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Rantings of a Sandmonkey

Be forewarned: The writer of this blog is an extremely cynical, snarky, pro-US, secular, libertarian, disgruntled sandmonkey. If this is your cup of tea, please enjoy your stay here. If not, please sod off

Sunday, January 16, 2005

Things fall apart!

Poor Abu Mazen! Not only did Hamas ruin his Swearing-Inn ceremony by their attack on Israelis, The Israelis decided to revert their position and to cut all ties with him, while 46 members of the Palestinian election commission, including top managers, resigned Saturday, saying they were pressured by Abu Mazen’s campaign and intelligence officials to abruptly change voting procedures during the Jan. 9 presidential poll. Things are looking bad for him indeed, especially because of the Tie cutting that was carried on by the Israeli side all of a sudden, something that I mentioned here that they wouldn’t do and praised them for it, because if they did cut ties they would be playing right in the hands of Hamas, which they now did. Sharon’s reasoning for it was that Al Aqsa Martyr Brigade also declared responsibility of the attack next to Hamas, and they are linked to Fath, which Abu Mazen is its leader. I think this is politically unwise move by Sharon at the moment because he really needs to give Abbas a chance to assert his authority and not look like Israel’s Bitch. Abbas is a new leader, and he needs time to do some House cleaning to get rid of Arafat’s shit stains like Al Aqsa Martyr Brigade. Oh well… It is worth noting that this cutting of all ties caused things to fall apart very rapidly: Violence raged in the Gaza Strip as he took office Saturday. The Israeli army killed eight Palestinians, and militants in Gaza fired homemade rockets at the Israeli town of Sderot, critically wounding a teenage girl. Early Sunday, Hamas militants fired two more rockets at Sderot but no casualties or damage were reported. And then, as if to add insult to injury, Hamas used the resignation of Palestinian officials to blast Abbas’ election, you know, the same election they refused to participate in because they wouldn’t have a majority vote? Hamas also issued a statement early Sunday warning that if there is not an immediate inquiry into the allegations — one that would hold accountable those responsible — it will be seen as an endorsement for future corruption. "These mass resignations put a big question mark on the credibility of the voter turnout and the results," the statement said. You wanna know what kind of irregularities those officials resigned for? They resigned cause they were pressured to keep polls open even longer then usual and for people to be allowed to cast ballots anywhere they wanted. The election officials actually stated that the irregularities don’t cast a doubt on the validity of Abbas’s victory and that their resignation was symbolic more then anything in order to ensure such things don’t happen again. The thing is though, the Palestinians were supposed to vote while having their movement restricted by the Israelis for security purposes. If they didn’t keep some of the polling stations open, many of them wouldn’t be able to vote at all. Anyway, now the question rises again. What will Abbas do now? He should crush Hamas, right? He should show them who is the president of the Palestinian people, right? He should smack them like toothless Whores and show them who is their Daddy, right? Abbas has said repeatedly that he prefers to co-opt the militants rather than crush them. If he fails to end their violence either through negotiations or a crackdown, however, there is little hope for a renewed peace process after four years of Israeli-Palestinian bloodshed. Sigh.. Why Abbas? Why? Kick their asses! They have no respect for you! If you don’t show strength as a leader now they will do as they please in the future and you won’t be able to negotiate anything with Israelis because you will have zero credibility. You have to crush Hamas Abbas. Let me help you get in the spirit of it. Wanna see what they say about you and the peace you say you want to have? "Our current position is against a truce. We are in a situation that does not allow us to accept a truce at this time," Abu Marzouk told The Associated Press. "It's known that Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the Palestinian resistance have carried weapons to defend themselves, to fight (Israeli) aggression and to resist the occupation," he added. "It is unacceptable that (Abbas) demands the Palestinian people remain unarmed." Abbas, Arabs only respect power. If you don’t show it now, and really Kick Hamas’ Butt, you will have no respect by either your people or the Israelis. A man of peace must be strong enough to go to war to get that peace Abbas. You are failing your first test man, and you might not get a chance to make it up!

12 Comments:

At 1/16/2005 08:18:00 AM, Blogger Papa Ray said...

I may just be in a bad mood or slightly drunk this morning, but I can not believe that you think this "new leader" has a chance in hell of doing anything about the "terrorists"(even if he wanted to, which he doesn't).

It was clear even before the election that he had no intention or intentions of doing anything about them or of changing the attitudes or intentions toward Israelites (nothing is going to change that anyway).

The US didn't think so, so why did you think anyone else did. I am sure you hoped something would change but you know you were just kidding yourself.

