Palestinians Say They Won't Release Shalit Because of Qana - Asks World to Forget That They Weren't Going to Release Him Anyway
We've been trying to follow examples of how Israeli self-defense is being blamed for causing things that would have / were happening anyway. So Arianna Huffington blamed Israeli actions in Lebanon for (a) causing Iran to threaten to wipe out Israel and (b) making Arabs and Muslims hate Israel. Obviously, both of those things were already occurring well before the current Hezbollah-initiated war - making them particularly dumb excuses for urging Israel to retrain itself.
This week brought an even lamer excuse:
Israel's bombing of the Lebanese town of Qana will delay discussions on an Israeli-Palestinian cease-fire in Gaza and the return of kidnapped soldier Corporal Gilad Shalit, because the bombing has captured center stage in the Arab world, said Jibril Rajoub, the Palestinian Authority's former national security adviser. Last week, Rajoub had predicted that a deal for Shalit's return could be finalized this week, and he reiterated on Sunday that the various Palestinian factions were close to an agreement on the subject with Egyptian mediators. "But following the massacre in Qana, this date is no longer relevant," he said. "Everything is liable to change at the strategic level."
Yes, Rajoub had said that he thought that he could get Shalit freed. But Hamas had denied Rajoub's report, and had in fact said exactly the opposite. Now we trust Hamas on this more than we trust Rajoub for at least two reasons. First, Hamas - and not Rajoub's Fatah - is the terrorist party that's actually holding Shalit - so they might have a better idea about the chances that he'll be released. Second, in the past Hamas has actually tried to attack Rajoub and his men - so we're not sure that Rajoub has what one might call the best information about Hamas's plans.
So really, Israel's actions in Lebanon had very little effect on the odds of Shalit's release - but wouldn't it be nice for the anti-Israel media if they did?
This week brought an even lamer excuse:
Israel's bombing of the Lebanese town of Qana will delay discussions on an Israeli-Palestinian cease-fire in Gaza and the return of kidnapped soldier Corporal Gilad Shalit, because the bombing has captured center stage in the Arab world, said Jibril Rajoub, the Palestinian Authority's former national security adviser. Last week, Rajoub had predicted that a deal for Shalit's return could be finalized this week, and he reiterated on Sunday that the various Palestinian factions were close to an agreement on the subject with Egyptian mediators. "But following the massacre in Qana, this date is no longer relevant," he said. "Everything is liable to change at the strategic level."
Yes, Rajoub had said that he thought that he could get Shalit freed. But Hamas had denied Rajoub's report, and had in fact said exactly the opposite. Now we trust Hamas on this more than we trust Rajoub for at least two reasons. First, Hamas - and not Rajoub's Fatah - is the terrorist party that's actually holding Shalit - so they might have a better idea about the chances that he'll be released. Second, in the past Hamas has actually tried to attack Rajoub and his men - so we're not sure that Rajoub has what one might call the best information about Hamas's plans.
So really, Israel's actions in Lebanon had very little effect on the odds of Shalit's release - but wouldn't it be nice for the anti-Israel media if they did?
