War and peace process?
On a street in Gaza on Wednesday stood the front of a car, the rest of it having been totally obliterated by a precise Israeli missile strike either from a drone or a helicopter. Two occupants of the car, Islam Yassin, 35, a leader of the Army of Islam and his brother and aide, Muhammed, were killed. Four other people were lightly injured according to Palestinian sources. The IDF claimed that Yassin was planning an operation to capture Israelis in Sinai. In retaliation, the shooting of nine mortars and two long-range Grad missiles into southern Israel was claimed by the so-called Popular Resistance Committees on Friday. This is the nature of the conflict at the present time.
This is the second such accurate missile strike on Army of Islam leaders in two weeks, Faris Nemnan was killed last Wednesday. Since the Army of Islam is an al Qaeda-affiliated group, it is possible that Hamas, which controls Gaza and is a rival of the Army of Islam, gave away their location. Meanwhile on the West Bank, the Fatah-controlled PA police forces arrested a group of Hamas military wing Izzadin al Kassem terrorists who were planning to carry out the assassination of the Mayor of Nablus and to undermine stability in the northern West Bank as well as carrying out a bombing in Jerusalem using a booby-trapped car. Israeli security officials pronounced themselves satisfied by the effectiveness of the PA police forces against Hamas. At present the IDF has suspended all anti-terrorist raids in the West Bank due to the expanded role and effectiveness of the PA armed police forces. However, others point out that the large amounts of aid being pumped into the PA by the US and Europeans is producing a well-trained militia that would be used against the IDF should there be hostilities as a result of a unilateral declaration of a Palestinian State by the Pres. of the PA Mahmud Abbas. This seems to be their current plan in the UN.
The State Department announced Friday that it would be prepared to send PM Netanyahu a written list of commitments that had been made by Secty of State Clinton to PM Netanyahu. But, so far that list has been delayed, resulting in embarrassment for Netanyahu while he persuades his Cabinet to accept the unwritten conditions. To increase the likelihood of approval by the Cabinet Netanyahu has asked Obama to include the release of Pollard as part of the deal. Meanwhile, the PA leadership has already rejected the US concessions to Israel, principally because they do not include East Jerusalem in the building freeze extension. It seems that the whole process is hardly worthwhile, perhaps another Obama mistake, if it is known in advance that the Palestinians will reject the package. One must ask what the whole seemingly pointless process is for if the Palestinians have not been persuaded in advance to continue direct negotiations with Israel. Is this another political maneuver to give the appearance of progress while the Palestinians remain intransigent?
This is the second such accurate missile strike on Army of Islam leaders in two weeks, Faris Nemnan was killed last Wednesday. Since the Army of Islam is an al Qaeda-affiliated group, it is possible that Hamas, which controls Gaza and is a rival of the Army of Islam, gave away their location. Meanwhile on the West Bank, the Fatah-controlled PA police forces arrested a group of Hamas military wing Izzadin al Kassem terrorists who were planning to carry out the assassination of the Mayor of Nablus and to undermine stability in the northern West Bank as well as carrying out a bombing in Jerusalem using a booby-trapped car. Israeli security officials pronounced themselves satisfied by the effectiveness of the PA police forces against Hamas. At present the IDF has suspended all anti-terrorist raids in the West Bank due to the expanded role and effectiveness of the PA armed police forces. However, others point out that the large amounts of aid being pumped into the PA by the US and Europeans is producing a well-trained militia that would be used against the IDF should there be hostilities as a result of a unilateral declaration of a Palestinian State by the Pres. of the PA Mahmud Abbas. This seems to be their current plan in the UN.
The State Department announced Friday that it would be prepared to send PM Netanyahu a written list of commitments that had been made by Secty of State Clinton to PM Netanyahu. But, so far that list has been delayed, resulting in embarrassment for Netanyahu while he persuades his Cabinet to accept the unwritten conditions. To increase the likelihood of approval by the Cabinet Netanyahu has asked Obama to include the release of Pollard as part of the deal. Meanwhile, the PA leadership has already rejected the US concessions to Israel, principally because they do not include East Jerusalem in the building freeze extension. It seems that the whole process is hardly worthwhile, perhaps another Obama mistake, if it is known in advance that the Palestinians will reject the package. One must ask what the whole seemingly pointless process is for if the Palestinians have not been persuaded in advance to continue direct negotiations with Israel. Is this another political maneuver to give the appearance of progress while the Palestinians remain intransigent?
posted by Jack Cohen at 9:29 PM
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