This is my post

Papa Ray
West Texas
USA

 
At 1/16/2005 09:30:00 AM, Blogger Louise said...

Surely this is one of the most intractable parts of this whole Israeli/Palestinian problem. People are so deeply cynical that they have no hope that things will ever change. I think Abbas should be given a chance and I think Sharon may have made one of the most stupid tactical errors of his career. But Abbas's career is only just started and Israelis have the chance to change their government on a far more regular and predictable basis that the Pals have heretofore ever had. Abbas has a very fine line to tread. If he began cracking the whip even before the election, who's to say he wouldn't have been assassinated. Arafat created a monster. If Abbas is going to tame the monster, the first order of business is to keep out of its mouth.

 
At 1/16/2005 08:47:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Its a desperately tricky situation for Mr Abbas. Fancy volunteering for the post - yikes!

It will be interesting to see if he will try to absorb some of the groups and build up a single combined force, or sideline them. We could have a sweepstake on the time taken for the first group to be declared "illegal" or "against state interests" - how about 3 years...? And any showdown against Hamas would be the final act.

In Afghanistan there has been the same puzzle for Mr Karzai, but after 2 years now he has part of a national army and somewhat reduced the abilities of the other armed groups. Its a long process!

 
At 1/16/2005 10:37:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

God knows the Palestinian people deserve better.
"Yikes" Who in their right mind would want the job...when the distinct advantage is on the side of any intrested party who wants to sabotage peace.

ricardo

 
At 1/16/2005 11:10:00 PM, Blogger Twosret said...

The elections were conducted under “abnormal” conditions for the following reasons:-

Between 11 November 2004 and 6 January 2005, Israel killed 88 Palestinians—one-quarter of whom were children—and injured 339. During the same period, Israel conducted 1,155 raids into Palestinian areas, arrested 901 Palestinians and detained 276. Israel demolished 89 Palestinian homes, imposed 42 curfews and carried out nine assassination attempts resulting in the death of eight Palestinians. Furthermore, Israel continued with the construction of the separation wall around the West Bank and with settlements despite the illegality of both under international law.


Israel did not facilitate the election process. Instead, it complicated the process, especially in East Jerusalem. Checkpoints throughout the West Bank and around Jerusalem remained. Israel limited the number of polling stations within the municipal city limits of East Jerusalem to post offices. Those polling stations could only accommodate 5,767 ballots, forcing the remaining thousands of voters to pass checkpoints in order to get to polling stations outside the city. Israel used other tactics to limit voting in Jerusalem, such as leading Palestinians to believe that their identification cards, which allow them to reside in the city, would be revoked if they participated in the election. Israel delayed voter registration, prevented campaigning in Jerusalem, and arrested campaign officials.

The United Nations estimates that there are about 700 checkpoints in the West Bank—an area slightly larger than Delaware. “Rather than placing pressure on Israel to remove the checkpoints, the international community accommodated the occupation by increasing the number of polling stations,” .In total, more than 3,300 polling stations were established because the checkpoints were not removed. “In the last U.S. presidential elections, there were roughly 410 polling stations in the state of Delaware,”

 
At 1/16/2005 11:11:00 PM, Blogger Twosret said...

Some factors to consider

First, Elections were limited to Palestinians physically residing within the Occupied Territories. Thus, Palestinians voted for a new president of the PA (which has jurisdiction only over the Occupied Territories and the Palestinians living therein), not a new leader per se. “The fact that many Palestinians were not eligible to vote—Palestinian citizens of Israel, Palestinian refugees who do not come under direct Israeli rule—[means that] we are looking at a president who is responsible for a very small percentage of territory,” Even this power is subject to the direct Israeli rule over the territory he was elected to govern.

Another factor which may mediate Abbas’ policies is the 20 percent of support that independent candidate Mustafa Barghouti received. Such is significant given that unlike Abbas, Barghouti did not have the weight of a political party behind him. Abbas will thus have to take into consideration the positions of other candidates on domestic issues.
Thirdly, only 50 percent of Palestinians actually went to the polls. “This could be interpreted as many Palestinians no longer believing in the PA, or 50 percent who have renewed vigor in favor of the PA.” Either way, Palestinians will be looking to president-elect Abbas to pressure Israel to change the quality of their daily life.
81 percent of Palestinians support reconciliation. To maintain the optimism, Israel can do a lot in terms of facilitating Palestinian life, such as removing checkpoints, ending settlement and wall construction, and allowing economic growth. Palestinians must see that the occupation is going to end. Palestinians are aware that there is very little that a president living under occupation can actually do.

