Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Comedy Capers At The Rafah Crossing!

NOTE: Reuter's Photograph shows one of the 'rich' Palestinian families suffering from an embarrassing mechanical problem with their SUV as they go on a shopping visit to Egypt to buy 'luxury' consumer goods!

Since the Hamas Freedom Fighters blew a number of holes in the Rafah security wall there has been a bizarre political dance in progress. America first entered the action by stopping a 100 million dollar aid package to Egypt. This was punishment because Egypt didn't stop the wall being blown up and because it didn't seal the border immediately so that the Israeli blockade of Gaza could continue. Israel huffed and puffed on the sidelines.

Subsequently, many thousands of Palestinians from Gaza entered Egypt and bought food, medicines and fuel from a nearby town to ease their collective suffering. The Egyptians stated that they were sympathetic to their Arab brothers and their plight. So, for several days, the flow continued.

Now Abbas has entered the equation. He is the leader of the Fatah Party which lost the democratic election, remember? Now, since his loss, Israel, America and the West have been courting him, trying to promote him to a position where the Palestinians Authority and Fatah again control the Palestinians. Why? Because he is weak and easily manipulated.

Now comes the irony. Once the border is resealed, a process that has begun, Abbas has kindly offered to control the Rafah crossing between Hamas-controlled Gaza and Egypt. To help him he has agreed that Israel, which controls no Rafah territory, and the E.U. will be allowed to have monitoring rights. This means that a person leaving Gaza at the Rafah crossing has to satisfy the Israelis, the E.U., Hamas, Hamas's bitter rival the Palestinian Authority, and Egypt! That's five different sets of authorities. Re-entering requires the same tortuous process! Comedy capers indeed (except if you're a Palestinian).

The lunacy that prevails in the Middle East is attributable to Israel and America. They play the music and the Palestinians, after forty years of occupation, like caged monkeys, dance till they drop!

How much longer will this human tragedy continue?

Photo Link.

13 comments:

Unknown said...

As long as America and Israel play the tune and the world dances to it. Evil power and control tactics for the collective gain of the dog and the tail that wags it. America promotes democracy and free elections - as long as the vote and "democracy" suits their agenda.

Daniel said...

America uses the word 'democracy' in many different ways, all of them to suit itself, Worried! No need to tell you, I guess.

Falling on a bruise said...

It will go on until America elects a president who is not afraid to stand up to Israel and stops funding them.
Don't know how long that will be but it has to happen one day. Doesn't it?

Daniel said...

No President will be game to stand up to the Jewish Lobby or Israel, Lucy! Or to Big Business, the MSM, or the Christian lobby either.

Anonymous said...

Daniel, are you so blinded?

-The "irony" is seeing a committed atheist who views organised religion with disdain, and in particular religious based right-wing political parties with utter contempt, referring to said ingrates as "Freedom Fighters".

Strange that you've made such an exception to your otherwise rigid stance when it comes to Palestinians and not to others.

-Additionally, perhaps the greater "irony" comes in knowing that you've conveniently skipped over Hamas' illegal act to banish Fatah from the Gaza Strip, after they too were ELECTED in a free democratic vote with seats in the Strip. Suddenly, I suspect, your committment to free Palestinian voting intentions is not so one-eyed when it comes to the rights of that other elected party.

Daniel it sounds rather like you're more "Palestinian" than the Palestinians.

Naturally, of course, each of these issues won't be addressed. Rather it'll be another brush off response by you.

But Daniel, why don't you tell us what you think of Hamas illegally banishing freely elected Fatah politicians representing parts of the Gaza Strip?

-Morover, it is almost comical for the right-wing religious fundamentalists of Hamas to daily launch rockets at the Israeli town of Sderot, and then turn around and whinge for international help when Israel responds.

POSSIBLE SOLUTION: Don't launch rockets.

Michael C said...

"How much longer will this human tragedy continue?"

Daniel do you know of any leadership coming out of Israel that is pushing towards a reconcilation? Regardless of who takes the USA Presidency, without Israeli support for something more than roadmaps, even the new Commander in Chief won't be able to force a settlement.

Daniel said...

Michael, there is no real support for any peace settlement by Israel, not while they're consolidating their brutal stranglehold on the Palestinian Territories. Thanks for calling by.

Possible Solution, Pete? Stop the illegal occupation and the non-stop IDF brutality.

Anonymous said...

"Stop the illegal occupation", Daniel?

The VERY NEXT DAY after Israel withdrew from Gaza in mid-2005 rockets were fired into its sovereign territory.

Is this the price of withdrawal?

If I was Israeli, I'd rather not do it again.

After all, what incentive is there for withdrawing, if you know you'll be attacked with greater danger to your own cities the next day?

This is especially so considering that those launching don't want a withdrawal from the Territories, but to see Israel cease to exist.

Read the Hamas charter Daniel to see that its views on Israel demand its ceasation from existence, clearly diverging from your pre-1967 view. So you really should be more careful who you endorse.

The "Freedom Fighters" from the right-wing religious party don't seek pre-1967 like you Daniel.

Daniel said...

A couple of points, Pete: the hated of Israel by the Palestinians, an understandable hatred (which does generate hit and miss, homemade rockets which cause little damage and even fewer casualties), has arisen as a result of forty years of brutal occupation by Israel of the Palestinians Territories, the further stealing of their land, and the calculated genocide against and humiliation of the Palestinian people.

You reap what you sow!

Frank Partisan said...

Hamas's rockets aren't hitting at the powers of Zionism. They are hurting dark skinned Jews. The rockets give Zionism an excuse, to continue oppress Palestine.

The best thing Israelis and Palestinians can do, is turn their guns on their leaders, Zionism, Islamism and being a lackey to the US, will not solve anything.

Daniel said...

I've been saying for a long time, Renegade, that the Palestinians will only get that which they fight for! Cheers.

Anonymous said...

Daniel,

-- Those rockets cause few casualties not through lack of trying.

Just because Israelis have, over so many years of bombardment in the south and the north, developed an efficient system of red alert alarms and public bunkers for people to rush into is a strange way to declare the Qassam rockets as obselete. Rather, the Israeli Home Front is better organised.

-- In fact, I thought you'd see the point that ESPECIALLY because the rockets aren't killing so many people (not through lack of trying), perhaps they are therefore proving even MORE useless for the Palestinians.

Think about it.

By firing them, they are not achieving the desired "objective" (dead Israeli civilians), AND yet still endure the retaliation. It's lose-lose, isn't it?

What a price to pay for failure to hit anything.

Don't you feel guilty in encouraging them to continue, knowing full well that not only will the Israelis concede absolutely nothing under fire, but will also fire back?

Really, how can you sit back in sunny Australia and so easily condemn the Palestinians to such a fruitless and costly endeavour? It is they who suffer the response, not you.

Daniel, you say that "the Palestinians will only get that which they fight for".

They haven't really got that much from their 40 years of fighting, have they?

Perhaps if they took the Egyptian route (1977-81), or Jordanian path (1994), they might find that NOT firing achieves more results than firing and hitting nothing.

Daniel said...

Pete, it never ceases to amaze me, the way your mind works. For starters, Egypt and Jordan were not under Israeli occupation. The Palestinians are! And as an occupied people they are entitled to fight against their occupiers.

And given what Israelis are by nature and by religion, the Palestinians will get absolutely nothing unless they fight for it!

Cheers.

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