Egypt Promises To Fulfill Treaty Obligations - Later
Just like Lebanon did when Israel was withdrawing from the Security Zone, Egypt is promising to beef up it's security on the border if Israel withdraws from Gaza:
If Israel withdraws from the Gaza Strip, Egypt will beef up police forces along the border and put into place officers capable of dealing with weapons-smuggling into Gaza, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said Thursday after talks with Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom in Cairo."
The difference is that Egypt is already treaty bound to prevent weapons smuggling across the border. But nobody really expects Arab countries to live up to their treaty obligations with Israel - Europe and their diplomatic allies instead have a fetishistic focus on process, as if the signing of a peace treaty is the same thing as achieving peace.
And while we're discussing this article, our give-them-an-inch department brought this little tidbit to our attention. I really don't understand why the State Department is allowed to interfere with anything - shouldn't they still be devoting all their time to explaining how nobody lost China?
Earlier Thursday, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Middle East David Satterfield said that the U.S. has not yet formulated a position regarding Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's disengagement plan and will decide to formally adopt the plan only after the administration receives some more answers from Israel.
Speaking in Washington, Satterfield said Israel must take into account that a disengagement must also be made in the West Bank, similar to the one Israel is considering for the Gaza Strip.
Satterfield also attacked Israel's settlement policy and said the increase of the settlements' size with the support of the Israeli government is reducing the chances of reaching a two-state solution.
Israel is expected to build the scaffolding, find the rope, and take the initiative to put their own head in the noose.
If Israel withdraws from the Gaza Strip, Egypt will beef up police forces along the border and put into place officers capable of dealing with weapons-smuggling into Gaza, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said Thursday after talks with Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom in Cairo."
The difference is that Egypt is already treaty bound to prevent weapons smuggling across the border. But nobody really expects Arab countries to live up to their treaty obligations with Israel - Europe and their diplomatic allies instead have a fetishistic focus on process, as if the signing of a peace treaty is the same thing as achieving peace.
And while we're discussing this article, our give-them-an-inch department brought this little tidbit to our attention. I really don't understand why the State Department is allowed to interfere with anything - shouldn't they still be devoting all their time to explaining how nobody lost China?
Earlier Thursday, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Middle East David Satterfield said that the U.S. has not yet formulated a position regarding Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's disengagement plan and will decide to formally adopt the plan only after the administration receives some more answers from Israel.
Speaking in Washington, Satterfield said Israel must take into account that a disengagement must also be made in the West Bank, similar to the one Israel is considering for the Gaza Strip.
Satterfield also attacked Israel's settlement policy and said the increase of the settlements' size with the support of the Israeli government is reducing the chances of reaching a two-state solution.
Israel is expected to build the scaffolding, find the rope, and take the initiative to put their own head in the noose.
