Captain's Quarters has the news that the Palestinian Authority, under its new leader Mahmoud Abbas, has been arresting members of Islamic Jihad in response to attacks against Israelis. Is this a sign that the Palestinian leader is not only interested in but capable of moving his people toward peace? The Captain is doubtful, and the Yahoo News article he links to doesn't encourage the reader.
The biggest crackdown on militants since Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas took office a year ago has netted only low-level operatives, and some suspect the goal is to appease the United States and Israel rather than crush the militant group.
At the same time, analysts and Israeli security officials said the arrests have sent an important message to the Palestinians — and Israelis — that militant groups can no longer operate with impunity.
The latter looks like State Department Speak: when someone doesn't really do anything promising, he is always nonetheless sending promising messages. Except in this case its coming from the Israelis.
Further evidence that Abbas is unserious, or what amounts to the same thing, that his hands are tied by political realities, comes from this piece in Little Green Footballs. LGF links to Arutz Sheva, which has the story:
The head of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, has approved a new law, providing monetary grants to the families of suicide bombers. Abbas gave his approval just six days ago, a day before a suicide bomber struck the HaSharon Mall in Netanya, killing five Israelis and wounding scores of others.
The legislation refers to the suicide terrorists as shahids (martyrs), a term generally applied to a person who dies in an operation fighting against Israel. Under the new law, the terrorist’s family will be paid a base sum of $250 per month. The law takes into account extended family arrangements commonplace in Arab societies. The families of married terrorists are entitled to an additional $50 per month, and $15 are added for each child, $25 for each parent, and $15 for each brother who lived with the terrorist prior to his death.
Exactly what kind of message does that send? And then there is this from the Washington Post:
RAMALLAH, West Bank -- The Palestinian central election commission shut its doors Tuesday in protest after masked gunmen burst into its West Bank and Gaza offices, firing in the air and hauling off computers _ jeopardizing next month's parliamentary election, the first in a decade.
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas ordered his security forces to protect election workers, but officials privately conceded that violence could endanger the Jan. 25 vote _ seen as a key to establishing a credible government that could conduct peace talks with Israel.
The sad truth of the matter is that the Palestinian leadership at all levels is so thoroughly corrupt that almost nothing good can be expected from it. It has been corrupted most of all by decades of Arafat's gangsterism. But that gangsterism would scarcely have been possible without the millions constantly poured into PLO coffers from the concerned nations of the world. When you keep giving these folks dough in spite of the worst kinds of behavior, well that sends a pretty clear message too. Only if we were willing to cut off all the money would there be a real chance for peace. But the international community would be horrified by the very suggestion.
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