Bush allows PLO's American offices to remain open [GIVE ME A BREAK]

Jerusalem Post ^ | Apr. 17, 2003 | JANINE ZACHARIA

[yonif]

US President George W. Bush invoked a national security waiver on Wednesday to prevent sanctions from being levied on the PLO for a period of six months.

Under the Foreign Relations Act of 2003, PLO non-compliance with signed peace accords and continued use of terror and violence would force the president to impose at least one of a menu of sanctions unless he invokes a waiver contained in the law.

President Bush's decision to waive sanctions on the PLO comes as his administration plans to try to jumpstart the dormant Middle East peace process.

[kesg]

Does anyone know why Bush would do such a thing? I certainly don't see how it helps any peace process to grant such a waiver. What am I missing?

[Howlin]

Well, we wouldn't want them to have a place we could contact them to talk about peace, would we?

[yonif]

So you find it ok to talk "peace" with terrorists?

[whadizit]

Hmmmm...I thought those offices were closed about a yr. ago.

[justshe]

"President Bush's decision to waive sanctions on the PLO comes as his administration plans to try to jumpstart the dormant Middle East peace process."

That pretty much tells you the 'why'...no?

[polemikos]

It suggests to me the same reason we don't shut down all communication methods of the enemy -- we want to monitor them.

[jriemer]

Does anyone know why Bush would do such a thing? I certainly don't see how it helps any peace process to grant such a waiver. What am I missing?

By keeping the PLO's American office open, survielence costs are already fixed as it is only one location. Close that location and the all the roaches spread out and subsequent intelligence and law enforcement costs will increase substantially. We are treating the PLO office just like the embassy of a hostile country, logging everyone who leaves and enters, the date and time and who with.

[expatpat]

Plus: keep your friends close, your enemies even closer.

[Howlin]

If you don't talk to them, you'll never have a future as a country, as they are hell bent on destroying you.

[wardaddy]

It is verboten to question.

[chachacha]

Well George there you go again trying to pick friends.

Someone needs to get this GW a play mate.

Remember GW looking into Putins soul and his Mexican friend and neighbor FOX?

He played in the sand box with them and they both kicked his butt like the neighborhood bully.

Will someone please stop this guy from picking his own friends?

[wardaddy]

If you don't talk to them, you'll never have a future as a country, as they are hell bent on destroying you.

Would you talk to people "hell bent on destroying" you?

[ken5050]

Bingo!!!!. we have a winner....

[TLBSHOW]

Shut down the PLO terrorist front groups like CAIR and the AMC. ..........

.....

Palestinian children dressed as suicide bombers put fake explosives on a playmate.

http://www.insightmag.com/main.cfm/include/detail/storyid/160238.html

[kesg]

"President Bush's decision to waive sanctions on the PLO comes as his administration plans to try to jumpstart the dormant Middle East peace process."

That pretty much tells you the 'why'...no?

Not really. I don't see how waiving past acts of terrorism is going to promote anything even closely resembling a peace process. It hasn't worked in the past, and no one can explain to me how it is somehow supposed to work this time, either. It seems to me that we first need to drain the swamps of the terrorists before any meaningful peace process can happen.

[kesg]

Okay, your explanation makes some sense to me.

[yonif]

Yeah, and what do you think the PLO office is doing? just sitting around? or mapping out the city when the time is right for a terrorist attack.

By your logic, you would say it would be ok to have a North Korean embassy here?

Futhermore, its not just about that. Its also about the fact the government recognizes the PLO as some sort of government. They are not a government, but a terrorist organization.

[TLBSHOW]

They are not a government, but a terrorist organization.

BUMP

[wardaddy]

Arab...particularly the Muslims....view the high art of treachery as a useful quality. Talking too much is a trap and they are experts at slamming it shut.

They respect power and the will to use it....which is sadly one reason why despots do so well in their cultures.

My experience only here and I'm 1/32nd Lebanese Christian myself....and my daughters are half Lebanese Christian....so yep, I'll say what I damn well think even in culturally stereotypical terms....

[showme_the_Glory]

keep your enemies very close.

[mewzilla]

They've seen the stick. This must be the carrot. Let's hope they take it. If not, the stick is ready and waiting...

[TLBSHOW]

President Bush Blames PLO For Violence, Waives Sanctions
A White House document obtained by the Associated Press on December 5, in effect, blames the Palestinians for the Mideast violence now moving into a third year. It charges that Arafat's Palestinian Authority and the PLO have not taken steps to stop militants. Still, President Bush has decided not to impose sanctions, which could include closing the Palestine Liberation Organization office in Washington. A memorandum that prefaces the 12-page report, dated Nov. 29 and signed by Mr. Bush, waives sanctions, saying they would be against U.S. security interests and that the United States "must maintain contacts with all sides."

