idrankwhat

I suppose it's because the EU and Fatah consider Hamas to be a terrorist organization and they want to continue to marginalize Hamas, hoping that there will be a public backlash that goes in favor of the PA. It isn't happening that way. Hamas will have to be included in the solution.

Egypt claims that it would violate the 2005 US brokered agreement between Egypt, Israel, the EU and the Palestinian Authority. Supposedly the terms were that EU and PA observers need to be present as monitors to the Rafah crossing. They're not there so Egypt claims that if they ordered the opening of the border, that in addition to violating of the terms of the agreement, then they would be sanctifying a Hamas/PA division. Egypt did however, leave the border open for a couple of weeks after it was breached about a year ago, in order to allow aid into Gaza. It sounds like there needs to be some new terms brokered to Egypts agreement. Hopefully Mitchell will address that one shortly.

This might be one reason. Aid Groups Frustrated At Lack Of Gaza Access International aid agencies trying to get supplies and personnel from Israel into the Gaza Strip are increasingly frustrated and angry. Israel eased its blockade of Gaza on Thursday, opening the border, but only under pressure and only to a few organizations. Aid organizations say they need to get into Gaza to assess needs and relieve colleagues who are exhausted after the three-week Israeli offensive. But Mike Baily of Oxfam International says for six days since the cease-fire, the Israeli government has given them the runaround. "We've had every reason under the sun given to us for not going in … security, not the right day, that is was closed for holiday, that the right people were not available, that we would hear tomorrow," he says. In addition to supervising deliveries of items like food, medicine and plastic sheeting, Oxfam urgently needs to help Gazan farmers restore their destroyed fields, Baily says, and clear them of unexploded ordinance. "If we don't plant crops now, we won't harvest in three, four months time, and the one and a half million people of Gaza will be completely dependent on food aid … coming in from outside," he says. Evonne Frederickson with Sweden's Palestinian Solidarity Association has been trying to get mental health experts and doctors into Gaza. She says Israeli policy toward aid agencies has been capricious for a long time. "Sometimes you get in, sometimes you don't, so they are playing with those who are working with the aid to Gaza," she says. Cassandra Nelson of Mercy Corps says she has called Israeli authorities every day since the cease-fire last weekend. "We are pressing and pressing on all sides of this argument but have not gotten any clear or logical response … so we can't respond and have a proper dialogue," she says. "We are simply told 'no, no humanitarian aid workers.'" Several aid organizations finally decided to go to the border Thursday in a convoy accompanied by the press, to publicize the blockade. After several hours, some aid representatives were let through. But Nelson says there was no explanation for who got in and who was denied access. Major players like Save the Children were turned away. And, Nelson says, there are no guarantees about the future. "This is going to be over a billion-dollar reconstruction project for Gaza, and it simply can't be run by people sitting around and waiting every day for hours at a border point wondering if their name is on a list or not on a list," she says. "There need to be proper procedures." U.N. humanitarian chief John Holmes says Israel has promised cooperation, but he is pushing for clarification. "We need to see that demonstrated in practice so that they know they will not only get in today but tomorrow," he says. Holmes also called on Israel yet again to open more crossing points for supplies. He says Gaza desperately needs generators and construction materials — and help to repair damaged sewage lines. "The local water authorities raised with us the prospect of not just the immediate health risks but the damage that could be done to the aquifers by the accumulation of such large quantities of raw sewage seeping down into the aquifers," he says. "We're in a time-critical situation." Israel has blocked all construction materials from reaching Gaza since Hamas took control of the territory 19 months ago. Holmes has tried, so far unsuccessfully, to persuade Israel that international aid will not be diverted to Hamas. Asked about the continued limits on aid, Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev would not directly address the issue of aid workers. And he gave no promises that the borders would be open for anything more than immediate aid any time soon. "We will be part of [the] reconstruction effort but one that helps the people of Gaza, but not one that helps Hamas," he says. But with 4,000 homes destroyed and another 17,000 badly damaged, the U.N. and other aid organizations say the civilians of Gaza cannot afford to wait for a regime change.

They are

There's not really that much more to say unless folks want to get into a discussion about what the media's actual bia$ is towards. Bombs and sex will always win out in the ratings game. I suppose you could argue about lobbyist influence but that one's hard to quantify so it's a difficult proof. What some would call "very influential" others will reply "nuh uhhhh".

Looks like they're jeopardizing their impartiality by not "jeopardizing their impartiality". Bombs sell more papers than charity events apparently.

Water boarding is what made Khalid Sheikh Mohammed spill his guts. I can't say for sure it was necessary, but it was sure as hell productive. He conducted more than 300 interrogations and supervised more than a thousand and was awarded a Bronze Star for his achievements in Iraq. Alexander's nonviolent interrogation methods led Special Forces to Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi, the head of Al-Qaeda in Iraq. His new book is titled "How to Break a Terrorist: The US Interrogators Who Used Brains, Not Brutality, to Take Down the Deadliest Man in Iraq." "It's extremely ineffective, and it's counterproductive to what we're trying to accomplish," he told reporters. "When we torture somebody, it hardens their resolve," Alexander explained. "The information that you get is unreliable ... And even if you do get reliable information, you're able to stop a terrorist attack, Al-Qaeda's then going to use the fact that we torture people to recruit new members." Alexander says torture techniques used in Iraq consistently failed to produce actionable intelligence and that methods outlined in the US Army Field Manual, which rest on confidence building, consistently worked and gave the interrogators access to critical information.

