The Conundrum, Part 4

President Bush spoke of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in his speech at the UN and continues to hold to a two-state solution:

The world must also stand up for peace in the Holy Land. I'm committed to two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security. I'm committed to a Palestinian state that has territorial integrity and will live peacefully with the Jewish state of Israel.

This is the vision set forth in the road map, and helping the parties reach this goal is one of the great objectives of my presidency.

The Palestinian people have suffered from decades of corruption and violence and the daily humiliation of occupation. Israeli citizens have endured brutal acts of terrorism and constant fear of attack since the birth of their nation.

Many brave men and women have made the commitment to peace, yet extremists in the region are stirring up hatred and trying to prevent these moderate voices from prevailing.

The struggle is unfolding in the Palestinian territories.

Earlier this year, the Palestinian people voted in a free election. The leaders of Hamas campaigned on a platform of ending corruption and improving the lives of the Palestinian people, and they prevailed.

The world is waiting to see whether the Hamas government will follow through on its promises or pursue an extremist agenda.

The world has sent a clear message to the leaders of Hamas: Serve the interests of the Palestinian people, abandon terror, recognize Israel's right to exist, honor agreements that work for peace.

President Abbas is committed to peace and to his people's aspirations for a state of their own.

Prime Minister Olmert is committed to peace and has said he intends to meet with President Abbas to make real progress on the outstanding issues between them.

I believe peace can be achieved and that a democratic Palestinian state is possible.

I hear from leaders in the region who want to help.

I directed Secretary of State Rice to lead a diplomatic effort to engage moderate leaders across the region to help the Palestinians reform their security services and support Israeli and Palestinian leaders in their efforts to come together to resolve their differences.

Prime Minister Blair has indicated that his country will work with partners in Europe to help strengthen the governing institutions of the Palestinian administration. We welcome his initiative.

Countries like Saudi Arabia and Jordan and Egypt have made clear they're willing to contribute the diplomatic and financial assistance necessary to help these efforts succeed.

I'm optimistic that, by supporting the forces of democracy and moderation, we can help Israelis and Palestinians build a more hopeful future and achieve the peace in the Holy Land we all want.

Freedom, by its nature, cannot be imposed.

The world might have sent a message to Hamas, but Hamas refuses to bend to international will. It continues to pursue its genocidal agenda against Israel, and it cannot even manage a charade of a unity government with Fatah because Hamas followers aren't willing to cede the point. Meeting with Abbas might be seen as supporting Palestinian moderates, but moderate is such a relative term here since Fatah is also dedicated to Israel's destruction. The difference is the timeframe.

The Palestinian version of freedom of the press is a wee bit different than our version. Gunmen, who Fatah officials say were Hamas thugs, ransacked the Wafa newspaper, and injured a journalist at the paper.

Eyewitnesses said about five gunmen participated in the attack. Amr al-Fara, head of Wafa's bureau in Khan Younis, was taken to hospital with moderate wounds, they added.

"The attackers destroyed all the computers and laptops in the office," said a local reporter. "Before they left, they sprayed graffiti on the wall accusing the agency of not being objective."

In a statement, Wafa, which is under the jurisdiction of the office of PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas, condemned the assault as a "murderous crime and an offence on the freedom of expression." The agency did not hold any party responsible for the attack, but urged the PA security forces to do their utmost to arrest the perpetrators and bring them to trial.

Khan Yunis governor Osama al-Farra strongly condemned the attack, saying it reflected the continued state of anarchy and lawlessness in PA-controlled areas.

Who exactly is responsible for the governance of the PA controlled areas? That would be Fatah and Hamas, who both comprise the Palestinian Authority. Abbas and Haniyeh are ultimately responsible for the security situation in Gaza, and neither has shown any interest in improving security since both are too busy fighting each other for control of the PA. While Abbas pays lip service to the need to improve security, Haniyeh is focused on Hamas' war with Israel as though everything else is secondary.

The Palestinians continue firing rockets into Israel from Gaza. No sign that they're going to stop anytime soon. At this point, it seems that this level of rocket fire is now background noise, and doesn't affect the diplomatic or security posture of Israel or the Palestinians.

The Egyptians say that they're going to bring Gilad Shalit home. Again, we've been hearing this for weeks now, and there's no end in sight to this crisis.

The UN wants more information from Israel on its usage of cluster munitions. Expect a report to come out attacking Israel's use of those weapons in urban areas. The UN says that Israel dropped 350,000 cluster weapons in its 34-day war with Hizbullah in Lebanon.

Children injured by Hamas are suing to recover assets held by the terror group. Good luck with that.

Regarding Lebanon, President Bush had this to say:

To the people of Lebanon, last year you inspired the world when you came out into the streets to demand your independence from Syrian dominance.

You drove Syrian forces from your country and you reestablished democracy.

Since then, you have been tested by the fighting that began with Hezbollah's unprovoked attacks on Israel. Many of you have seen your homes and your communities caught in crossfire.

We see your suffering and the world is helping you to rebuild your country and helping you deal with the armed extremists who are undermining your democracy by acting as a state within a state.

The United Nations has passed a good resolution that has authorized an international force, led by France and Italy, to help you restore Lebanese sovereignty over Lebanese soil.

For many years, Lebanon was a model of democracy and pluralism and openness in the region. And it will be again.

One can only hope that the UN actually enforces UN SCR 1701, instead of talking about how well written the resolution is. Bush has to know that implementation is the key, not that the UN resolution was good. The Lebanese people need to see Hizbullah disarmed and the UN live up to its commitments. Anything less would be a failure for Lebanon, Israel, and the UN.

Israeli forces will be completely withdrawn from Lebanon by the weekend, and French and other international forces will step into the breach.

So far Hizbullah seems to be honoring the truce, but it remains to be seen whether they lay down their arms as per UN SCR 1701. I'm not holding my breath.

A brand new Islamic terror group in the territories is now threatening Christians with jihad because of the Pope's statements.

A previously unknown group calling itself the Huda [Guidance] Army Organization threatened on Tuesday to target all Christians living in the Gaza Strip unless Pope Benedict XVI apologized for his remarks against Islam and the Prophet Muhammed.

"We will target all Crusaders in the Gaza Strip," the group said in a leaflet, "until the pope issues an official apology."

Te group also threatened to attack churches and Christian-owned institutions and homes. "All centers belonging to Crusaders, including churches and institutions, will from now on be targeted," it said. "We will even attack the Crusaders as they sit intoxicated in their homes."

The group said preparations had been completed "to strike at every Crusader and infidel on the purified land of Palestine." It also threatened "to strike with an iron fist anyone who dares to defend the Crusaders."

Just what Gaza needs - another Islamic terrorist group. As if al Qaeda, Hamas, Fatah, and PIJ were insufficient.

Technorati: terrorism, fatah, Gilad, Shalit, Olmert, Eliyahu, Asheri, Ashri, Abbas, Regev, Goldwasser, PRC, Hamas, Gaza, palestinian, Israel, hizbullah, hezbullah, hezbollah, lebanon, syria.