to consider a halt to attacks inside Israel. Referring to claims by Fatah leaders that the two sides are close to signing an agreement, Haniya said: "I don't believe that Hamas will ever sign a document that contravenes with its position and strategy, as well as the option of resistance." Hamas fears that its acceptance of the proposal, according to which its members will operate only inside the West Bank and Gaza Strip, would be interpreted as a renunciation of the Muslim claim to all of Palestine. Islamic Jihad said yesterday that it would not honor an agreement that bans its members from launching attacks inside Israel. "This is totally unacceptable," declared Abdullah Shami, the leader of Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip. "Our strategic goal, which is known to all and is based on our belief, is to liberate all of Palestine. Although the proposal talks about driving the occupation back to the 1967 borders, this does not mean that these are the borders of Palestine." Fatah said yesterday it is prepared to stop attacks inside Israel if it reciprocates by withdrawing its troops from PA-controlled areas and stops the assassination of wanted activists. "Fatah confirmed at the last meeting that it will confine its operations to the areas of the 1967 territories," said Zakaria al-Agha, head of Fatah in the Gaza Strip and a member of the PLO executive committee. He said the confirmation "applies to all Fatah groups," although he did not specifically name Al-Aksa Martyrs Brigades, which have ignored previous appeals by PA Chairman Yasser Arafat for an end to attacks inside Israel. At yesterday's meeting representatives of the Palestinian factions failed to reach an agreement on a final draft proposal calling for an end to attacks inside Israel. The latest version of the draft does not mention ending attacks, and instead appears to endorse the ongoing Palestinian uprising. "We stress the legitimacy of our resistance against the [Israeli] aggression and the occupation and the Israeli settlements," the draft said. If all factions agree, the Palestinians would establish a 20-member national unity leadership which would include members from all parties. The body would consult with Arafat and the PA in the run-up to PA elections tentatively planned for January. However, the current PA leadership would remain in place, and the powers of the new body are not clear. jpost.com

To: Hawkmoon who wrote (37430)	8/13/2002 2:47:33 AM
From: LindyBill	Respond to of 281500

Here is Hackworth's update on how our Special Forces is faring. A Waste of the Best and the Bravest By David H. Hackworth Special Forces soldiers, the U.S. Army's finest, are similar to other true-grit warriors, Marines, Rangers, SEALs, Air Commandos, fighter jocks and gunship pilots. Like their two-fisted brothers, these top guns remain true to the warrior code and, in the process, define the standards and values of the kill-or-be-killed profession of arms. So far, as their recent performance in Afghanistan proved in spades, SF folks haven't been brought down by the kinder, gentler rope that's slowly strangling the Army, Navy and Air Force. But like most winners in most walks of life, they're running at max speed, and without enough trained bodies. The personnel-shortage problem is so bad that almost every National Guard SF unit has been recalled and deployed to hot spots around the world. Out of the five active-duty SF groups, these "Quiet Professionals" are short 540 "A" Team operators, almost one entire SF group. In other words, SF is short about 45 12-man "A" detachments: the cutting edge, the trigger-pullers of the whole SF shooting match. Or short one "A" Team per SF company; or three teams per battalion; or nine teams per group. Army personnel wonks don't seem to understand that SF operators can't be mass-produced. The reality is that quality is what's needed, not quantity, and since only a small percentage of today's soldiers can qualify for SF duty, even our million-man Army can't provide sufficient replacements with the right stuff to support the current SF global commitment. Which is why the Army's latest attempt to put recruits in SF will fail, just as this same sorry fix did during the Vietnam War. It's critical for the Army to use the SF warriors it has more wisely by streamlining the administrative process and developing a FedEx-like logistics system. Two examples: * SF doesn't have a dedicated strategic airlift to move operators and their gear to the battlefield quickly. This resulted in SF warriors playing the well-known Army game of hurry-up-and-wait, spending more time sitting in a tent outside of Afghanistan while the brass figured out the next move than in that theater of ops. As a result, many of the "A" Teams deployed in "The Stans" never got into the fight. "We weren't used for what we were trained for. We augmented bloated headquarters," says an old warrior. * At any one time at Fort Bragg, the headquarters of Army Special Forces, one complete SF battalion, 180 "A" Team operators, is on a 90-day "Intensive Support Cycle," during which these special soldiers are wasting time cutting grass, doing details and other Mickey Mouse tasks instead of training for war. "It's not uncommon at Fort Lewis to see senior sergeants mowing unit lawns, and captains and sergeants scrubbing toilets when they should be on the range or deployed," says an SF warrior. Hundreds of SF soldiers are also manning desks at grossly top-heavy Green Beret heads sheds and other Army headquarters, or stuck as Army ROTC instructors, recruiters and drill sergeants. An SF sergeant says: "It's like an upside-down pyramid. The "A" Team operators are the apex attempting to hold up the weight of it all. The brass has to dissolve the redundant SF commands and cut the administrative burden. This will also save millions of dollars desperately needed for mission-essential equipment and training and free up a lot of guys to do their thing that they've spent years preparing for." He points to another Army expedient to resolve the shortage of "A" Team fighters, "Stop Loss", which freezes discharges of active-duty SF soldiers due for retirement or those whose hitches are up to prevent the hemorrhaging of these skilled warriors. "Sadly, many of us 'Stop Lossed' operators have been waiting our entire careers for a war like this where we can demonstrate our skill. But ironically, many of us old-timers want out because we've seen so much self-indulgent posturing, mismanagement and incompetence among the brass in today's Army." Last week, the Pentagon announced, "U.S. Special Operations Command would take on a new, more direct role in the global war on terrorism." Excellent idea. But the top brass better boot Personnel in the tail to make sure that these good men are not stretched to the breaking point. sftt.org