Oh no.........not AGAIN!!

Or dragging completely bullshit information out of them. Except for the ones who aren't. The policy of "do as I say, not as I do" makes more problems than it rectifies. Damn smarmy too. That (and any moral issues) aside, I don't know about you but I expect my country to abide by the terms of the treaties that it signs.

-20. I purged the votes just like a Republican

-2 You set the standard and you adhere to it. Sacrificing your principles and any sense of honor by demanding more of your adversaries than you do of yourself may be the easy way out but it shows a complete lack of integrity. And that is no way convince anyone that your way of life is to either be respected or emulated.

Ok....but keep your hands off my ass.

Supposedly, George Mitchell will be Middle East envoy. I'm looking forward to seeing how he proceeds. At the very least we will have someone trying to do SOMEthing, as opposed to the hands off/blind eye policies of the last 8 years. (Ok, 7 years if you consider #43's hail mary pass over the last year).

Not even close to being the same as the old boss. Executive orders banning lobbyist gifts and closing the revolving door? Increasing transparency through FOIA? Working to close Gitmo? Talking to Middle Eastern Leaders? Not bad for day one.

How? Hamas was elected in Jan of 2006. Economic sanctions against the Palestinian National Authority began immediately which consisted of withholding of tax revenues, cessation of import/export of goods and services from the Quartet countries and US banking restrictions. After they kicked Fatah out of Gaza the sanctions were replaced with the blockade. Complaining that the people in Gaza can't better their lives while crippled by sanctions and a blockade is disingenuous.

I want to commend you on your vision. Seriously. Your proposal is the fairest offer I've seen written to date. Beats the crap out of the one offered 8 years ago. But as for the first step, you can't come to the table if the table's not there. It has to be set. We need leaders with silverware.

I wasn't even approaching the restrictions regarding entering Israel. I'm talking about West Bank Palestinians whose movement throughout the West Bank is reliant on the mood of the IDF officer at a checkpoint, fences, walls, Israeli laws etc. http://www.btselem.org/english/Video/200508_Soldier_throws_shepherds_off_their_land.asp http://www.btselem.org/English/Video/20060130_Separation_Barrier_Testimony_of_Abd_a_Latif_Odeh.asp http://www.btselem.org/English/Video/20070311_Shuhada_closed.asp

I do realize that. They seized power through force after they won a majority in the parliamentary election, Israel cut off the release of the PNA's funds (against the US's wishes) and subsequently joined with the US in a sanction policy aimed at the de-legitimization of the Hamas government. The idea was to collectively punish the people of Gaza in order to get them to choose a different leadership. Haniyeh: Hamas willing to accept Palestinian state with 1967 borders I don't support Hamas' extremist tactics. I don't support Israeli extremist tactics either. There's plenty of video and photo documentation for both. But you also forget that Hamas supplies numerous social services to the people of Gaza. That's one of the main reasons they gained popular support. I don't support them. I don't agree with their tactics or their ideology. But I do recognize their legitimacy and I do recognize the double standard that we wield against them. Both sides can lay valid claim to ancestral lands. (Actually much of the population of the planet could if we wanted to go back far enough) But Israel has a legal border and they have land that they occupy. They are not allowed under international law to transfer their population onto that land, regardless of who is buried there. P.S. Thanks for the thoughtful exchange

I agree. saying "they fired at civilians so I will too" is not acceptable and I agree with you on that. but that's not the case here. Israel is not TARGETING civilians, justifying it by the fact that Hamas does it too. They may not be officially targeting civilians but they have seem to have no problem with civilians as collateral damage. See the attached picture and consider the bombed UN compound and schools. Also consider the extensive use of cluster bombs in the conflict with Lebanon.

I seem to be having difficulty getting my point across. War crimes are not an acceptable response to war crimes. I don't expect my country to commit war crimes while demanding that others cease their crimes. I believe in leading by example. I hold our allies to the same standard, especially when we supply them with weapons, financial and political assistance.

And I never tried to equate them. But in that regard it's an interesting commentary that a people who were persecuted for their race are subsequently presiding over a policy of apartheid in the territories that they occupy.

Not to my knowledge

This describes both. Both parties are provocative. Both need to accept their culpability.

I can't possibly be more clear. If you wish to infer something that you are reading between my very concise lines then that's your prerogative.

My problem with Israel's approach to Hamas is the "all or nothing" idea with regard to negotiation. Hamas has stated in the past that they could live side by side in peace. They also helped maintain a relatively successful cease fire for six months. That's the time when negotiations need to take place. And that's the nature of compromise. Both sides give something. Neither side gets everything. Fattah's problem was corruption and Arafat's inability to let go of violence as a valid option when negotiations fail. his refusal to have the Palestinians "speak in one (peaceful) voice" ended up biting him in the ass... Quite true, and that same corruption is why Hamas won the election and kicked them out of Gaza. and used it to smuggle thousands of rockets. the blockade is there exactly becsause of that. there wouldn't have been a blockade if they were importing tomatos... They do smuggle in tomatoes. So, the tunnels are there because of the blockade and the blockade is there because of the tunnels. Chickens and eggs again. They are your prisoners. You have to supply them with food and medicine. And yes, Israel is doing that but at levels so low that minimum needs cannot be met. So you get tunnels as the result.