News – Musing Israel and Palestine
Middle East
Regardless of western isolation, the new Hamas led Palestinian government gets to work. After all, work has to be done or it just piles up, eh? Salaries have to be paid. Looks like they’ll be getting aid from Algeria, Russia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates to do that, since Israel and the US are intent on letting poverty ravage the country.
All things considered, I think Hamas is conducting itself with a decorum that few give it credit for. No, they haven’t renounced violence and so forth, but no one seems to notice or mention(except at the bottom of most articles on the subject), that Hamas has been adhering to a year long ceasefire and has done no attacks since then. That much shows that they have discipline and aren’t entirely against peace. It shows potential, if someone were willing to exercise it. But instead, the US leads by poor example again, in my opinion.
Sadly, Hamas seems to be shifting back a little, as it gives an ultimatum that it will return to armed resistance if Israel doesn’t come to the table to discuss peace and stop grabbing up more land. But even in this there is order. Case in point: Hamas declared a ceasefire more than a year ago and has renewed it for another year. But Mahmoud Ramahi, Hamas’s spokesman in the Palestinian parliament, said Palestinians had the right to renew hostilities within the West Bank if the occupation continued, although he ruled out a renewal of suicide attacks within Israel. Such attacks were part of a policy of retaliation for the killing of Palestinian civilians by the Israeli army, a policy which had now ended, he said.
If Olmert cares about peace, he should come to the table. That is all. I don’t say he should accept everything Hamas demands, nor that Hamas should accept everything that he demands. But they need to take this to the discussion table, if only to stave off violence.
Mr Ramahi(Hamas spokesman) said: “We have been observing the elections very carefully because they affect us directly. We hope they will change their policies towards us. So far we have heard some positive things and there has been a change in rhetoric from the campaign but there is still the questions of ‘who is a partner for peace’. They said [Yasser] Arafat was not a partner for peace, then [Palestinian president] Mahmoud Abbas and now Hamas. I can only imagine that their ideal partner is another Israeli.”
International Papers peer at the results of Israel’s election.
Jill Carroll is released by her captors. Strange that they would, it seems, just let her go. And in good health.
New Israeli PM Olmert isn’t being picky about who can join his coalition government. But can he handle having the more extreme right-wing parties in his cadre? Especially when it comes to the settler issue. I guess we’ll see what he’s got soon enough.
Europe
British kids set up an Irish company to import torture tools and show officials now easy it is to bypass Britain’s arms controls. Give them kids a job, they obviously know their stuff. I wouldn’t mind having them watching my back.
North America
Polls say that American worries about energy are nearing the height of their worry about the Iraq War. I wouldn’t be surprised. Considering how beholden we are to the likes of Saudi Arabia and the heights to which gas prices have risen and lingered for the last few years, anyone should be rightly concerned. At this rate $2.50 gas will slowly become the new standard.
Jack Abramoff gets a 6 year prison sentence for fraud, specifically dealing with the purchase of a Florida casino cruise line.
US lawmakers point out the lack of a coordinated disaster recovery plan for Washington DC. Naturally. If we don’t have plans for New Orleans, how can you expect they’ll have one for DC? One of the saddest things about our nation is the lack of plans when it comes to disasters and catastrophes. We have to get hit by one before people think to be prepared.
What’s next in the buying and selling of America? Why, our toll roads, of course. Need quick cash? Lease a toll road to a foreign company and let them grow steadily fat off the tolls while maintaining and improving the road.
General
Apple at 30: Three decades of interesting and not so interesting gear and the Best of Wired on Apple
Explainer talks about drug disposal.
The Blogs look at the arrest of former Liberian president Charles Taylor, a historical curtain call for Likud in the recent Israeli election and experience a muted vicarious thrill in the neocon family feud between Charles Krauthammer and Francis Fukuyama.
We classify people according to little more than their religious identity at our own peril. Looking at a group of people as the same, based upon one trait, has ever and will ever be foolishness. Yet we too often do this.
Today’s Papers has a feature examining the racial undertones to the outcry against San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds, that officials in the dictatorial paradise of Belarus plan to arrest and prosecute two of the losing candidates from last week’s bogus presidential election on charges of march-holding and rabble-rousing, former federal prosecutor was indicted on charges that he concealed evidence that would have helped the defense’s case in a 2003 terrorism trial and more in the one page news.
Amusements
Thieves trying to steal animals from Australian zoo discover that koalas aren’t the cute, cuddly little buggers everyone thinks they are
Man paints his car in protest after police cite him for parking his boat on his yard(with pic)
Democrats promise to “eliminate” bin Laden if elected. Also, gas will be a nickel, and hot supermodels will want sleep with you, even though you are doughy and broke. Whatver you want. Just vote for them
Teenagers caught playing truant after neighbor spots “burglar” climbing through next door’s window. “She wasn’t looking at school books, she was in bed with her boyfriend and was presumably learning something else”
Man scammed out of $14 million after email deal with wife of the son of the prince of Niger. No, really
Lexington, KY. police officer in trouble over MySpace page, on which he boasts of arresting country singer and makes fun of retarded kids
The rock band sued by a minimalist composer for including 60 seconds of “copyrighted” silence on their album, and other farked-up tales of this country’s farked-up intellectual property law
Hooters Air is taking its boobies and going home after discovering that the airline business does in fact suck
Man mentally competent enough to pass himself off as a record producer deemed mentally incompetent to stand trial. “Florida” tag trumps “Obvious”
When it comes to this burrito joint, “The percentage of people who come in stoned out of their bejesus is less than it was in the ’70s and ’80s.” The times they are a changin’
You know what you’d get if you were caught doing 101 mph in a 70-mph zone. Care to guess what the lt. governor of South Carolina got?
Two teens face child pornography charges for posting nude pictures of themselves on MySpace
Democrats attack Republicans as having no National Security plan. Release plan with no details which is attacked by Republicans. American public seen banging head against a table
Kansas City decides to solve traffic congestion problem by having motorists briefly switch to driving on the wrong side of the road, then switch back. What could possibly go wrong?
Condoleezza Rice: “Hey let’s check out that mosque”. Muslims “Suck it”
Not News: 45 year old man appointed highway superintendent in NY. News: He still lives with his parents. Fark.com: In a treehouse with an elevator, shower and propane heater
Fark Photoshop Challenge: Photoshop these CHP cycles
Fark Photoshop Challenge: Photoshop this Renaissance man
Fark Photoshop Challenge: Photoshop this cheerleader and her six pack