By Stan Goodenough
Jun 26, 2007
In what critics have described as a desperate effort to reassert himself in a role he is widely regarded unfit for, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is taking steps that will have a major, detrimental effect on his nation’s security, and will certainly cost more Jews their lives.
His commitment to establishing Fatah as a “peace partner” is wholehearted. To this end he has:
agreed to give them hundreds of millions of dollars
agreed to free hundreds of imprisoned terrorists, and
is reportedly open to the idea of providing the veteran terrorist organization with military equipment
Prior to his summit meeting with Fatah chief Mahmoud Abbas at Sharm e-Sheikh Monday, a spokesman for the tie-wearing terrorist said Abbas would demand Israel release hundreds of terrorists and supply his Fatah “security forces” with more weapons, purportedly to keep Hamas from taking over Judea and Samaria as it recently took the Gaza Strip.
“We want thousands of rifles, hundreds of armored vehicles and a lot of ammunition, The Jerusalem Post Monday quoted a PA official as insisting before the summit.
When speaking at Sharm e-Sheikh Olmert did announce his decision to free 250 Fatah terrorists.
His response was to the request for arms has not yet been reported.
However, the Russian news agency RIA Novosti said Tuesday Israel had signaled its possible willingness to accept a Russian proposal to supply military hardware “to Palestinian security forces loyal to” Abbas.
The agency quoted a spokeswoman for Israel’s foreign ministry as saying “the Russian proposal is being discussed with all due seriousness.”
Leftist journalists who support Olmert as long as he is willing to appease Israel’s enemies praised him for “stealing back the thunder” at the summit.
According to consecutive opinion polls, however, the prime minister’s popularity rating has hovered consistently around the four percent mark for many months now.