A Tale of Two Countries
Condoleezza Rice has "ruled out" U.S. financial aid to the Palestinian Authority under the new Hamas government, and is calling on other nations to do the same. Rice said:
You cannot be on one hand dedicated to peace and on the other dedicated to violence. Those two things are irreconcilable.
Makes sense. So why, then, is Israel "the largest recipient of US foreign aid," to the tune of about $3 billion a year?
Last week, when Palestinians were, to many Americans, inexplicably electing a solid Hamas majority in the Palestinian Legislative Council, Israeli soldiers were busy dispatching two dangerous Palestinian militants, according to a UK Guardian report.
One was Aya al-Astal, a 9-year-old girl:
[T]he Israeli army later said Aya was behaving in a suspicious manner reminiscent of a terrorist — she got too close to the border fence — and so a soldier fired several bullets into the child, hitting her in the neck and blowing open her stomach.
Aya's mother said:
We have no idea why she went there but she was a child. She was so small. She was nine years old. She didn't wear a hijab. It was clear she was just a young girl. This is hatred.
The other dire threat to the state of Israel was Munadel Abu Aaalia, a 13-year-old boy:
Soldiers near Ramallah shot 13-year-old Munadel Abu Aaalia in the back as he walked along a road reserved for Jewish settlers with two friends. The army said the boys planned to throw rocks at Israeli cars, which the military defines as terrorism.
As the Guardian report notes: "The two killings went unnoticed by the outside world."
Good lord, Buffy, dear. Why would any Palestinian vote for that horrid Hamas? More coffee?
Comments
I find it sooooooooo interesting that our Hypocrite in Chief and his faithful minions talk up the mantra of democracy, but then refuse to deal with legitimate election winners if their philosophies aren't in agreement with ours.
Don't get me wrong - I'm no supporter of Hamas. But they're in, and Fatah (sp?) is fading, and that's the price of free voting. George and Co. are just upset that they can't get the Supreme Court to overrule the results of this election, like they could when that other guy actually won in 2000.
And ya gotta love Condi's statement. Sounds like a rallying cry the Liberals have been shouting since our Humvees first started rollin' toward Baghdad three years ago. Reminds me of something I heard once about a pot and a kettle...
Horrifying tales about the deaths of these two children. Children for God's sake!! I'm a long time supporter of Israel, and it is a fact they Israeli citizens have suffered terrible atrocities at the hands of their Arab enemies for over 5 decades.
But when will the cycle of violence end? When will one side be "the bigger person" and find a mutually beneficial solution to this endless madness?
Posted by: Bob P | January 30, 2006 02:52 PM
Condoleezza Rice has "ruled out" U.S. financial aid to the Palestinian Authority under the new Hamas government, and is calling on other nations to do the same. Rice said: "You cannot be on one hand dedicated to peace and on the other dedicated to violence. Those two things are irreconcilable."
Why, why...WHY?! How can anyone especially Condi, utter such nonsense? Does anyone really believe that Fatah was not in total control of the PLO, and we dealt with Fatah for over a decade!
Arrrggghhhhh!
Posted by: Kvatch | January 30, 2006 03:42 PM
Oh please, they deal with who suits their purposes at a particular time. I love this righteous condemnation and hypocrisy..One day a friend, the next an enemy. This is just the way we conduct foreign policy. Our policy goals are not expressed as a desire to spread democracy and peace, but to protect the strategic and material interests of the US.
Seemingly, in whatever manner that requires.
Don't get between the US and their pipeline!! (oil, my precious)
Posted by: Lily@LoseTheNoose | January 30, 2006 04:57 PM
I'm surprised there still ARE children over there. Haven't they killed them all by now? Both sides?
Posted by: Neil Shakespeare | January 31, 2006 02:59 AM
Good comments, all - thanks.
The situation does seem hopeless. The Israelis deserve their security and the Palestinians deserve their own country. But it's not going to happen anytime soon, and the conflict has had and will continue to have serious repercussions throughout much of the world.
And frankly, we're too one-sided to be of much help.
Posted by: abi | January 31, 2006 08:48 AM