In direct contravention of my wife's explicit instructions, herewith I inaugurate my first blog. Long may it prosper.

For some reason, I think I have something to say to you. You think you have something to say to me? Email me at: gideonsblogger -at- yahoo -dot- com

 
Well, the Palestinian strategy is pretty clear at this point: if Israel doesn't surrender to its demands, the P.A. will simply disestablish itself.

It's certainly a novel strategy. And it's not obvious how to counter it except by calling the bluff, arresting the man who's still calling the shots and reinstating the occupation.

That would, of course, be very inconvenient for the United States, which puts Israel in a difficult position. But I don't think that's the real reason that Israel hasn't done anything about Arafat yet. The real reason is that they really, really don't want to reinstate the occupation, with all the costs that entails. They really want to have a negotiated settlement on reasonable terms.

Doesn't look too likely, though, does it?
posted by Noah at 7:15 PM