1. BobW said:

I have a hunch the weapons and ordnance foundaries and workshops will all be relocated to "Palestinian [sic] houses". This can be called a GOI-PA recognition of modern cities of refuge. Deuteronomy 4:41.This modern sanctuary also allows for the kitchen tables to be used to write thank you letters to Simon Peres.

By now, that 16 year old Arab woman arrested with 4 knives probably has a complete setting for 10 provided by GOI. Were the co-conspirators sought out and "arrested"? This is required unless GOI operates under the Nuremburg defense doctrine that they didn't know where she was going with 4 knives.

Under international norms, GOI is obliged to furnish silver polish for the table settings.

whose laws you did not follow
and whose rules you did not obey
acting instead according to the
rules of the nations around you
EZEKIEL 11:12

Kol tuv,
BobW

2. Bill Narvey said:

In the foregoing report, Vice Premier Shimon Peres, was quoted as saying "that Israel cannot tolerate terrorist attacks, criticized Prime Minister Ariel Sharon for calling off discussions with PA leaders. "We must speak to Abu Mazen," Peres said "When you say there is no partner, then only one partner is left, the terrorists. This is a mistake of the first order."

Mr. Peres clearly still believes that Sharon dealing with Abbas the PA is better than just standing toe to toe with the Palestinian terrorists.

Is Peres right?

The little Abbas has done regarding the terrorists amongst his people, does seem to suggest that he may have been sincere when he first stated that he wanted to abandon terrorism as a means to advance the Palestinian agenda.

In spite of his possibly sincere intention, Abbas does not have the power or the charisma of Arafat to act on that intention. Abbas' fear that moving against the terrorists will result in civil war is realistic. The terrorist factions, the most prominent being Hamas have great popular support given how Arafat was so successful in preparing Palestinians to want to achieve through terrorism, Palestinian (goals (read Arafat's goals) vis a vis Israel.

Abbas' idea of de-fanging the terrorists by inviting them to join the political process has only succeeded in allowing Hamas to now be given some political legitimacy while at the same time Hamas continues as a terrorist organization.

Abbas has done nothing or at least nothing meaningful to undermine the great admiration and respect Palestinians have for the memory of their fallen hero, Arafat. Palestinians continue in their staunch acceptance of what Arafat believed in terms of Palestinian rights and that those rights could only be realized with the destruction of Israel.

One of the fundamental commitments Abbas made to Bush and to Israel was that he would immediately take measures to stop the dissemination and incitement of Israel/Jew hatred. By only stretching one’s imagination into the unreal to elastically define the world “immediately”, can one say he is still working on keeping that promise.

Whether Abbas is Arafat in a suit or he truly intends to be different, it is clear that he does not have the will or the ability to be anything different than Arafat.

This leaves Israel with no partner for peace because talking to Abbas is like talking to Arafat and that is like talking to the wall.

I sympathize with Peres, but I am not inclined to agree with him that Sharon’s withdrawal from discussions with the PA is a mistake because it leaves only the terrorists to deal with.

Rather, the harsh reality is that Abbas is neither willing nor capable of delivering on any promise he made and talking to him to extract further empty promises is simply a waste of time that could be better spent.

With no other Palestinian leader of power, credibility and the ability to lead the Palestinians away from Arafat’s legacy, standing in the wings to take over from Abbas, and Abbas being the only Palestinian coming forward to be a partner in a peace process, Israel sadly finds itself again in the same conundrum of not having a partner for peace as was the case with Arafat.

That the Palestinians have no partner for peace and only terrorists to speak for them is their fault, not Sharon's. The conundrum however that puts Israel in, admits no easy or clear answers for what is to be and how to make it happen.

This is a time for all Israeli politicians to recognize realities that what the Palestinians are engaged in is not a peace process, but a war process. Getting Palestinians to pursue peace by peaceful means is an insane dangerous delusion.

Israeli politicians need to stop sniping away at Sharon for their own political needs and interests, because they only weaken Israel thereby.

Now is the time that the politicians must put aside their petty differences and come together in a united stand against the Palestinian enemy, engage in the battle that Israel has no choice but to win if it wants to survive and then force the Palestinians to sue for peace on terms advantageous to Israel that will ensure Israel's security.

3. bunuel said:

Now is the time that the politicians must put aside their petty differences and come together in a united stand against the Palestinian enemy, engage in the battle that Israel has no choice but to win if it wants to survive and then force the Palestinians to sue for peace on terms advantageous to Israel that will ensure Israel's security:.

To which I can only say: Amen