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The Spectacle Blog
I spent the past summer living and working in a UNWRA Palestinian refugee camp in Bethlehem. The last conversation I had before leaving the West Bank to spend time in Israel was with a very nice taxi driver named Fadi. We were discussing the prospects for Palestinian statehood. He told me not to worry…that Abu Mazen wouldn’t be foolish enough to shove a forlorn hope down the throat of the General Assembly. Otherwise, he was optimistic about his future, equally disgusted with Fatah and Hamas but altogether ready for a generational change.
Likewise, the time I spent in Israel was instructive. It was apparent that many Israelis had internalized the fact that demolishing the Palestinian economy and government does not make Israel safer; it makes it less safe. With that said, the PA’s government and economy — which grew at a blistering 9 per cent clip last year — are heavily leveraged on donor aid from the US and EU. A statehood declaration will cut off the flow. Donors, such as the United States, will drop out, and Israel, which already controls the PA’s purse-strings, will block financial support.
Now, the PA is set to make its statehood pitch first to the UN Security Council, where the US will veto it. The PA will probably then take the proposal to the General Assembly, where a two-thirds majority in favor of recognition is tremendously likely. This will ensure a second US veto.
In the process, Israel will be further isolated at the international stage. Palestine will not receive statehood, and its unpopular government will be unable to control popular outcry. The United States will surrender a broad measure of the waning influence it still has in a region where we are no longer feared or respected.
In other words, Palestine’s statehood bid is a bad deal for everyone.
However, when President Abbas discussed his push for full Palestinian statehood at the U.N., he has remained suspiciously open to meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu. The Palestinian foreign minister elsewhere noted that the Palestinians would be willing to resume negotiations if Israel accepts “certain terms.” His statement came in response to Netanyahu’s call for a meeting in New York this week with Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, to reestablish “direct negotiations.”
As Aaron Goldstein remarked this morning, one must question whether Abbas is bluffing. We better hope so, for everyone’s sake.
I’m just praying my cabbie was right about this whole mess.
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More Blog Posts by Reid Smith
http://spectator.org/blog/2011/09/20/palestinian-pandora
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crazy| 9.20.11 @ 3:53PM
This is Kim Jung Il-style diplomacy which is designed to create a crisis in order to extract concessions you can't get without concessions you're not prepared to make. Brinksmanship works for the aggressor until the other part(ies) stop caving. The PA doesn't really want statehood they want defacto statehood with all the benefits and none of the responsibilities.
Occam's Tool| 9.20.11 @ 4:26PM
New favorite place to eat for the Paulbot Mafia:
IHOP Jihad: Owner of Raided IHOP Franchises is Arab Muslim; “Terry Elk” = Tarek Elkafrawi
By Debbie Schlussel
Well, now we know why IHOP spokesman Patrick Lenow refused to tell me the name of the owner of the seven Midwest IHOP locations raided this morning by FBI and ICE agents from the Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF). Shocker! The owner is an Arab Muslim, Tarek Elkafrawi, who uses the fake names, “Terry Elk” and “Terry Elks” (and owns the company, Te & Km, Inc.). You can bet that if this guy’s real name was Bob Johnson or Sherri Smith, IHOP and its parent company DineEquity, Inc. wouldn’t shield the owner’s identity, as Lenow did with “Terry Elk.” Hmmm . . . maybe they should call it IHOPC.
All seven of the restaurants are owned by Terry Elk. The FBI told WTOL they also raided two homes owned by Elk.
Elk is from our area and WFIE, our sister station in Evansville, Indiana, confirmed Terry Elk’s real name is Tarek Elkafrawi.
Two storage units have also been searched. The storage units were rented by Maazen Kadir. According to the Better Business Bureau website, Kadir is the primary contact for the Talmadge Road location and is listed as the area manager.
Elkafrawi was at a national meeting of IHOP store owners this morning and is now on his way back to our area.
IHOP says it is cooperating with authorities and that Elkafrawi is also cooperating with authorities.
IHOP also said they have been in contact with the FBI and the other authorities and IHOP is saying they have been told this investigation is not related to terrorism.
