Israel says road map goes with Abbas resignation

Jerusalem Post ^ | Sep. 6, 2003 | HERB KEINON

[yonif]

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's Office responded to Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas's resignation Saturday by saying Israel would not accept a situation where the PA is controlled by Yasser Arafat or someone who does his bidding.

At the same time, Israeli diplomatic said the move is likely just a tactical maneuver by Abbas.

While one official said Abbas resigned in order to bring massive international pressure on Arafat to take him back and give him real power, other officials said it was a tactical move to get Israel and the US to reduce pressure on Abbas to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure.

"This is the only first scene in the first play," one official in the Prime Minister's Office said. "It is a show. They are trying to show the Americans they are having all kinds of problems, and that they need more time to get organized."

The official said that the attempted assassination of the Hamas' leadership in Gaza Saturday is a message that Israel is not willing to give the PA any more time to dismantle the terror infrastructure. "We have said that if the PA does not take action against Hamas we will do so, and we mean what we say," the official said.

One senior diplomatic official said if Abbas does indeed leave the scene, he will be taking the road map with him since Israel signed on to this plan with the understanding that Abbas would be the partner, not Arafat. Israel will not proceed with the road map if Arafat or someone doing his bidding is calling the PA's shots, the official said.

"The problem is that Abbas is committed to the road map and the Aqaba summit, and wants to pursue a course of action that will lead to a two-state solution, while Arafat represents the strategy of terror," the official said.

The official said the choice for the Palestinians is between the road map and a two-state solution, or Arafat, terror, and no Palestinian state.

"The Palestinians have to choose a different strategy," the official said. "Now they are choosing Arafat, and will get nothing but Arafat stuck inside his Ramallah compound."

The official warned that if Arafat, who he said has done everything possible to undermine Abbas, overplays his hand, Israel will once again debate whether to expel Arafat, and the US may then be willing to "remove its protective shield."

[Timesink]

Well, I'm shocked.

[yonif]

While one official said Abbas resigned in order to bring massive international pressure on Arafat to take him back and give him real power, other officials said it was a tactical move to get Israel and the US to reduce pressure on Abbas to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure.

"This is the only first scene in the first play," one official in the Prime Minister's Office said. "It is a show. They are trying to show the Americans they are having all kinds of problems, and that they need more time to get organized."

EXACTLY

[Joe Boucher]

If ararat is unwilling to dismantle the terror groups then Israel should do as they have been for the last few weeks, when they get reliable info on the location of one of the leaders of the murders they should use whatever means to take them out.

[tubavil]

"We have said that if the PA does not take action against Hamas we will do so, and we mean what we say," the official said.

Massive credibility gap.

[SandRat]

One senior diplomatic official said if Abbas does indeed leave the scene, he will be taking the road map with him since Israel signed on to this plan with the understanding that Abbas would be the partner, not Arafat. Israel will not proceed with the road map if Arafat or someone doing his bidding is calling the PA's shots, the official said.

Looks more to me that the Road Map and Abbas were the equivalent of the 7th time the Armies under Joshua marched around Jericho. The Abbas departure ends that 7th March. The Torah and the Old Testament tell us what happened next. I suspect that the Judeo/Christian history will once again be repeated.

[July 4th]

Now we need to get rid of Arafat. That is step #1 in "dismantling the terrorist infrastructure."

[marron]

The road map never had a chance, but this makes it explicit.

Abbas's failure owes to simple reality, and to Arafat. Reality and Arafat must both be dealt with.

I personally liked Israel's earlier Arafat policy, and I think they should immediately return to it. Immediately, not waiting for yet another atrocity, they should roll back in and place his entire office block under house arrest. All communications to the outside world should be cut. They can deliver groceries to the door.

And Israel should then simply refuse all comment on the subject. Arafat is in prison, he will remain there until he dies. End of story.

Separate from this, they should choose a defensible border, and seal it. Anyone who can't live in peace should simply be expelled from the territory. The idea that this might provoke a reaction from the Arab world is silly; they are at war now, Israelis are dying now, confronting their enemies openly and frankly can only improve matters. The EU won't like it, the UN won't like it, but they are never going to back Israel no matter what they do. Get over it.

[owl]

Why don't the Palestinians get smart and renounce all aspirations for statehood and independence. Instead, they should announce their desire to live in peace under an enlightened democratic Israeli government in a unified state where all residents enjoy full and equal citizenship rights.

[ridesthemiles]

Do I get to tamper with the "groceries delivered to the door"? Why shoud anyone feed this jerk? He is responsible for more deaths than more well known trouble-makers in all of history.
Give all of Isreal all of the weapons and ammo they need, and start a clean streets movement. Wipe them out.

[EGPWS]

Why don't the Palestinians get smart....

I don't even know where to start with a reply for THAT one.

[yonif]

Instead, they should announce their desire to live in peace under an enlightened democratic Israeli government in a unified state where all residents enjoy full and equal citizenship rights.

Israeli Arabs have equal rights to Israeli Jews. The Arabs living in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza number about 3.5M. If they were to become Israeli citizens, in addition to the already 1.5 Arabs in Israel already, there goes your Jewish character to Israel.

[EGPWS]

While one official said Abbas resigned in order to bring massive international pressure on Arafat to take him back and give him real power, other officials said it was a tactical move to get Israel and the US to reduce pressure on Abbas to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure.

If this IS the case, I hope Abbas has "hi capacity lungs" for he will be holding his breath for quite some time.

[cake_crumb]

Will the left ever admit that Yasser is the PROBLEM? Nope. Even after the bloody decades of his reign of terror, the left loves Yasser. Yasser the terrorist.

[cake_crumb]

"Why don't the Palestinians get smart and renounce all aspirations for statehood and independence."

Simple: they'd ruin over 50 years worth of convenient "Zionist Occupation" propaganda and bring down the entire political power structure of the Arab world.

[Maigrey]

As much as this would be a reasonable solution, the Palestinians want their own power, and to subjugate the Israelis to submission. The Israeli's won't submit, so there is now a power struggle.

[LaGrone]

Don't deliver the sardines to Arafat. However, may he sleep with the fishes!!

[birg]

Should the Israeli Arabs be deported then? To make the state more homogenous?

[veronica]

Buh bye..."road map."

[river rat]

""Why don't the Palestinians get smart and renounce all aspirations .....

Because they aren't smart..
They're simply brain washed, hate filled murderous cockroaches....

The true roadmap to peace - starts over the grave of Arafat and his militant lunatic thugs....

Semper Fi