---

Presidential Determination No. 2003-04

November 29, 2002

MEMORANDUM FOR THE SECRETARY OF STATE

SUBJECT: Imposition and Waiver of Sanctions Under Section 604 of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Year 2003

Pursuant to the authority contained in section 604 of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Year 2003 (the "Act") (Public Law 107-228), and pursuant to section 603 of that Act, regarding noncompliance by the PLO and the Palestinian Authority with certain commitments, I hereby impose the sanction set out in section 604(a)(2), "Downgrade in Status of the PLO Office in the United States." This sanction is imposed for a period of 180 days from the date hereof or until such time as the next report required by section 603 of the Act is transmitted to the Congress, whichever is later. You are authorized and directed to transmit to the appropriate congressional committees the initial report described in section 603 of the Act.

Furthermore, I hereby determine that it is in the national security interest of the United States to waive that sanction, pursuant to section 604 of the Act. This waiver shall be effective for a period of 180 days from the date hereof or until such time as the next report required by section 603 of the Act is transmitted to the Congress, whichever is later.

You are hereby authorized and directed to transmit this determination to the Congress and to publish it in the Federal Register.

GEORGE W. BUSH

http://www.us-israel.org/jsource/Terrorism/plowaiver.html

[Howlin]

Isn't that the very point I made?

They want the destruction of Israel; they have to be dealt with if there is any hope of Israel's survival.

[ZAKJAN]

This is a tuff one for sure...Seems to me we don't want to impose sanctions on the WHINERS that are still moaning about the Free IRAQ!! Too bad the majority of them did not join Saddam so we could have taken care of two birds with one stone.
Seriously, i think the 6 months is just to try to let the dust settle before we stir up mud again.
I think a Coalition of the willing needs to go into these "Occupied Terror tories" and round up Hamas, Hisbulloh, Islamic Jihad, Alaqusa Martrys Brigade..don't you all?

[Howlin]

Would you talk to people "hell bent on destroying" you?

If I thought there was any hope of mitigating the situation, yes.

I do NOT think they will EVER agree to any type of agreement that recognizes Israel's right to exist.

That being said, we will at least have made the EFFORT in front of the entire world and they will be denied their OWN "state" because of their actions, not yours.

[yonif]

We have already made the entire effort. There is no more need. Oslo, and Camp David, for example.

[Robert_Paulson2]

It is good they have a centralized location where they come and go that we can watch and monitor.

Bush would be stupid to close this office... antagonizing our allies who still believe in the PLO... and driving their terrorist associates even further underground, than they already are.

This office has been an invaluable resource for anti-terrorist surveillance and terrorist act prevention.

KEEP it open. Till the PLO is either wiped out, or completely replaced with another defacto "pro western regime"... with the same name...

A jeep is still a jeep... but when it sold out to Chrysler something indeed DID change. We are looking to replace the current hate israel regime, with a pro Israel one.

IT won't happen... but we have to try.
We could have won the IRAQ war with ONE mirved warhead... but morally, we wanted to spare as many innocents as we could... it would have cost us, NOT ONE american soldier... and been over in fifteen minutes...

Same with confronting the PLO... WE COULD go face to face... and wipe them out... OR WE could simply replace their terrorist leaders with sympathetic ones over time. Will it work? Maybe not... but we have to try even if it costs us more.

meanwhile we can watch them closely... and gather intel, while we unplug their life support, one tether at a time...

[wardaddy]

More rainmaking or maybe State Dept. geopolitical concerns or maybe both.

I only see the Israel question solved when the Arabs will to fight is broken.

This PLO office is PR.

Why we allow an office open from a terror group that has killed Americans as well is beyond me.

The Arabs in Israel want peace? They need to act like it.

[Bella_Bru]

I just hope he doesn't try to continue that BS about a "Palestinian state", unless he is talking about Jordan.

[TLBSHOW]

Major Blasts Since '93 Oslo Peace Accords

A list of some of the largest bomb attacks since the Israel-Palestinian peace accord was signed in 1993:

April 6, 1994 - Palestinian parks car rigged with explosives next to bus in Afula, in northern Israel. Nine Israelis killed. Militant Muslim group Hamas claims responsibility.



Oct. 19, 1994 - Palestinian suicide bomber kills 22 Israelis in bus explosion in Tel Aviv. Hamas claims responsibility.

Jan. 22, 1995 -Two Palestinians blow themselves up at the Beit Lod junction in central Israel, killing 21 Israelis. Islamic Jihad claims responsibility.

April 9, 1995 -Two Palestinians blow themselves up outside two Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip, killing seven Israeli soldiers and an American. Hamas and Islamic Jihad claim responsibility.

Feb. 25, 1996 - Palestinian suicide bombers blow up bus in Jerusalem and soldiers' hitchhiking post in coastal city of Ashkelon, killing 24 Israelis, two Americans and a Palestinian. Hamas claims responsibility.

