Sunday May 6, 2007

I've Been Thinking:

The US just submitted Benchmarks for Agreement on Movement and Access (AMA) to Israel and the Palestinians.

This diplomatic document pinpoints exactly where the United States stands when it comes to Israel and the Palestinians.
This diplomatic document shows that the United States is totally out of touch with the situation.

The document contains a list of items to be dealt with and then dates of implementation next to each item, hence the title benchmark.
Who are the Palestinians who are supposed to apply this agreement?
Abbas and Dahlan.
But Abbas and Dahlan have no power and no authority.
Of course the leaders of Hamas have rejected the document.
Hamas politburo chief Khaled Mashal has publicly denounced the entire concept.

Does the US actually believe that because they put it in writing Hamas will adhere to the will of the United States?
Does the US actually believe that Abbas is capable of convincing Hamas?
Doesn't the US realize that they are not empowering Abbas - they are humiliating him.
Doesn't the US realize that they are showing the entire region how little they really understand about what is actually happening?

For shame.