Hudna notwithstanding, Palestinian terrorists perpetrated yet another murderous shooting attack this afternoon, claiming the life of a foreign worker from Bulgaria. It occurred near Kalkilye, where workers were engaged in paving a bypass road. The victim was Raskov Karisto, 45. The Al Aqsa Martyrs of Fatah claimed responsibility, "in response to the hudna." The Yesha Council called upon the Prime Minister to freeze the implementation of the Road Map, saying that the terrorism of the past 24 hours proves that the hudna - a temporary ceasefire is "nothing more than another Palestinian deception."
Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee today that the hudna is a "ticking timebomb." He said that Israel is not a partner to this agreement, and "if the PA does not dismantle the terrorist organizations, there will be no progress in the peace process."
Arab affairs expert Dr. Guy Bechor of the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya writes in Yediot Acharonot today that Hamas and Islamic Jihad are the big winners in this process:
"Israel will not even be able to take simple preventative actions on behalf of its citizens without being portrayed as having violated the agreement. This may be good in the short run, but it's a bad scenario for the long run for the Road Map and the possible peace process. Does anyone even remember that the Road Map stipulates that the PA is supposed to dismantle the Islamic terrorist organizations?"
Bechor further wrote that just like Hizbullah in Lebanon after Operation Grapes of Wrath, it will now be Hamas that will judge whether Israel is fulfilling or violating the agreement, and Hamas will decide when and how the hudna is to end. "Israel and the PA have become hostages of Hamas," Bechor writes. "These three months in which Israel's hands will be tied will enable [Hamas] to rebuild its military infrastructures and its underground cells that were greatly damaged, and to disseminate weapons."
The U.S. is not playing dead, however. As a way of offsetting the influence of Hamas within the Palestinian Authority public, the U.S. is planning to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in the PA areas, in hospitals, roads, and humanitarian aid. U.S. National Security Advisor Condoleeza Rice informed PA Finance Minister Salam Fayad and Ariel Sharon's aide Dov Weisglass of the news yesterday morning during her one-day visit to Israel. The goal is to negate the conception that only Hamas takes care of the PA public.
Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee today that the hudna is a "ticking timebomb." He said that Israel is not a partner to this agreement, and "if the PA does not dismantle the terrorist organizations, there will be no progress in the peace process."
Arab affairs expert Dr. Guy Bechor of the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya writes in Yediot Acharonot today that Hamas and Islamic Jihad are the big winners in this process:
"Israel will not even be able to take simple preventative actions on behalf of its citizens without being portrayed as having violated the agreement. This may be good in the short run, but it's a bad scenario for the long run for the Road Map and the possible peace process. Does anyone even remember that the Road Map stipulates that the PA is supposed to dismantle the Islamic terrorist organizations?"
Bechor further wrote that just like Hizbullah in Lebanon after Operation Grapes of Wrath, it will now be Hamas that will judge whether Israel is fulfilling or violating the agreement, and Hamas will decide when and how the hudna is to end. "Israel and the PA have become hostages of Hamas," Bechor writes. "These three months in which Israel's hands will be tied will enable [Hamas] to rebuild its military infrastructures and its underground cells that were greatly damaged, and to disseminate weapons."
The U.S. is not playing dead, however. As a way of offsetting the influence of Hamas within the Palestinian Authority public, the U.S. is planning to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in the PA areas, in hospitals, roads, and humanitarian aid. U.S. National Security Advisor Condoleeza Rice informed PA Finance Minister Salam Fayad and Ariel Sharon's aide Dov Weisglass of the news yesterday morning during her one-day visit to Israel. The goal is to negate the conception that only Hamas takes care of the PA public.