(Miami Herald) Ike Seamans - Well, that didn't take long. Last Friday, just a month after Israel abandoned Gaza to the Palestinians, Hamas unleashed a rocket barrage against adjacent Jewish communities. Where was Mahmoud Abbas, the PA's lackluster and largely ineffective president, during this ominous imbroglio? Where he usually is: pontificating in Ramallah far from the action, charging that Israel was unjustified and must stop ''military escalation.'' Abbas never tires of talking out of both sides of his mouth. In early September he praised those who died, including suicide bombers, for helping to force Israel's Gaza withdrawal. He repeatedly implies that the struggle doesn't end there. Jerusalem and the West Bank are next. And despite fervent promises, Abbas seems incapable of fulfilling his well-publicized commitment to curb terrorism. He has done little to end rampant corruption, violence, and chaos. Yet, international largess blithely flows unabated.
2005-09-30 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive