Friday, May 8, 2009

Krauthammer 5/8/09

The Hamas "Peace" Gambit


My take on Charles Krauthammer's latest. His column was published in the Washington Post.

Summary: There's another Middle-Ease peace offer, this one from Hamas. Terms: 1) Israel accept permanent Palestinian boundaries; 2) Israel gets in return a 10 year truce. After the 10 years is up, then it is back to war. That's the "peace offer".

Quote:
"Apart from the time restriction (a truce that lapses after 10 years) and the refusal to accept Israel's existence, Mr. Meshal's terms approximate the Arab League peace plan . . ."

-- Hamas peace plan, as explained by the New York Times

"Apart from that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you enjoy the play?"

-- Tom Lehrer, satirist

My Views: Not sure why people support this offer, unless they will support anything that has the label "peace offer" on it. Hamas gets 10 years to organize war on Israel - how does this contribute to peace. Better that Israel maintains the means to keep the wars in the region down to some kind of low level, that the all-out holocaust that Hamas would surely fire, if it were given the time and opportunity to do so.





Charles Krauthammer is a more establishment columnist. He came to punditry by way of psychiatry (at Massachusetts General Hospital) via the New Republic Magazine. He appears on TV where you never see his wheelchair. Here's his Wiki bio.

He wrote a book which is pictured at the right. I am drawn by the substance and the thinking than any particular writing flair.

0 comments: