The Obligation-less Palestinians

The lead editorial in the New York Times today, closely hewing to the Sulzberger Indifference Template, spins the Gaza withdrawal in predictable fashion.

It's a "first step," Sharon should not be allowed to "maneuver" Bush into an indefinite occupation of the West Bank and--I love this one -- Palestinian terrorists are "troublemakers." Sort of like they go around dropping balloons filled with water out of buildings, and aren't murderers who blow up kids waiting to go into discos. Hey, what else do you expect from the guys who ignored the Holocaust?

Also typical is its anti-Israel skewing of the Road Map for Peace agreed to by all the parties, dismissed by the Times as the "so-called road map." What the Times ignores is that this unilateral and unwarranted gift to the Palestinians is over and above Israel's obligationns under the roadmap. Also, the Times says that "The responsibility of the Palestinians is to clamp down on terrorist activity against Israelis."

Wrong. There's a lot more in Phase One alone:

• At the very outset of Phase One, "All official Palestinian institutions end incitement against Israel." Hasn't happened.

• Palestinians "undertake visible efforts on the ground to arrest, disrupt, and restrain individuals and groups conducting and planning violent attacks on Israelis anywhere." Hasn't happened.

• "Rebuilt and refocused Palestinian Authority security apparatus begins sustained, targeted, and effective operations aimed at confronting all those engaged in terror and dismantlement of terrorist capabilities and infrastructure.This includes commencing confiscation of illegal weapons and consolidation of security authority, free of association with terror and corruption." Yeah, right.

None of this is mentioned in the Times. As usual Palestinian obligations are completely ignored. A typical Times editorial that, of course, reflects the views of a good deal of the world. Which, again, leads one to think--was the Gaza withdrawal a dumb idea, or what? If the intent was to aid Israel diplomatically and in world opinion, it is shaping up as a big, fat dud. Just read the Times, Ariel bubby.