Great, let the inmates run the asylum.

call elliot ness....ther's gonna be a meeting of the five families

And no one seems to care.

I have to take issue with this Charles. Sharon seems to care. Bush seems to care. Several congress people (Lantos - to name one) and senators (McCain, Lugar) seem to care. All statements out of those I just listed seems to imply that the roadmap will go on only after the terror organizations are dismantled and disarmed. Now the Euro's, the oil-shieks, and the other usual suspects do not care. But then again, is this a surprise.

"Hamas, you can have Tel Aviv.
Hezbollah, here, you take Haifa.
Islamic Jihad..."

"Now, do we got ourselves a roadmap?"

Hmm, wouldn't this seem to violate the State Dep'ts and indeed the President's call to arms against terrorism - sponsors of terrorism and those that support terrorists will be hunted down and eliminated? Bush Doctrine ring a bell to anyone over in State? Bueller? Bueller?

Of course this shows the intricate links between the PA and the terrorist groups - creating a unified governing body to kill even more Israelis.

[sarcasm]What a wonderful idea. Get everyone on the same page so we don't have unnecessary overlap or duplication of effort. Those PA types are so smart. Identify areas where consolidation make for economic improvement. We don't want to spend more for C4 than we have to when we can now buy in bulk on the open market.

The moneys freed up by Israel can now be provided to the security forces in due haste, so that they may begin training as a coherent military force. For practice, they can work over the opposition. Then they can work over the Israelis. [/sarcasm]

I object to the notion of granting a seat to hamas at a round table so as not to offend the fine Palestinian table and chair craftsmenship.

Great, the terrorist PA will share power with the other Palestinian terrorist groups. Why don't we ask Bin Laden to hook up with Saddam, the Iranian mullahs, Syria, and Hezbollah to form a governing body for the U.S. to negotiate with instead of fighting the war on terror? Es muy stupido.

In other news:

DEVELOPING
Wed, June 18, 2003 Fairy Tale Land:
In an attempt to persuade Coy'yote and other radical meat-eating factions to agree to a temporary cease-fire with the Nation of Sheep With Guns, Carnivore Authority Prime Minister Yassir Ima Veeghan offered to give the groups political representation in a newly formed body called the unified leadership council unified in not eating sheep (ULCUINES).

Veeghan (once known by his carnivore nom de guerre Wolf, Big Bad) pleaded with the leadership of "extremist" groups such as Coy'yote, the Arrwooooooo! Party, H'a'mo (Howling At the Moon), and the Popular Peoples' Front to join him at a round-cave discussion in order to more fully begin to commence to start to prepare for the a "piece process" for the region.

NSWG officials remain skeptical of the prospects for peace. NSWG Prime Minister Ariel Shearon noted that "They have been trying to eat us for years, after all. "

I'm still not clear on how this will change things. The PA, led by terrorists Yassir Arafat and Abu Mazen, are offering to bring terrorist groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad into the PA as an attempt to bring about peace?

This is like Hitler offering to bring the Austrian Nazi Party into the German Nazi Party and saying he was doing it as part of a "peace movement".

#2

Don't call Elliot Ness, call Michael Corleone.

# 5 lawhawk

sponsors of terrorism and those that support terrorists will be hunted down and eliminated

No, I think it was 'hunted down and enlisted (into government). Right?

This charade is worthy of an Oscar.

It's all part of the cycle of violence. Terrorists kill civilians. Then they agree to stop. Then they do some more killing. Then they agree to think about stopping. Then they kill some more. Then they really indulge in mass murder. Etc.....

"Mahmoud Abbas offered to give the groups political representation in a newly formed body called the unified national leadership. "

HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA and HA !

gimme a break

get yoko ono....its obviously an attempt to "give peace a chance"....or maybe"come to rahmallah with flowers in your hair"

I seem to recall that this offer has been made in the past to Hamas. The previous offers were turned down by Hamas for the same reasons as the most recent.

Namely Hamas leadership wants to be able to continue to order the killing of Jews of all ages and sexes no matter where they are in the world. Hamas members have never accepted the idea of making peace with Israel and its Jews and is unwilling to be partners with anyone that has signed a treaty that has (even if it is an Arafat temporary peace).

What is intelectually mind boggling is that Hamas has always been honest in their hate and agenda an deplomat keeps deluding themselves that Hamas will change policy.

I care Charles, but unfortunately it doesn't make a difference what I think.

I'm just hoping that Sharon will pullout of the "RoadMap" if they try to move to PhaseII before the PA fulfills its PhaseI obligations. Do I have reason to hope?

OT:

OMG, Protesters set themselves on fire in france to protest yesterdays arests!

Fiery Death for Iranian in Paris Raid Protest

You've got to think that Sharon sees Abbas and his attempt to suck up to Hamas as the circus sideshow that it is.

He ought to continue doing what he's doing, and what the US is doing in Iraq--disarm, arrest or kill the "dead-enders" while simultaneously pushing further down the road to stability and peace.

"Cycle of violence" in one lane; slowly plowing down the Roadmap in the other.

Hamas either compromises or dies.

Robert Crawford (#9) Your analogy is spot-on. And all the players know it. They just choose to ignore it.