Don’t believe that BS for a second. IHOP is lying, as the feds already told the media this is about terrorist money-laundering. The Joint Terrorism Task Force isn’t conducting these raids because they “aren’t related to terrorism.” The FBI is the lead agency for terrorism investigations. If this was just a matter of illegal alien employees, it would be strictly an ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) raid. Regardless, terrorism charges are very hard to prove and win in courts filled with America’s O.J. Simpson/Casey Anthony juries. Instead, authorities go for whatever they can charge and prove more easily. And as for Elkafrawi/Elk/Al-Whatever’s “cooperation,” as I noted earlier today, that’s no surprise. Everyone “cooperates” . . . after they are caught.
This is from the same story:
While the investigation remains sealed, authorities said they were investigating money laundering, funding terrorist organizations and possible undocumented workers.
Locations that were raided:
- Talmadge Road in west Toledo
- Fremont-Pike location in Perrysburg
- Airport Highway in Springfield Township
- Central Avenue in Sylvania Township near McCord road
- An IHOP in Lima, Ohio
- An IHOP in Findlay, Ohio
- An IHOP in Evansville, Indiana
Sorry, Reid---an unified state is a very bad idea, and I trust not in the good intentions of PLO leaders. In addition, they never miss a chance to miss a chance.
Clint| 9.20.11 @ 5:30PM
Dr.Ron Paul,
“Israel is our close friend. While President Obama’s demand that Israel
make hard concessions in her border conflicts may very well be in her
long-term interest, only Israel can make that determination on her own,
without pressure from the United States or coercion by the United
Nations.
“Unlike this President, I do not believe it is our place to dictate how
Israel runs her affairs. There can only be peace in the region if those
sides work out their differences among one another. We should respect
Israel’s sovereignty and not try to dictate her policy from Washington."
The Tea Party Rebellion Is Here.
FastJohnny| 9.21.11 @ 9:09AM
Just out of curiousity, was it still possible to get bacon, sausage and ham at those IHOPs?
Occam's Tool| 9.20.11 @ 4:30PM
Abbas---He's not bluffing. He's a horse's ass. He is helped in this by Obama's idiotic one sided pressure.
Now Obama is scrambling for the suddenly crumbling Jewish vote (thank G-d it is finally happening!), and oops! Problems for the Palestinian scumbags.
I'll suppose that your cabbie is a nice guy. 1 will get you 10 that if he had his druthers about any country in the entire ME to be a citizen of, and wasn't intimidated by the thought of having his iown psychotic brethren kill him, it would be Israel. Not Palestine under the PLO or Hamas---Israel.
Al Adab| 9.20.11 @ 6:06PM
This article shares an interesting perspective. Nonetheless, given the current leadership of PA does anyone doubt that Iran would be more than happy to provide such a nation with every weapon (nuclear) at its disposal? The danger here is greater than we can imagine.
astorian| 9.20.11 @ 5:25PM
Years back, when Washington DC mayor Marion Barry was under fire, due to scandals, he was asked if he'd be willing to resign if his friend Jesse Jackson took his place. Barry laughed, saying "Are you kidding? The mayor has to run the city. Jesse doesn't want to run the city. Jesse doesn't want to run nothing but his mouth."
That anecdote comes to mind because I don't think anyone in the PA really wants to run a country! If Abbas were a genuine chief executive of an authentic country, he'd have to do all the mundane, boring tasks that any chief executive is responsible for. You think Abbas really wants to spend his time worrying about filling potholes, collecting the trash, collecting sales taxes, negotiating contracts with municipal unions, etc.?
The only thing Abbas wants to run is his mouth.
Leah| 9.20.11 @ 8:06PM
Mr. Smith - what exactly are you referring to when you say "demolishing the Palestinian economy and government"? Are you aware that the Arabs do that to themselves by wasting their time figuring out how to spread terrorism and while their leaders build themselves palaces as they steal all the funding to coming in from the West? Or are you referring to something else? And do you really believe Abbas has "remained open...if Israel accepts terms"? Do you think Abbas has to accept any "terms" on behalf of the Arabs from whom he and his cronies thieve constantly? Wow, you're really naive and ignorant to boot.