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Lately, Israeli news provider Ynet has been providing me with some really, really shocking news. Israeli left-wing peace pigeon supporting settlements, Egyptians on gov’t payroll smuggling guns and FBI getting to far-reaching conclusions. Boy, is this world a shocking place.
Okay, so the shocking news number one are the Israeli vice PM Shimon Peres - who was one of the fathers of the 1993 Oslo peace agreements between the Israelis and the Palestinians that lead to hundreds of Israelis killed and creation of a terrorist autonomy right beside Israel - said in a London press-conference that settlements are likely to be expanded:
Israel cannot be punished twice…The settlers’ children cannot be stopped from building their homes.
It took Peres a while to change his mantra, as over a year ago the tune was different:
JERUSALEM, May 27 (AFP) - Israel must dismantle more settlements in the occupied West Bank after removing all soldiers and Jewish settlers from the Gaza Strip, Deputy Prime Minister Shimon Peres said Friday.
“Facts will not allow Israel to rest on its laurels after the Gaza pullout, we must evacuate other settlements,” said Peres, one day after US President George W. Bush called on Israel to dismantle illegal outposts in the West Bank.
Shimon Peres supporting settlers? Geez, the times are different if the patriarch of the Oslo agreements supports something clearly violating them. Another questions - which is even more interesting - is where exactly Olmert and his government are leaning now. Peres probably didn’t voice just his opinion - he wouldn’t speak this way without consulting with Olmert first. It will be interesting to see if this is Olmert’s new politics. After all, PM that won the election by promoting a realignment plan - by which Israel will unilaterally move out of the West Bank (moving out all army bases and all settlements) - suddenly putting the plan not only on hold, but maybe practically canceling it - looks like a major turn in Israeli politics. When Kadima party was created it was based on sort-of Sharon’s legacy - removing Israelis from their homes by force - and the major idea was to withdraw from the West Bank. Now that the idea is put on indefinite hold, the party is likely to either disband itself or at the very least get less Knesset seats in the next elections, as there is nothing more to hold the party members together.
And now to the more “shocking” news. At the same day of Peres’ talk mentioned above, Ynet reported on a new and shocking Federal Bureau of Investigations finding: Hezbollah still a threat:
US Counterterrorism officials on Thursday testified that Hizbullah’s capable, well-trained fighters continue to threaten the survival of Lebanon’s government, Israel and US interests around the world.
Is this not shocking? Who could’ve thought an organization fighting Israel and killing its people for six and a half years after Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon and actively helping groups like Hamas and Islamic Jihad (not to mention its current intentions to re-build its armed forces and be ready to fight Israel again) - would be a deadly threat? But it only gets better - as Hezbollah supporters have quite valid ways of gaining money for their Lebanese friends:
Hizbullah sympathizers in the United States, Kavanagh [Counterterrorism official with the Federal Bureau of Investigation] said, have laundered money, trafficked drugs and engaged in bank and credit card fraud.
Iran’s money is not enough anymore? I think it’s easily understandable where did Hezbollah have all that money to give away to people after the Israel-Lebanon war - obviously a step to gain support over Lebanese government.
And last, but not less shocking (!) is Egyptian policemen smuggling weapons into Gaza strip for the Palestinian terrorists:
The policemen were handing over the weapons to the Palestinians, when Egyptian authorities interrupted the deal and arrested them, the officials said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
The ammunition was stolen from Egyptian stockpiles, while the grenades were provided by local Bedouin, the officials said. The plan was to smuggle the weapons into Gaza through tunnels or through the Rafah border crossing, the officials added.
Apparently, this isn’t the first case of Egyptian security forces helping their Palestinian brothers:
NEVE DEKALIM, Gaza – Some Egyptian soldiers stationed at the Sinai-Gaza border have been bribed by Palestinians to allow weapons to be smuggled from Egypt into the nearby Rafah refugee camp, the security chief for Gaza’s Jewish communities told WND in an exclusive interview.
It isn’t surprising for Israeli soldiers serving on the Egyptian-Israeli border prior to the 2005 disengagement. In one, Israeli newspaper in russian “Vesti” printed IDF officer’s testimony where the officer says after blowing up a Palestinian smuggling tunnel, the smoke came out of the other end of the tunnel on the Egyptian side - from the Egyptian soldiers’ outpost. Smuggling through Israel-Egypt border been going for years, with Egyptian forces doing nothing on the subject. Where does the surprise come from then?
Israel pulled out of Gaza last year, turning control of the coastal strip’s borders over to Palestinian and Egyptian officials. Since then, Israel has said smuggling of weapons and explosives across the Egypt-Gaza border has increased considerably.
And why wouldn’t it? The border is clear now from the Zionist occupants, and Mubarak’s soldiers won’t do much to stop their brothers from fighting the enemy. Anyone else has any illusions on a soon-coming peace in the Middle East through withdrawals?
From TacticalSniper’s Blog.