[Ratatoskr]

US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs David Satterfield angered Arabs Friday by saying that the Palestinian Intifada, or uprising against Israel, has become “a process of calculated terror.”

Oops! What he meant to say was "taping explosives to your body and detonating yourself in shopping areas is the sort of thoughtful and mature diplomacy we expect to yield meaningful political results with Israel."

Sorry for any confusion.

[SubSailor]

"Adding Hizbollah and Palestinian militant groups to the US list of terror groups was a “dangerous decision” which could lead to a “Palestinian civil war that will guarantee Israeli occupation” of Palestinian territory, it said."

Maybe we could make them happy by excluding the word "terrorist" from our list. We could just change the name to "List of Soon-To-Be Endangered Species".

[Sender]

?Such a dangerous statement is not a slip of the tongue?

Stating the truth is only dangerous to Hamas, Hizbollah, PFLP etc. As it should be. Put them at the top of the friggin list.

[Nineteen_Kilo]

Jordanian newspapers on Sunday warned that US remarks comparing the Palestinian Intifada to terrorism and Washington's expansion of its list of alleged terror groups will fuel more violence in the Middle East.

Ah-HA! They understand! This will, indeed, lead to more violence in the Middle East. Meted out by B-52s, B-2s, F16s, and, when the dust settles, M1A1s and as the capper, M16s. Couldn't happen to a more deserving lot.

“Such a dangerous statement is not a slip of the tongue,” semi-official newspaper Al Rai said.

No, it certainly is not. THIS administration means what it says.

“It does not contribute to optimism reflected by the administration of US President George W. Bush to support the creation of an independent Palestinian state,” the daily said in an editorial.

I like the idea of a fully independent Palestinian state. Let's carve it out of the western flank of Jordan, right after we restore the Hashemites to power in Saudi Arabia, under an American McArthur-style regency. It'll teach 'em all to a bit more careful about what they wish for.