Palestinians Recharging their Batteries

(Ha'aretz) - Amir Oren This is not a return home of prisoners of war, who are banned by custom enshrined in treaties from taking up arms again against the adversary who released them from captivity. If Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas and his security chief, Mohammed Dahlan, continue to evade a frontal clash with Hamas, the cease-fire will collapse, either when Hamas, or someone in Tehran, picks a convenient date after the three-month period expires, or when Israel decides that it will not wait for that to happen. The only action that will prevent a disaster, security personnel have warned, will be a clear decision over Hamas by Abu Mazen and Dahlan. Once again the Oslo syndrome is visible within the Palestinian leadership: weakness, self-indulgence, evasion of commitments, a projection of wretchedness aimed at the generosity of the strong. However, in previous cases, one of every two released prisoners returned to anti-Israel activity. The Israelis have no intention of falling for this again.


2003-07-14 00:00:00

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