Confilicting messages about Hamas

Nach angaben einer eher wenig ausgefeilen Analyse israelsicher Sicherheitsdienste hat die Hamas ein Kriterium für eine "major Israeli operation" erfüllt. Wenig ausgefeilt, weil es doch eher um die Menge des gelagerten Sprengstoffes geht und nicht um produzierte Raketen. Auch solche Thesen When firing rockets is politically inconvenient, Hamas hands them over to smaller organizations such as the Islamic Jihad, various Fatah factions and the Popular Resistance Committees to launch them in its place basieren wohl eher auf Gerüchten. Daneben wird dieses Gerücht verbreitet: Hamas is making efforts to reach a ceasefire with Israel in the Gaza Strip, London-based newspaper Al-Quds al-Arabi reported Saturday. According to the report, senior Hamas officials are attempting to dissuade militants from firing Qassam rockets and mortar shells from the Strip into southern Israel in efforts to prevent a wide Israel Defense Forces ground operation in the Hamas-ruled territory. Der zitierte Maan-Bericht: Hamas may be in the final days of its control of the Gaza Strip, sources told Ma'an on Friday. Dialogue between Fatah and Hamas has reached "a moment of decisiveness" and Hamas has contacted Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Ramallah-based government, calling for a return to a national unity government, the sources said.

Seltsame Klimmzüge sind von der US-Politk zu vermelden: Israeli plans to build more than 300 new homes in the disputed east Jerusalem neighborhood of Har Homa won't help efforts to build confidence with the Palestinians under the revived Middle East peace process, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Friday. "We're in a time when the goal is to build maximum confidence between the parties and this doesn't help to build confidence," Rice told reporters after a meeting with Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni on the sidelines of a NATO meeting. "Secretary of State Rice should be blessed for her efforts in the relaunching of the peace process," Ze'ev Boim -Housing Minister- said, "but it cannot be that on every occasion this [peace process] will be tied together with the cessation of construction in Jerusalem." Klartext redet man jedoch anderswo: US Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Saturday dismissed the accusation that the United States applied a double standard on the nuclear issue by supporting Israel while calling for Iran to abandon uranium enrichment. "Israel is not training terrorists to subvert its neighbors. It has not shipped weapons into a place like Iraq to kill thousands of innocent civilians covertly." Eine recht krankhafte Rechtsauslegung. Derweil meldet sich Ephraim Sneh, Labor, zu Wort: Der Iran-Bericht der NIE sei "very flawed". Zuvor hatte Lt. Gen. John Sattler, Joint Staff Director im Pentagoon erklärt das der Bericht die Sichtweise des Pentagoons nicht verändert habe. Nochmal ausführlicher Gates, dessen beißender Zynismus genug darüber aussagt wie frustriert die Bush-Gang über den nIE-Bericht sein muß: Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates declared today that Iran is a grave threat to regional security, even without nuclear weapons, and called on Tehran to account for the full range of intelligence describing its support for terrorism and instability around the world. Für Condi Rice jedoch hat Isabel Kershner eine Antowrt gefunden: "Despite Israeli pledges, rouge settlements in West Bank continue" Schön das man Har Homa hat um die eigentlichen Ereignisse zu überdecken. Und achja, Livni hat mal wieder die Lacher auf ihre Seite: Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said Friday she has no doubt Iran is still pursuing nuclear arms. [Es gab ja mal eine Diskussion, ob diese Unfähigkeit mit wechselnden Analysen umgehen zu können am Verhältnis zu ihrem Vater liegt. Wie auch immer. BEVOR sie nach Brüssel geht hat sie einen vernünftigen Vorschlag im Gepäch. Auf dem Weg dahin die urdumme "NATO-Nahostmissionsidee" und jetzt "keine Zweifel" am iranischen Atomwaffenprogramm. Amateurhaft.]

Etwas sonderbar: Only a small minority of settlers would leave their West Bank homes voluntarily if the government were to pay them compensation, a poll revealed Friday. Earlier this week, Defense Minister Ehud Barak endorsed a proposal to offer cash to settlers living on the eastern side of the separation fence Israel is building along and inside the West Bank. Barak reasons it could reduce forced evacuations if Israel reaches a peace accord with the Palestinians and agrees to cede West Bank land. Solange die Sache "privat" behandelt wird ist die Mehrheit willig. Kaum ist es ernsthaft in der Knesset nur noch eine Minderheit. Würde ich auch so machen. Sehr nett hingegen diese Gechichte: Palestinian and left-wing activists built a mock "Palestinian outpost" in the West Bank on Saturday to protest ongoing settlement expansion.

Yoel Marucs, "The difference between Olmert and Sharon is that Sharon was a celebrated general and defense minister who misled his prime minister, while Olmert, an inexperienced prime minister with a clown for defense minister was duped by Dan Halutz, a chief of staff who strutted around like God personified and led them straight into a surreal bloodbath."