March 3, 1996 - Bus bomb in Jerusalem kills at least 18 people, including six Romanians and two Palestinians. Hamas claimed responsibility.

March 4, 1996 - Suicide bomber blows himself up outside a Tel Aviv shopping center, killing at least 14 people.

July 30, 1997 - Two bombers kill themselves and 15 others in an outdoor Jerusalem market. Leaflet signed by Hamas' military wing claims responsibility.

Sept. 4, 1997 - Three suicide bombs explode, one after the other, in Jerusalem's main outdoor shopping mall, killing 4 people.

June 1, 2001 - Suicide bomber blows himself up outside Tel Aviv nightclub, killing himself and 21 others.

Aug. 9, 2001 - A suicide bomber kills 15 people in Jerusalem pizza restaurant.

Sept. 9, 2001 - The first Israeli-Arab suicide bomber blows himself up at a railroad station in northern Israel, killing three others.

Nov. 29, 2001 - A suicide bomber blows himself up on board a bus on a main highway in Israel's north, killing three passengers. Islamic Jihad claims responsibility for the attack.

Dec. 1, 2001 - Two suicide bombers blow themselves up in back-to-back explosions at a downtown Jerusalem pedestrian mall, killing at least 10 bystanders.

Dec. 2, 2001 - Bomb explodes on bus in northern Israeli city of Haifa, killing at least 14 people.

from internet source........

[wardaddy]

Bump!

[Bella_Bru]

It's f*cking ridiculous. The PLO does not want peace. They want Israel off the map, period. But, I guess some are delusional enough to believe Arafat will call off his suicide bombers as soon as he gets a little land. Yup, he won't want more. He won't allow anymore attacks on Yeshias, cafes, buses, etc., anymore. BS.

[Mo1]

It hasn't worked in the past, and no one can explain to me how it is somehow supposed to work this time, either. It seems to me that we first need to drain the swamps of the terrorists before any meaningful peace process can happen.

It wasn't Bush who dealt with this in the past and as for draining the swamps, Israel seems to be doing that.

Before jumping on Bush, how about we wait to see what the whole plan is.

[TLBSHOW]

bttt

[TLBSHOW]

Here is the plan. There will not be a state for these PLO terrorist! End of story.

[Mo1]

Chill out .. too many times I have seen folks jump all over Bush .. first it was his dealing the the plane in China .. then it was with the first tax cuts, then it was the 2002 elections, then it was PBA, then it was Afgan, then it was N. Korea, then it was Iraq .. I'm sure there are many other examples I could list .. now it seems folks are ready to jump on him about his peace plan with Israel and Palestine

[ZAKJAN]

WHY DO THEY TERRORIZE AND MURDER?? Read below


THE COVENANT OF THE HAMAS - MAIN POINTS


The Covenant of the Islamic Resistance Movement was issued on August

18, 1988. The Islamic Resistance Movement, also known as the HAMAS,

is an extremist fundamentalist Islamic organization operating in the

territories under Israeli control. Its Covenant is a comprehensive

manifesto comprised of 36 separate articles, all of which promote the

basic HAMAS goal of destroying the State of Israel through Jihad

(Islamic Holy War). The following are excerpts of the HAMAS PREAMBLE

'Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it.' (Preamble)

MORE??
http://www.fas.org/irp/world/para/docs/880818a.htm

[Howlin]

Keep telling yourself that.

[Howlin]

The Arabs in Israel want peace? They need to act like it.

Now would be the time, wouldn't it?

As I said, it's all in their hands now.

But what is that quote I've seen around here about Arafat never missing a chance to miss a chance?

[DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet]

He played in the sand box with them and they both kicked his butt like the neighborhood bully.

They kicked his butt? I must have missed that.

And what is it you expect him to do - approach everyone as though he assumes they're an enemy?

[CyberAnt]

Just think about it for a minute.

We're about ready to unleash a "roadmap" for peace between Israel and the PLO. Don't you think it would be a bit more delicate if we have closed down their offices here ...??

It wouldn't look good for us to appear partial to Israel (although we already are), when it comes to asking for the PLO to stop blowing up people in Israel.

Just a thought!

[TLBSHOW]

I am chilled its cold again here! >)

[Howlin]

Speaking of jumpers...

[ping jockey]

Where is this office located. I think a location would be helpful. Maybe a little freepin outside would help to.

[Howlin]

Hopefully, it's next door to the FBI. :-)

Let's ask somebody in the know: kristinn, do you know where this office is?

[Mo1]

Hopefully, it's next door to the FBI. :-)

Where ever the office is .. count on it being carefully watched

[Joe Hadenuf]

Well, we wouldn't want them to have a place we could contact them to talk about peace, would we?

Good one Howlin. And what do you think that they would use to negotiate? After all, they are reasonable people right? Hehehe...