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Analysis:

(Jerusalem Post) Herb Keinon - When the inner security cabinet decided after Sunday's terror atrocity to prohibit Palestinian Authority officials from traveling to London for a meeting on PA reform, they knew full well the move would not only punish the Palestinians, but also start a fight with the British. The decision was taken against the backdrop of an informal British embargo on necessary military parts. Then came British Ambassador Sherard Cowper-Coles's comment at a high-level conference in Berlin that "we can all think of times in history when the use of terrorism has been justified." After this came the high profile, red-carpet reception London granted Syrian President Bashar Assad, which Jerusalem saw as giving legitimacy to one of the world's major supporters of terrorism. At the end of Assad's visit, Blair blindsided Sharon with his announcement of an international conference on PA reform, a conference Israel was neither invited to nor knew about in advance. And if all that wasn't enough, Blair refused to meet Foreign Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in London last week, but did extend an invitation to Labor Party leader Amram Mitzna to come and visit. Mitzna and Blair are to meet on Friday. This is viewed not only as meddling in Israeli domestic politics, but also as a blatant attempt to give Mitzna an electoral boost. But the decision to keep the Palestinians from going was not directed at the British. It was an attempt to send a strong message that business cannot continue as usual with terrorists killing Israelis by the dozen. An element that gave Sharon the latitude to stand toe-to-toe with the British was the belief the Americans would not push too hard. And, indeed, that's what happened. The U.S. issued a statement supporting the British conference, and regretting that "events have led to this," but there was no blaming Israel for tripping up PA reform, no hint of pressure.
2013-04-03 00:00:00
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