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I so hope you're right, but I don't think soReader comment on item: The Palestinian Economy in Shambles Submitted by Sofa Sogood (United States), Dec 27, 2007 at 10:41 Lately, I've been banning myself from using the Internet or watching the news, but, unfortunately for me, the ban doesn't last long. There just isn't anything there that isn't bleak, bleak, bleak. What's this world going to look like in 10 years -- with the cultures of European nations abandoned to Muslim majorities led by Islamists. What about the next few years? Nothing is going to be done about Iran's aggression. Putin's Russia with their oil money is aggressively aimed against Europe and especially against the US. http://www2.debka.com/index.php Debkafile, Dec. 27, 2007 "Moscow Adds Another Anti-Air, Anti-Missile Layer - S-300 - To Defend Iran's Nuclear Facilities Against Israel Attack...the highly sophisticated S-300, rated the most effective killer of ballistic missiles on the market....Moscow has designed the multi-layer air defense system to make Iran proof against Israel's Air Force....While TOR-M1 can locate and destroy moving targets at low altitudes, the S-300 system uniquely zaps high-flying, medium-range ballistic missiles of the type which is the backbone of Israel's surface missile units....Together, they lend Iran air superiority over any missiles and aircraft....reduces its deployment time to five minutes....Our military sources add that Syria will soon receive the S-300, as Damascus and Tehran progress toward a unified military command. They will provide coverage against attack for the territory between the Mediterranean and the Persian Gulf." "Russian experts arrive to Install Russian TOR-M1 air defense batteries at Iran's nuclear facilities....upgrades the shield protecting Iran's banned uranium enrichment facilities at Natanz and Isfahan, as well as Bushehr, from many types of air and missile attack." Who knows what China has planned. Tibet, Taiwan ... will China just peacefully compete? They are not our friends, but we (our businessmen and consumers) have been very useful to them at the expense of our industry. Is the "flat" or "one world" economy going to work out for us? Here, we seem to have come to a concensus that economics equals political definition and philosophy. Our corporations are abandoning the middle and lower middle classes which in the past has been the major strength of our nation -- as the hard-working, well-paid consumers -- and expression of the democratic and free "American Dream" that brought the admiration of the world and so many fine minds to this country from abroad. Politicians debate their degree of religious piousness instead of the urgent issues at hand. Almost all political debate and conversations are self-defeating and irrational. Almost everything that's said is exactly the opposite of what it is. The powers in Israel are in denial, and irrational, siucidal mode. It's all mad -- The world community has clear, indisputable evidence before it that money to Palestine never gets to the people or to build a viable economy -- it goes to weapons, embezzlement and graft. So their answer to this is to give them $7.5 billion more. If I believed, which I don't, that there were any "minds" involved in this decision, I would think this is being done in a very deliberate and planned attempt to continue to arm the violent Palestinians until they are able to weaken, if not destroy, Israel. But, while there may be some who harbor those exact hopes, most are just acting out some sort of indefinable unconscious something or other. The result, however, will be the same. Palestinians' murderous behavior and intentions -- they have never ever expressed any desire whatsoever for peace with Israel -- are ignored to the point that both the U.S and Israel are actually "training" their fighters and supplying them with weapons and tanks. What could be more mad??? While Olmert applauds the $7.5 billion and the arming and training, and can't wait to make more "concessions" -- it appears that, despite their blindness to it, and despite the applause they give, that it is Israel that is losing hope, losing heart, losing belief in itself. It's never happened in history before that any nation has armed, trained, and monitarily and otherwise supported their weak enemy until the point that that enemy was in a position to greatly harm or defeat them. http://www2.debka.com/index.php Debkafile December 27, 2007 Barak says his talks with Mubarak at Sharm al Sheikh were "excellent." [Go to Article and Click on "more" to read Egyptian Proposal backed by Washington] Absurdity, absurdity, absurdity and then: #5. [After a 3 month "Hudna" during which Hamas can build up their attack machine -- if during that "long" "long" time, there have been no "Hamas" attacks on Israel] ... "the U.S. and Israel will not object to the Palestinian Authority's Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas opening a dialogue for a Palestinian national unity government." ... "...in private talks, U.S. officials urge Israel and Egypt to consummate the deal for the sake of a positive climate to greet President George W. Bush when he arrives in the Middle East on Jan.8." Israel deserves a decent life -- it's people have earned it. It's an imperfect but fine little democracy. The propaganda and political will against it, the will to destroy it, and it's own self-abnegation are obscene. This is all very confusing and heart-rending to me, as I'm sure it is to many, but ultimately, I'm just a by-stander. I speak to whomever will listen and write some letters and comments. But I can't imagine the edge of despair that those few intelligent, sensible, sane and dedicated people who have been actively involved and devoting their lives to dealing with the problems surrounding Israel -- (and with the world-wide onslaught of the Islamists) -- must be feeling. Every indication is that by their own hands Israelis are tumbling rapidly toward self-annihilation; and the point of no return will soon be reached. George Bush has revealed himself to be a man who has not held any true convictions of his own (nor in my opinion, had much character and even less sense), is now obviously reading Meirsheimer & Walt and Jimmy Carter, and has decided that since his former "path" didn't "work out" for him, that he, duly chastised and contrite, will betray every principle he had previously expounded, and concede to follow the State Department, Daddy's pals and the "Iraq Study Group." It's going to be a long, long year -- and then who will be our next leader? Everything Dr. Pipes shows and expresses in this article is true, except for one thing. It's no longer 1992, or 3 or 2005. In 2006, Israel faltered at war for the first time, but it seems to many that that's unforgivable and apparently uncorrectable. I so wish I were wrong, but, if exhilaration is what feeds the Palestinians' extremism -- what could be more exhilarating than the totally obnoxious and undeserved world-wide support that they have been receiving (whether by speeches, money, arms or policy) -- especially from the U.S. and Israel itself. (For 90 years, they've screamed from the rooftops and from every (metaphorical and real) pore in their bodies, "We want to destroy you!" "We despise and loathe your very being!" and Israel (and Europe and the US) answers, "No, you don't really mean that -- you're just unhappy. We'll help you to build a State. Then you'll accept us and make peace.") It's apparent that at this point, economic hardship has little dampening effect on the violent excitement and pernicious aims of Palestinians -- things have gone too far in their contemptible direction. The "good" is being sacrificed to the "malign" at every turn -- in Israel, in Europe, and will soon be, here in the US. There are some wonderful, courageous people who persevere in attempting to get reality "heard" but, It doesn't look as though anyone in power anywhere is willing to do anything about it. I just hope someone who appreciates Israel, the US and Western Civilization, reads this, cares to tear my opinions and negativity apart, and shows me that I'm very, very wrong. I would welcome that. Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments". << Previous Comment Next Comment >> Reader comments (34) on this item
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