"We cannot reach any peaceful arrangement with the Palestinians while terror is going on, and this includes terror from Gaza" - Olmert (my paraphrase. Heard it on TV)
"we cannot make peace with half of the Palestinian nation, while Abu Mazen does not control the Gaza Strip." - Yishai (Shas)
People who cannot see ahead of their noses must finally wake up when they hit the wall. The Gaza problem is becoming visible. Olmert and Yishai are the most moderate of the rightwingers in the Israeli government, and they are finally talking sense.
Let us just recall that the Gaza problem is Israeli/US made, a self-inflicted problem. Israeli refusal to allow Hamas to participate in the political process and get them to moderate, ands up as a real obstacle for peace. Hamas were moderating to the point of agreeing to peace talks and a referendum, but the siege on the Hamas government plus an American talk about helping Fatah in a coup against Hamas, pushed Hamas to take over Gaza. Now Israelis are not ready to make peace.
Bullies who don`t know how far to push an adversary, and when to stop pushing, have to pay. Unfortunately, I am not even sure this lesson has been learned by the bullies. I don`t believe in a peace agreement while Bush, Olmert, and even Abbas, are leading the enterprise. |
|
