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Friday, July 17, 2009

Bookmark for Future Use

The NYT has an upbeat article about the many things that are getting better in the West Bank. I recommend bookmarking it, because sooner or later the narrative will return to form, and we'll be told about the never-ending suffering of the Palestinains, always caused by the Israelis.

I also found the frankness of the reporter refreshing (Ethan Bronner, who's actually pretty good):
Asked to explain why the West Bank’s fortunes were shifting, a top Israeli general began his narrative with a chart showing 410 Israelis killed by Palestinians in 2002, and 4 in 2008.
“We destroyed the terrorist groups through three things — intelligence, the barrier and freedom of action by our men,” he said, speaking on condition of anonymity in keeping with military rules. “We sent our troops into every marketplace and every house, staying tightly focused on getting the bad guys.”
But he added that the 2006 legislative electoral victory by Hamas, followed by its violent takeover of Gaza in 2007, led Mr. Abbas to fight Hamas. Palestinian troops have been training in Jordan under American sponsorship.

4 comments:

  1. Like london buses, You wait 20 years for an upbeat article about the west bank and two come along at once

    This from the Guardian of all places

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jul/16/nablus-arab-israeli-checkpoints-us

    shabbat shalom

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  2. http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1246443840751&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

    I'm sure it's just a coincidence.

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  3. Actually, Abbas confirmed this himself a few months ago when he said, "I will wait for Hamas to accept international commitments. I will wait for Israel to freeze settlements...until then, in the West Bank we have a good reality . . .the people are living a normal life."

    I'm sure this too will be conveniently forgotten by next year.

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/28/AR2009052803614.html

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  4. It's rhetoric, nothing else. Obama came under criticism for singling Israel out and he's responding with praise in an effort to soften his approach. Certain media outlets are predictably acting as effective administration insiders, even anticipating the admin line to some degree.

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