Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Scott Wilson reports on an Edict in Trouble
It’s been awhile since I commented on a Scott Wilson report from Israel but his most recent report deserves something: 13 Palestinians Killed in Israeli Operations
“Most of those killed, Palestinian health officials said, belonged to militias that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas of the secular Fatah party is moving to disarm following the intense factional fighting earlier this month that left Gaza in the hands of Hamas.”
And how is President Abbas moving to disarm them? He “…issued a decree disbanding all Palestinian militias, including the one affiliated with his own party…”
…about which Scott Wilson thoughtfully notes, “…it is unclear what effect the edict will have in Gaza.”
Well, unless Mr. Wilson can conjure up a realistic scenario whereby there is a chance that Hamas militants, having just kicked around armed militia loyal to President Abbas, are going to reconsider their actions now that they are faced with an ‘edict’ from President Abbas, I’m going to risk looking stupid and guess the edict will have no effect. Actually I’m not taking that big a risk because apparently no one is expected to take the edict seriously.
“"It's madness what's going on," said Yasser Abed Rabbo, a senior adviser to Abbas. "It gives all the militias in Gaza an excuse to reject Abbas's decree to dissolve them and collect their weapons. No one will abide by it now."
And who is the one responsible for providing the militias with this easy out? Loyal Scott Wilson readers have probably already guessed:
“But Abbas advisers said Wednesday that Israel's military operation undermined the president's ability to disarm the militias in the West Bank and Gaza, where Hamas leaders are running a parallel government after refusing to recognize Abbas's order dissolving the cabinet.”
Yeah, it's all Israel's military operations in Gaza and not the whoopin put on President Abbas's Fatah's military operations in Gaza by Hamas's military operations just a few weeks earlier.
“Most of those killed, Palestinian health officials said, belonged to militias that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas of the secular Fatah party is moving to disarm following the intense factional fighting earlier this month that left Gaza in the hands of Hamas.”
And how is President Abbas moving to disarm them? He “…issued a decree disbanding all Palestinian militias, including the one affiliated with his own party…”
…about which Scott Wilson thoughtfully notes, “…it is unclear what effect the edict will have in Gaza.”
Well, unless Mr. Wilson can conjure up a realistic scenario whereby there is a chance that Hamas militants, having just kicked around armed militia loyal to President Abbas, are going to reconsider their actions now that they are faced with an ‘edict’ from President Abbas, I’m going to risk looking stupid and guess the edict will have no effect. Actually I’m not taking that big a risk because apparently no one is expected to take the edict seriously.
“"It's madness what's going on," said Yasser Abed Rabbo, a senior adviser to Abbas. "It gives all the militias in Gaza an excuse to reject Abbas's decree to dissolve them and collect their weapons. No one will abide by it now."
And who is the one responsible for providing the militias with this easy out? Loyal Scott Wilson readers have probably already guessed:
“But Abbas advisers said Wednesday that Israel's military operation undermined the president's ability to disarm the militias in the West Bank and Gaza, where Hamas leaders are running a parallel government after refusing to recognize Abbas's order dissolving the cabinet.”
Yeah, it's all Israel's military operations in Gaza and not the whoopin put on President Abbas's Fatah's military operations in Gaza by Hamas's military operations just a few weeks earlier.
