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To: Nadine Carroll who wrote (5525)	8/20/2003 6:17:33 PM
From: LindyBill	Respond to of 793656

Generally the rope is never quite enough to hang the Palestinians, no matter what they do, True. Here is another encouraging dispatch. Although, like you, I never trust what a Pal says. Abbas give Arafat ultimatum From correto spondents in Ramallah 21Aug03 PALESTINIAN prime minister Mahmud Abbas was set to deliver Yasser Arafat an ultimatum today to back an unprecedented clampdown on militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad or see his cabinet resign en masse, a senior official said. "Abu Mazen (Abbas's nom-de-guerre) will present Arafat and the Palestinian leadership with four demands," the official said on condition of anonymity ahead of a meeting in Ramallah early today. "If they don't get Arafat's support, the cabinet will resign." Abbas was to make four requests of Arafat: That he and the Fatah central committee present a written declaration supporting action by the Palestinian Authority against Hamas and Islamic Jihad. That he support moves to dismantle the armed wings of both Hamas and Islamic Jihad. That he authorise direct steps against the two groups, such as a ban on media appearances, action against affiliated organisations and action to block funding. That the veteran Palestinian leader unite all the Palestinian security organisations under one authority, the interior ministry. The four demands were largely put together by Abbas and his security chief Mohammed Dahlan, and received the full backing of the cabinet at an emergency session in Gaza City overnight, the official said. This report appears on news.com.au. news.com.au

To: Nadine Carroll who wrote (5525)	8/20/2003 6:32:31 PM
From: LindyBill	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 793656

Live Event: Gideon Rose - NEW YORK TIMES On August 20, Gideon Rose , managing editor of Foreign Affairs and an expert on national security and terrorism, far right, answered readers' questions about the bombing of U.N. headquarters in Baghdad and the United States occupation of Iraq. A nice concluding question from a reader named Michael who asks: Knowing what we know today, did we make a mistake going into Iraq? gideonrose - 05:02pm Aug 20, 2003 EST (# 16 of 19) I don't think so, because the problem posed by Saddam Hussein never had a good answer, and so any course we chose would have been fraught with difficulties. I personally supported the war, for the kinds of longterm national security reasons Ken Pollack laid out in his book "The Threatening Storm," but I thought that the administration didn't have to go about the operation as hastily, tactlessly, and deceitfully as it did. While it would never have been an easy sell, if handled properly, a campaign to rid the world of one of its most evil tyrants and greatest menaces need not have provoked the backlash that it did. Had we gone about the whole thing in a more forthright and deliberate fashion, I think we could have brought more people on board. All that said, even now I think the war brought many major benefits, the most important of which has been the elimination of the threat posed by Saddam Hussein's regime. That threat was real, even if it was also hyped, and so I'm glad it's been (almost entirely) dealt with. And the chance to help nurture the emergence of a successful modern democratic state in the heart of the Arab world is a great opportunity that could potentially have huge ramifications. The problems that have cropped up since the war could and should have been largely avoided, had more sensible and less ideological people been tasked with the postwar planning. Even now, I think that those problems can ultimately be brought under control. I think Bremer is a good man doing a good job, and deserves more support and backing. Whether it will all work out to the good in the end, we'll just have to wait and see. forums.nytimes.com@@.f4a5ed9

To: Nadine Carroll who wrote (5525)	8/21/2003 12:49:30 AM
From: LindyBill	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 793656

It is this kind of editorial in "The New York Times" that makes me think times are changing. They would never have said this a few years ago. Death in Jerusalem [P] alestinian leaders have been promoting the illusion that Islamic radical groups will ultimately transform themselves into peaceful political parties. That fantasy was shattered on Tuesday along with 20 innocent lives when a Hamas terrorist blew up a Jerusalem bus. The bombing occurred at the very moment the Palestinian prime minister, Mahmoud Abbas, was meeting with Islamic radicals in Gaza. If anything positive is to come from this latest atrocity, it will be a conclusive realization by Mr. Abbas that organizations like Hamas and Islamic Jihad have no genuine interest in cease-fire agreements or two-state solutions and must be forcibly put out of the terrorism business. Only then will the American-sponsored road map for peace have a chance of delivering Palestinian statehood. Mr. Abbas's responses have so far been constructive. He has denounced the bombing, expressed sympathy for Israel, suspended talks with Hamas and Islamic Jihad, and ordered the arrest of those involved in the attack. The arrest order is important, although Israel says it has already rounded up 17 suspects. Mr. Abbas's willingness to jail terrorists is a prerequisite for returning security responsibilities to the Palestinian Authority. After Tuesday's bombing, Israel broke off security talks with the Palestinian Authority, delayed plans to return two cities to Palestinian administration and reimposed controls on the movements of Palestinians. It also reinforced positions surrounding Ramallah and hinted at further military moves. These actions should be phased out quickly, provided Mr. Abbas shows that he is willing to not just denounce terrorists, but to rein them in. Hamas described Tuesday's bombing as retaliation for the Israeli Army's killing of one of its militants in June. Hamas is a self-appointed gang of thugs with no right to kill anyone, Israeli or Palestinian. That is how it must be treated by Mr. Abbas and his security chief, Muhammad Dahlan. After nearly three years of fighting between Israel and armed Palestinian groups, Mr. Abbas's administration may not have the police resources to shut down Hamas, Islamic Jihad and a third terrorist group, the Al Aksa Martyrs Brigades, immediately. What it can do is start to chip away at them to at least demonstrate its intent. It can demand that all three immediately abide by a cease-fire that allows no exceptions in response to Israeli retaliations or anything else. Talking with these organizations about any other subject at this point would be a waste of Mr. Abbas's time and an affront to the friends and families of those who boarded a Jerusalem bus on Tuesday and never made it home alive.