Mutual Disengagement

It is more than just coincidental that both the Palestinians and the
Israelis have elected Governments that have no interest in negotiating with
each other. Its as if after the five years of the fiasco of the intifada,
when ca. 5,000 people were killed, for no apparent advantage, that both
sides decided on a policy of separation. All one can say is that the
aggressive policy of the intifada has not worked for the Palestinians, they
remain poverty stricken and their terrorists are being killed at a record rate
(last weekend 14 terrorists were killed in Gaza alone).
Now even Hamas, as extreme as it is, has imposed a unilateral ceasefire.
Israel however, does not recognize this ceasefire, since other groups
(Islamic Jihad, Fatah al Aksa) continue to fire rockets into Israel and
continue bombing attacks. The number of threats received by the security
services has risen to ca. 70 per day, 10 of them serious threats. Every day
terrorists are captured or killed. This is not a PA ceasefire but a selective
temporary Hamas ceasefire, and it does little good.
Meanwhile Hamas is distracted, busy learning how to actually govern. The
first order of business is money, you can't run a Government without it. They
are now learning that policies and actions do matter, and so after the US, EU
and others have withdrawn payment of funds (why were all the Palestinian
expenses paid for by the Western world anyway?) they are going cap in
hand to the Arab/Muslim world asking for help. There is no way that they
will receive the ca. m$300 they are short, the other Arabs don't really
support the Palestinians, even when the chips are down, they prefer for the
West to pay.
It's noticeable that even as the price of oil has gone up, the relative wealth
of the Arab countries have gone down. On the list of countries in the world
the Arab countries have slipped an average of 5 places downwards in the
past year. Bahrain is a good example, since its oil has all but run out, and
now it is learning that to maintain itself (it can't depend on handouts like
the Palestinians) it must attract foreign investment, including immigration of
trained foreign workers, and training of its own young men, and women (!)
Qatar has managed this transition without noticeable friction and suffering.
In a way they are the real enemy of al Qaeda, since they have accepted
westernization as a means to adapt and prosper int his world. Why can't the
Palestinians be expected to do the same (that's a mystery)? Even Iran,
their staunch supporter, is in financial straits, yet is busy developing
nuclear capability. But, this time, it finally looks as if the Palestinians
aren't going to be bailed out, or rescued from their own extremism (although
the Russians may help them). A price should be paid for openly supporting
terrorism, glorifying the use of violence to solve problems, and refusing to
honor agreements previously arrived at. It might be that many Palestinians
voted for Hamas as a protest, an alternative, to the corrupt Fatah Arafatian
clique that ran the PA from its inception. But, they also got the Hamas
Islamist government, that wants to do away with cinemas and public
entertainment, and wants all women to be covered from head to toe in
public. Even Hanan Ashrawi raises her eyebrows at that. There is a
fundamental conflict between Fatah, headed by Pres. Abbas, whose
power is nonexistent, and Hamas, and noone knows where it will lead. Its
not clear that after this democratic election there will ever be another in
the PA.
Meanwhile on the Israeli side we are a few years only from a program of
unilateral disengagement on the West Bank, if it is possible. If it was so
hard to resettle 8,000 Jews from Gaza, how could they resettle 60,000 Jews
from the West Bank. And as some will argue, why not resettle some of the
Arabs to make a fair compromise. Then let them live on their side and we'll
live on our side. Its not an agreement, but it is a mutual disengagement, at
least for a while. But then, it won't be long before the Hamas forces decide
its time they carried out their program of military destruction of Israel.
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For previous articles see: www.commentfromisraelblog.blogspot.com