 
At 1/16/2005 11:35:00 PM, Blogger Kat said...

First..mr. Abbas has been around for awhile. they don't call him abu mazen for nothing. He was part of the original terrorist network. He just spiffied himself up as opposed to arafat who took delight in his psuedo uniform that always reminded me of hitler with his tailored suit jackets that were psuedo uniform. Putting it into a different package doesn't make it different.

Second, we just aren't as familiar with him because the media and mr. arafat chose mr arafat as the romantic rebel with a cause. The face if you will. doesn't mean that there aren't 50 others running around making this thing happen, then or now.

Abbas, one could wish, would be the rallying point, but he wasn't the number two man in the mafia for nothing.

I predict civil war for Palestine because they are about to be eaten by the thing they created. The many groups will now begin to join into a few larger ones who will struggle for power. Abbas is weak. To get the power, he will have to turn into the real god father and start applying discipline. Not wiping out whole groups, but singling out his opponents and dropping them one by one. In the same manner the mafia would do to consolidate a boss's power after the collapse of the godfather before them.

Either that or he will have to pull off something spectacular against the main enemy, Israel. Not just some attack here or there, but a major concession or a major attack. But, if he does the major attack and takes credit for it, he will bring on something that he most likely did not want to do, preferring to work behind the scenes as only a number two man knows best how to do.

If not, he will go down like a wounded dog among a pack of hungry dogs. Then we will see civil war.

 
At 1/16/2005 11:59:00 PM, Blogger Twosret said...

"Why Abbas? Why? Kick their asses! They have no respect for you! If you don’t show strength as a leader now they will do as they please in the future and you won’t be able to negotiate anything with Israelis because you will have zero credibility. You have to crush Hamas Abbas."

I hear some soccer game cheering....this is not a soccer game by anymeans. No Palestinian leader will have any credibility with the Zionist movement or Sharon. Before Abbas "crackdown" on anyone the roadmap should be in progress. Sharon is not a trustworthy partner of peace. Sharon fought Hamas in Southern Lebanon and they kicked the Sharon Israeli army out of Lebanon. Abbas will be a fool to create any enemy out of Hamas simply because, if he disarm himself Sharon will eat the Palestinian up alive. His reputation surpasses him.

He will offer them the breadcrumbs as a Peace deal and they will have to accept it because Sharon previously destroyed their forces completely.

In my personal opinion, "cracking down" is not the way to peace. Again and Again if Sharon with his tanks and F-16's couldn't defeat Hamas, how can Abbas do it? End of occupation and making the Palestinians life easier is the solution. Sharon leaving office might bring some hope for peace process.

Can someone invent new word for terrorism it is over used and beaten up.

BOARING!

 
At 1/17/2005 12:09:00 AM, Blogger Twosret said...

Sandmonkey,

Farewell my friend, hope your blogging experience will bring you more intellectual inspirations, education, provocative thoughts than it did to me.

Twosret

 
At 1/17/2005 06:19:00 AM, Blogger Louise said...

And another one bites the dust..

 
At 1/17/2005 11:53:00 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Louise oh yeah lovely Lyrics special dedication to Twosret:-

Steve walks warily down the street,
With the brim pulled way down low
Ain’t no sound but the sound of his feet,
Machine guns ready to go
Are you ready, are you ready for this
Are you hanging on the edge of your seat
Out of the doorway the bullets rip
To the sound of the beat

Another one bites the dust
Another one bites the dust
And another one gone, and another one gone
Another one bites the dust
Hey, I’m gonna get you too
Another one bites the dust

How do you think I’m going to get along,
Without you, when you’re gone
You took me for everything that I had,
And kicked me out on my own

Are you happy, are you satisfied
How long can you stand the heat
Out of the doorway the bullets rip
To the sound of the beat

Chorus

Another one bites the dust
Another one bites the dust
Another one bites the dust
Another one bites the dust
There are plenty of ways you can hurt a man
And bring him to the ground
You can beat him
You can cheat him
You can treat him bad and leave him
When he’s down
But I’m ready, yes I’m ready for you
I’m standing on my own two feet
Out of the doorway the bullets rip
Repeating the sound of the beat

 
At 1/17/2005 12:53:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Twosret,

Very good information. We need to hear more of that. I hope you don't feel burnt with the ignorant comments from some racisit kids here.

We need to get a first hand report of the other side of the coin, media is biased everywhere.

I sent you an e-mail. Get back here and keep us informed.

Rick- U.S.A.

 

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