By Ted Belman
On Monday President Bush reissued his vision speech with few amendments. On the same day DEBKA explained in a major article
Even in Middle East terms, the turnaround which has produced a new American master plan was amazingly swift. The Bush administration, egged on by the Saudis, believes it has set in motion a complicated process for manipulating Israel into easing its forces out of the West Bank.
This is stipulated by Hamas and Jihad Islami as their condition for halting Qassam missile attacks on Israel. Above all, it will open the way for Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah and the Islamist Hamas to negotiate an end to their feud. Only last month Hamas, which is still branded a terrorist organization in Washington, tossed Fatah-ruled governing institutions out of the Gaza Strip after a brutal internecine war.
The Israeli government’s compliance with this plan, which would ideally also halt Palestinian terrorist attacks on Israel, is behind President George W. Bush’s Middle East statement Monday, and the Olmert-Abbas Jerusalem meeting midday. The US president sees his two-state vision as feasible only if Fatah-West Bank and Hamas-Gaza can come to terms since neither can form a viable Palestinian state without the other.It also explains the incoming president Shimon Peres’ apparent lapse when he said to AP Sunday, July 15, the day of his swearing-in: “We must get rid of the territories.â€
Defense minister Ehud Barak is going along with Olmert. They hope it will result in a quiet Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank without the agonizing confrontations of the 2005 pullback from the Gaza Strip, although no one is guaranteeing an end to Palestinian terror.
Thus this plan is intended to end the occupation of J & S without a peace agreement.
But DEBKA informs us today that Bush’s Middle East peace conference plan peters out after telephone conversation with Saudi King Abdullah Apparently Egypt is also willing to attend. The reason for this boycott is Bush’s boycott of Hamas who they back.
It could mean only one thing, namely that Eqypt and Saudi Arabia are not prepared to recognize the existence of Israel.
This doesn’t matter to Olmert, Barak, Peres and Livni. They just want to end the occupation.
The answere to Bills and Eds questions might be answered thus: First of all the Palis officially have not been declared an enemy with all that entails. secondly the Army has never been given an order to destroy an enemy that has yet to be declared as one. 3rdly-Since Oslo our Politicians and IDF Officer Corp have been Schitzophrenic with regard to Palis, Are they Peace Partners, Potential Peace Partners or Our Enemy?
As a result of all the above we have raised a Generation of professional,Politicized, Officer Corps Less Qualified to deal with realities. Career Advancement has taken the place of Concept of Excellence and true National Service. They do not believe inso called Military Solutions and all there operative philosophy is for the IDF to put the Political eschalon in a favorable negotiating position not winning a military victory which is for the an impossible alien concept. They all know the way upward for advancement in IDF is to have the right Political Sponsors and this impacts on how the think and perform.
A whole generation of our senior must be replaced with their opisits ASAP. Oslo is to blame and those who had a hand in bringing this scourge upon us.
I, like you Bill, have wondered over the years just why Israel has not just destroyed Gaza. Civilian casualties are a by-product of war. It is not a case of right and wrong but a case of of hostages protecting terrorists. No longer have politicians thought about the good of the public, but they are only concerned about their political careers.
Bush’s end game? Trade Israel’s land for recognition by Arabs. Ally US, Israel, and “moderate” Arab nations. Confront Iran, possibly militarily. Peace for region. Peace for Israel. Take photo. Pick up Peace Prize.
Though it has an obvious religious angle and the writer is disillusioned with the Bush Administration, there’s actually a pretty good piece on this at: http://www.heartsoulandstrength.org/Learning/NewsComment/tabid/55/mid/500/newsid500/56/Default.aspx
The City Troll: NICE TRY!! The wall more or less at this point is pretty close to 67line before June 5th. In some cases it even is in Pre 67 border thanks to our Stallinist politicians. If you are asking what Israel needs: Well for starters we need a much bigger country with no Arabs and foreigners in it.another million or so real Jews and for most of the Liberal humanistic left around the world but including Israel to drop dead! Then we wont need any walls would we?
Just complete the wall on the proposed lines that take in the parts of the west bank that Israel needs and to hell with any other plan. Once the wall is complete the debates are over.
OlMert will be long gone before he can savor any delight, If not I can guarantee a civil war here.He knows what he is up against it cost him dearly his Amona display and he also knows the IDF do not want any more of what they went through in Gush Katif. Half the army might just lay their weapons down and walk away. The police do not have the manpower alone. The state would have to lay out between 50-100 billion dollars most up front in first 2 years. I cant see the Americans and Europeans paying and I cant see Israel paying. If there is widespread resistance it will just drive the costs up. There is a lost of costs here with no National Gain not even Olmert would survive the aftermath and therefore gain nothing personally unless he made a deal for himself under the table with Abbas. Anything is possible with these crooks.