Either of these stories alone is uneventful. Together, they're magic. On the same day that Olmert promises to enter into final status talks with Abbas, Hamas historically successful US security assistance will enable Fatah to hold on to all the land Olmert will give them. Or they'll lose both the land and the weapons to Hamas. Like they always do:

Hamas forces in the Gaza Strip are using heavy weaponry provided to the Palestinians by the Bush Administration to combat Israeli counter-terrorism operations. Israeli military sources confirmed to Middle East Newsline that Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Apache helicopter gun ships operating against Hamas rocket crews in Gaza have come under fire from US-made heavy machine guns. The weapons were originally given to Fatah-dominated security forces loyal to Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas. Hamas drove Abbas' forces from Gaza last June and took possession of a vast arsenal of weapons and equipment that had either been donated by the US and Western nations or bought with foreign financial aid. In repeated assurances to Congress over the past two years, the Bush Administration insisted its security aid to Abbas was of a non-lethal nature.

The State Department misled Congress so they could keep giving aid to the Palestinians that was turned against Israeli teens and civilians? How unoriginal.

References:
* PM, Abbas to hold final status talks after summit [Ha'aretz]
* Fatah says Hamas gunmen seize control of its offices in Gaza [Ha'aretz]
* State Dept Pushing Congress To Move Abject Failure Keith Dayton To West Bank [MR]
* Hamas employing US arms against Israel
* Oh, So This Is How the State Department Will Cozy Up To the Palestinians [MR]

Previously:
* New Way Fatah Weapons Get To Hamas: They Hijack the Damn Trucks
* Memo To Foreign Policy Sophisticates - You'd Sound A Lot Less Stupid If You Stopped Mixing Your Condescension With Demonstrably False Fantasies Of Competence
* State Department Gets Bright Idea: Let's Screw Israel Even More By Bundling Syria Into The Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process