Tell Us, President Abbas, How Can We Help You Today?
Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice knows at least two things:
(1) Despite all the unpleasant riots and shootings going on between President Abbas's supporters and Hamas Prime Minister Haniyeh's supporters, Abbas is apparently doing a great job:
"We have great admiration for you and leadership," US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas at a press conference on Wednesday following their meeting in Ramallah.Rice added that the US was "very concerned" about the plight of the Palestinians and pledged to improve living conditions in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
(2) Ditto for political attempts to create a unity government - total and utter failure. So how does the US Secretary of State deal with foriegn statesmen who are not only unable to deliver peace but are instigating riots on their own streets? Reward them!
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Wednesday that the U.S. is "very concerned" about the plight of the Palestinians, and pledged to improve living conditions in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Rice, speaking at a joint press conference in Ramallah with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, said the U.S. would "redouble efforts" to help the Palestinians. "I told the president that we are very concerned, of course, about the humanitarian conditions in the Palestinian territories," she said. "I said to him that we would redouble our efforts to improve the conditions for the Palestinian people."
And what's that you want, Mr. President? What's the one thing that the Palestinians are most desperate to acquire, so that they can relieve their quotidian plights? Obviously, more weapons:
Following deadly clashes the past few days between his Fatah organization and Hamas members, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is planning to request a large shipment of weapons from the United States purportedly to arm his group against rival factions, a senior Palestinian official told WND today. The US government previously sent weapons to Abbas in May after the Palestinian leader requested the arms to bolster Fatah's Force 17 security forces against possible clashes with Hamas. In June, WND broke the story about how assault rifles that were part of a cache of weapons transferred by the US made its way to members of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades terror group, some of whom are also officers of Force 17. The weapons may have been used in a string of shootings, including an ambush against a busload of Israeli school girls here, Al Aqsa members told WND...
But following the transfer, Force 17 senior officer Abu Yousuf told WND in an exclusive interview the American weapons will be shared with the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades and utilized for attacks against Jews. Abu Yousuf is also a member of the Al Aqsa Brigades. He hinted the weapons were used in shooting attacks in June that killed one Israeli civilian and wounded another. Many Force 17 officers are also members of the Brigades. In June Abbas appointed senior Brigades leader Mahmoud Damra to head Force 17. Damra is on Israel's most wanted list of terrorists. He is accused of masterminding a string of attacks. Damra was arrested by Israel last month...
Abu Yousuf refused to confirm whether the American weapons were used in the spate of highway shootings, but he hinted the information was accurate. "It is no coincidence that as soon as these American weapons arrived, we were able to carry out these accurate shootings," Abu Yousuf said.
Well certainly. It's not like the major group to the right of Hamas right now - the Al Aksa Brigades - is the "military arm" of Abbas's Fatah organization. Except it is the "military arm" of Abbas's Fatah organization, and they have been killing Israelis, and the US has been giving them weapons - and now the State Department seems amenable to giving them some more. No way that this can go bad. They're openly admitting to using American weapons to kill Israeli civilians, and nobody really seems unusually put out by this. Ladies and gentlemen, the death of outrage.
[Cross-posted at IsraPundit]
(1) Despite all the unpleasant riots and shootings going on between President Abbas's supporters and Hamas Prime Minister Haniyeh's supporters, Abbas is apparently doing a great job:
"We have great admiration for you and leadership," US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas at a press conference on Wednesday following their meeting in Ramallah.Rice added that the US was "very concerned" about the plight of the Palestinians and pledged to improve living conditions in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
(2) Ditto for political attempts to create a unity government - total and utter failure. So how does the US Secretary of State deal with foriegn statesmen who are not only unable to deliver peace but are instigating riots on their own streets? Reward them!
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Wednesday that the U.S. is "very concerned" about the plight of the Palestinians, and pledged to improve living conditions in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Rice, speaking at a joint press conference in Ramallah with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, said the U.S. would "redouble efforts" to help the Palestinians. "I told the president that we are very concerned, of course, about the humanitarian conditions in the Palestinian territories," she said. "I said to him that we would redouble our efforts to improve the conditions for the Palestinian people."
And what's that you want, Mr. President? What's the one thing that the Palestinians are most desperate to acquire, so that they can relieve their quotidian plights? Obviously, more weapons:
Following deadly clashes the past few days between his Fatah organization and Hamas members, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is planning to request a large shipment of weapons from the United States purportedly to arm his group against rival factions, a senior Palestinian official told WND today. The US government previously sent weapons to Abbas in May after the Palestinian leader requested the arms to bolster Fatah's Force 17 security forces against possible clashes with Hamas. In June, WND broke the story about how assault rifles that were part of a cache of weapons transferred by the US made its way to members of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades terror group, some of whom are also officers of Force 17. The weapons may have been used in a string of shootings, including an ambush against a busload of Israeli school girls here, Al Aqsa members told WND...
But following the transfer, Force 17 senior officer Abu Yousuf told WND in an exclusive interview the American weapons will be shared with the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades and utilized for attacks against Jews. Abu Yousuf is also a member of the Al Aqsa Brigades. He hinted the weapons were used in shooting attacks in June that killed one Israeli civilian and wounded another. Many Force 17 officers are also members of the Brigades. In June Abbas appointed senior Brigades leader Mahmoud Damra to head Force 17. Damra is on Israel's most wanted list of terrorists. He is accused of masterminding a string of attacks. Damra was arrested by Israel last month...
Abu Yousuf refused to confirm whether the American weapons were used in the spate of highway shootings, but he hinted the information was accurate. "It is no coincidence that as soon as these American weapons arrived, we were able to carry out these accurate shootings," Abu Yousuf said.
Well certainly. It's not like the major group to the right of Hamas right now - the Al Aksa Brigades - is the "military arm" of Abbas's Fatah organization. Except it is the "military arm" of Abbas's Fatah organization, and they have been killing Israelis, and the US has been giving them weapons - and now the State Department seems amenable to giving them some more. No way that this can go bad. They're openly admitting to using American weapons to kill Israeli civilians, and nobody really seems unusually put out by this. Ladies and gentlemen, the death of outrage.
[Cross-posted at IsraPundit]