Gee, thanks for the clarification. I was having a bit of difficulty discerning between all of these groups! Silly me, I thought they were united behind one common principle; wiping out Israel and killing Jews. Now, they can take off their silly black rag masks and spew the same hatred in a recognized government.

Wanna' bet that the first embassy they open is in the Islamorepublic of France?

Okay, Mr. Mazen, so let me see if I understand this correctly: you're saying it's now official that any post-"roadmap" Palestinian state would be a terrorist-run nation?

It's going to be interesting to see how the three work together on something other than terrorism. Here we have three radically different groups that happen to have one goal in common, but nothing else. I suspect that there is a three-way civil war about to break out because Arafist isn't the only one who doesn't want Abbas to become the defacto leader of the "palestinians"

This has gone beyond anything that can happen in the real world into a kind of phantasmagoria

Not even the blackest satire by Evelyn Waugh can compete with this.

Seriously, though --

Abbas probably thinks he can get away with anything, supposing the US administration is so committed to its roadmap that no dereliction on his part will deter it from pushing it on.

He could be right.

Mahmoud Abbas offered to give the groups political representation in a newly formed body called the unified national leadership.

Actually, I don't see anything wrong with this. I already believe that this is the case - that Hamas is part of Arafat's strategy-, so we might as well make it clear to the rest of the world.

I wonder whose idea this was?
I think it is sick and demonic!
Abbas can do anything he pleases because
he knows the authors of this twisted Oslo redux
want a palestinian state at any cost......!

When I think of that precious little 7 year old that
had her life so brutally stripped from her because
all the moral clarity of this government is no longer
there. No one is left to stand by Israel's side.

Check out what Arlen Specter thinks A just war on terror is.

actually i think i suggested this earlier - when ariel asked what does Abbas add - why is it any better than Israel talking to Hamas directly - i think i said he might offer them some form of participation in his govt.

In defense of this, there is already talk of "moderate" factions in Hamas. This could be total bunk - these alleged "moderates " have made common cause with baby killers and who undermine the peace process - OTOH it would make more sense out of the Rantissi hit.
Again, I assume Sharon has access to better intel than we do. I also note that if Abbas is a fake moderate, then adding more fake moderates doesnt make his cabinet any worse.

It could be that Abbas is engaged in some kind of bidding war with Arafat for Hamas - remember Arafat rules largely through patronage and corruption. If Arafat has been the real instigator of Hamas violence, its possible that there are elements that would end violence for alternative sources of funding. Of course those elements in the past would have been putting their lives in danger - so it may be that this is only POSSIBLE because of the hit on Rantissi - which may have been designed precisely to make an opening for other elements in Hamas.

I think any representative of any Palestinian Arab faction should be allowed into the PA on condition that they change their charters to be consistent with the roadmap. They can use Arafat's January 1998 letter as a model. That's the one that supposedly confirmed the removal of a dozen specified anti-Zionist and pro-armed struggle articles from the PLO Covenant.

If Hamas wants to reform its 1988 charter, let 'em in. Of course, we wouldn't want to discriminate against Hamas, so Fatah leaders like Arafat and Abbas also should be held to this standard.

I am being serious here. There needs to be a debate in Palestinian society over whether to pursue peaceful coexistence with Israel, and publicly discussion of amending the Hamas charter and the Fatah constitution are good ways to bring that debate into the open. This is consistent with the election requirement that is included in phase I of the Roadmap.

its not clear to me from press reports if Abbas is offering to let Hamas as an org into the PA cabinet, or merely certain individuals. He could request that such individuals formally break with Hamas, but thats not the impression I get. I dont think the strategy is to force the debate you speak of - the strategy is instead to build up the PA to the point where its strong enough to overrule the other groups - but the question is how to keep them from blowing the situation apart in the meanwhile. So its all patches and bandaids - and a lot of talking out of both sides of peoples mouthes - EG abbas who simultaneoulsy commits to the road map that requires him to dismantle and disarm Hamas (no it doesnt explicity say Hamas, but everybody knows Bush intends it as Hamas) and promises Hamas he wont confront them - hes lying in one instance or the other - the question is which??? Which may be the only way through this spot.

Wait Let me understand this.... it is deplorable to have talks with Arafat.....but Hamas, Islamic Jihad, PFLP, etc are ok?

THERE IS AN UPSIDE TO THIS:

This is a wonderful opportunity for Israel!!!! Israel should encourage one government where all the leaders of the Terrorist organizations meet together to discuss the PA business
....then while they are all in the same room........bomb the place.

30 - abbas has talks with arafat all the time, IIUC.

....lets all remember , Israel had 14 conditions, oe reservations to this "Road Map"........

the arabs, accepted it unconditionally

...........amazing distortion .:-(

As a friend said this morning, the best thing ol' Mahmoud could have done during the "summit" was walk back out with the leaders' heads in a basket.

Maybe THEN we would take his commitment to peace seriously.

This should be there orders...They must all disarm ...then amalgamate,,then they should do some reflecting on life,,Either go find 73 virgins..peacefully and `alone,,,in a field somewhere secluded...or they should pack thier belongings ;and that of their families and move outa Judea and Samaria and move back home to PALESTINE AKA JORDAN>