More good news from the neighborhood formerly-known-as-the-Holy-Land. According to Haaretz:
The Palestinian Authority security forces are foiling just as many terror attacks as Israel, the head of the research division of Israel Defense Forces intelligence, Brigadier General Yossi Kuperwasser, told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Tuesday.
Israel handed over security responsibility for the the West Bank town of Tul Karm to the PA on Monday night. At around 8 P.M., armed Palestinian policemen began patrolling the streets of the town, the second in the West Bank to be handed over to the PA.
Last week, the Palestinian Authority assumed security control in Jericho. Talks on the handover of a third West Bank city, presumably Qalqilyah, are expected to begin in the coming days.
Everything could blow up on a moment’s notice, as we know, but I can’t remember such a long run of good news from this part of the world for some time.
Lucky, lucky, lucky Bush and Sharon…so lucky they are to’ve happened to’ve been in office when the Palis happened to’ve decided to make peace. Lucky, lucky, lucky.
I have learned that the harder I work the luckier I get.
Bush and Sharon took (and continue to take) BIG risks. They did and said many things that people were not willing to do or say.
We are certainly not at the finish line, but like Roger says “I can’t remember such a long run of good news from this part of the world for some time.”
Too many times I’ve been optimistic. Just when you think things are looking good, that’s usually when everything would quickly go down the drain. I’m almost afraid to say that things are looking hopeful lest I jinx it.
Naomi, you can kill the jinx by knocking on wood if you do it before the thought of jinx leaves your mind. It’s great, it means you can say things about good fortune. but i don’t think wood knocking can overcome running off at the mouth. I think you have to be temperate. just a hunch.
Mistrusting the Palestinian leadership comes as a habit to me now, I’m sorry to say. I wish it were otherwise.
On the face of it, this seems very hopeful indeed. On the other hand, Arafat was certainly able to crack down on terror when he wanted to; he just chose to turn it on and off like a spigot, in time with the political tide and his own whims.
Will Abbas do the same? I bloody well hope not. May this be the first hopeful sign of better times to come.
respectfully,
Daniel in Brookline