Defensive or Just Plain Offensive? Neither: Implacably Dense
So we had Fatah and Hamas slugging it out in a deadly show of one-upsmanship. Each out-struggling one the other to create the hierarchy each felt reflected their true place in the Palestinian Authority and the 'hearts and minds' of the long-suffering Palestinian people. Who knew they were each so anxious to represent the well-being of the Palestinians that they were ready to kill to prove it. Even if the people whose lives they whisked off to paradise were those of unwary Palestinians.So what comes first, securing a place of their very own for the Palestinian population, or playing Big Guy against their Big Boy? The militias, comprised of men suffering from adolescent un-inhibitions desperate to play big-time war games do what they do best. And the politicians manipulate the population and use their effectively-ineffective tribal gangs to prove just how very serious they are. About providing for the Palestinians? Uh, not exactly, first we have to fix the administrative hierarchy.
Let's see now, what's the order of business here? Western soft-hearts have funded the Palestinian refugee camps and the PA for over a half-century. Oh sure, Arab countries have thrown in a few offhanded shekels here and there, too. All those billions of dollars, what have they succeeded in allowing other than the people to live unfulfilled, grievance-ridden, angst-driven lives - neither here nor there. Their Muslim neighbours unwilling to absorb them, but oh so eager to perpetuate certain myths ad nauseum have created a monster.
This is a monster determined to eat itself slowly, first the tail, then a large gulp and a bit of the body follows, but then a hiccough and the body is ejected, the tail too, and it must begin the endless process again and time again. Solutions have been identified and agreements have been tenuously reached, only to be pulled back from completion time and again. No end of blame in sight. No sign of self-respect or responsibility for self anywhere in sight.
And the newly-agreed-upon agreement to disagree that was forged in good fellowship in Saudi Arabia? Good news! The antagonists have agreed to stop trying to kill each other and just incidentally other Palestinians who have the great misfortune of getting in the way. And the administration of the PA, how does that stand, since because of that little problem of Hamas' intransigence over the slight matter of Israel's existence foreign aid has been absent?
Ah, there's the double horn of that particular dilemma. How to sweet-talk and reinstate remuneration, badly-needed operating funds that all the good will of their Muslim brethren hasn't been able to compensate for. Philanthropy isn't really big in the Middle East. Well, the deal they struck was solely to stop them from equal-opportunity murder-and-mayhem. Whew! that's done, now on to dealing with the Quartet who remain obdurately stupid about the safety and security of Israel.
"The American and Israeli interference aim to destroy the basic principles and the basis of the Palestinian cause" huffs Mr. Haniyeh, who adds it will not dissuade him from continuing to embrace Hamas' implacable opposition to Israel's existence.
Labels: Middle East
posted by Pieface @ Monday, February 19, 2007
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