Why use a bogus headline instead of the one in the article? Especially when the new one makes no sense. David Bier
--- In osint@yahoogroups.com, "Bruce Tefft" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > The Bush Plan Vs the Algerian Formula to Contest Hamas DEBKAfile Exclusive > Analysis February 19, 2006, 12:03 PM (GMT+02:00) > > > > > Through all the inexorable stages of Hamas' rise to power in the Palestinian > Authority, Israel's caretaker prime minister Ehud Olmert was struck with > inertia. > The Palestinian Islamic terrorist organization was allowed to run for > election, emerge as victor, spurn demands to recognize Israel or disarm, yet > take its seat in the new Palestinian legislative council and, Saturday, Feb. > 18, reject Abu Mazen's modest demand to accept international agreements with > Israel. > Now the Hamas is on the threshold of forming a government, impervious to > international expressions of disapproval or threats. And, finally, Sunday, > Feb. 19, Olmert put a package of steps for action before the Israeli > cabinet. His spokesmen say he had to resolve an argument between national > defense leaders, who want radical action to hamstring Hamas, and the foreign > ministry, which favors a gradualist, humanitarian approach so as not to > antagonize the "international community." > The fact is that, at this late stage, this argument is no more relevant than > Olmert's rhetoric with regard to the real steps he and foreign minister > Tzipi Livni have approved. Those steps were not choreographed in Jerusalem > but in Washington. > DEBKAfile's Washington sources therefore cut straight to the chase to > examine in general outline the plan the Bush administration has compiled for > curtailing the Hamas regime, including the role assigned Israel. > 1. To starve the Hamas-ruled Palestinian Authority of funding. > 2. Foreign aid will be channeled directly to the Palestinian population > through international organizations. > 3. The Gaza Strip will be cut off from the West Bank so as to isolate the > main body of the Hamas leadership and diminish its influence on the seat of > government in Ramallah. > 4. Careful orchestration of Abu Mazen's actions as chairman of the > Palestinian Authority to ascertain that he uses the next four to six months > to restore and consolidate his own defeated Fatah. > 5. He will then trump up a constitutional crisis, sack the Hamas government > and dissolve the 132-member legislative council along with the 74-member > majority Hamas gained in January, and call a snap general election. > 6. This time, unlike in January, the United States will apply all its > intelligence and financial might to make sure Hamas does not win again. > 7. The Olmert government will act in conjunction with the steps laid out in > the Bush administration's plan of action. > DEBKAfile's Palestinian experts see little chance of this blueprint actually > succeeding for three main reasons: > A. Reliance on Mahmoud Abbas and his Fatah party for practical steps has > never worked - witness the mayhem in the Gaza Strip, the arms smuggling, the > failure to rein in terrorists. Nonetheless, for twelve years, Washington has > pinned its Palestinian policy on the man in charge, be he Yasser Arafat or > Abu Mazen - a course that promoted anti-Israel violence rather than peace. > B. Hamas leaders have known about the Washington-Jerusalem scenario for at > least two weeks - long enough for a head start for moves with their Arab and > Muslim allies to balk the American plan. The Palestinian Islamic terrorist > group belongs to and enjoys the support of the vast, powerful Muslim > Brotherhood network spread out across the Middle East. In Egypt, the Bush > administration is pushing for local elections on schedule - and a certain > victory for the Muslim radicals with consequent shocks for the Mubarak > regime. How will the US government manage the acrobatic contortions of > supporting a Muslim Brotherhood victory in one part of the region and > combating the same group in the next-door state? > C. Hamas can easily circumvent the plan to starve its administration of > finances. Palestinian employees staff all the international organizations > operating in Palestinian areas; these locals will not risk their lives by > holding back incoming funds from the ruling Hamas. And personnel associated > with Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah will be told to hand the cash over - after taking > their cut. > So where does this leave Israel? > Face to face with a fundamentalist Islamic terrorist power, which makes no > bones about seeking the Jewish state's extinction - if not today, then > tomorrow. This situation cries out for bold, independent enterprise to bring > the menace to heel before it is too late. Such an initiative may run > parallel to the American master-plan, but Israel cannot afford to stand by > for another American fiasco like the Palestinian election, which opened the > door wide to Hamas. > DEBKAfile's political sources see the advantage of a course modeled on the > Algerian formula. > In the early 1990s, the Algerian army stepped in to prevent violent Muslim > extremists from assuming power after their election win. Applied to the > Palestinian arena, Israel, preferably in conjunction with the Americans, > would instigate and orchestrate a Palestinian military coup d'etat in the > West Bank, which would leave Hamas government isolated and hanging out to > dry in the Gaza Strip. > This course would make use of current realities. > Control of the Gaza Strip passed to the Hamas anyway after Israel > relinquished the territory six months ago; its re-conquest would necessitate > turning the clock back at the cost of many lives. > On the West Bank, Israel has the means and connections to ensure the success > of a coup and prevent the West Bank from deteriorating into a second Gaza > Strip. > The main problem facing a bold step of this nature is the leadership crisis > besetting Israeli politics in the volatile interregnum between Ariel > Sharon's disappearance and the March 28 general election. It is hard to see > Ehud Olmert's setup, or any of his rivals, exercising the vision, courage or > independence of mind for an inventive strategy to pre-empt the Hamas menace. > > > -- > No virus found in this outgoing message. > Checked by AVG Free Edition. > Version: 7.1.375 / Virus Database: 267.15.11/264 - Release Date: 2/17/2006 > -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: osint@yahoogroups.com Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. 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