ÿþ<html> <head> <meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html;charset=iso-8859-1"> <title>OnlineColumnist®.com: Putin Punishes Georgia</title> <meta name="generator" content="Adobe GoLive 4"> <style type="text/css"> .style2 { font-size: large; font-weight: bold; font-family: Arial; } .style3 { height: 69px; } .MsoNormal {} h1 {margin-bottom:.0001pt; page-break-after:avoid; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; font-weight:normal; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; } .style4 { font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold; } .style5 { text-align: left; } </style> </head> <body bgcolor="white" vlink="black"> <center> <table cool width="624" height="2719" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" gridx="16" showgridx gridy="16" showgridy> <tr height="79"> <td width="133" height="118" rowspan="2" valign="top" align="left" xpos="0"><a href="aboutdiscobolos.html"><img height="110" width="62" src="images/discobolos.logo.transp.gif" border="0"></a></td> <td width="7" height="118" rowspan="2"></td> <td width="482" height="79" colspan="2" valign="top" align="left" xpos="140"><img height="75" width="450" src="images/banner.GIF"></td> <td width="1" height="118" rowspan="2"></td> <td width="1" height="79"><spacer type="block" width="1" height="79"></td> </tr> <tr height="39"> <td width="182" height="39"></td> <td width="300" height="39" valign="top" align="left" xpos="322"><a href="aboutdiscobolos.html"><img height="14" width="267" src="images/divisionofNEW.GIF" border="0"></a></td> <td width="1" height="39"><spacer type="block" width="1" height="39"></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="624" colspan="6" valign="top" align="left" xpos="0" class="style3"> <table border="0" width="100%" bgcolor="black" cellspacing="0"> <tr> <td> <table border="0" width="100%" bgcolor="#99ffcc" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="4"> <tr> <td align="center"> <div align="left"> <a href="index.html"><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular" size="2"><strong> HOME</strong></font></a><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular" size="2"><strong> &#8226; <a href="articlesindex.html">ARTICLES</a> &#8226; <a href="books.html">BOOKS</a> &#8226; <a href="teflon.html"> THE </a><a href="teflon.html">TEFLON</a><a href="teflon.html"> REPORT</a> &#8226; <a href="mailto:letters@onlinecolumnist.com"> REACTIONS</a> &#8226; <a href="aboutdiscobolos.html">ABOUT DISCOBOLOS</a></strong></font></div> </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> <tr height="2"> <td width="133" height="2">&nbsp;</td> <td width="489" height="2576" colspan="3" rowspan="2" align="left" xpos="133" content valign="top" csheight="2573"> <p class="style2">Israel&#39;s Gaza Plan</p> <p><b><font face="Arial,Geneva,Helvetica">by John M. Curtis</font></b><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"><b><a href="books.html"><br> </a></b></font><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"><b> (310) 204-8700</b></font></p> <p><font size="2" face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"><i>Copyright March 2, 2009<br>All Rights Reserved. </i></font>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <span class="style4">&nbsp;P</span>oised to take over the Israeli government, newly elected Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu served notice that he intends to take back Gaza.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Seized by Hamas<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>June 15, 2007, the weakened Palestinian Authority could do nothing while Ismail Haniyeh s band of militants seized the Mediterranean seaside strip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Hamas Syrian-based leader Kalid Mashaal has no intent of surrendering Gaza to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, considered a U.S. puppet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Egypt, who shares a border with Gaza, has tried for months to broker unification talks between Hamas and Fatah, the old Palestinian Liberation Organization founded by the late Yasser Arafat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>After watching its leader Abdel Assiz al-Rantissi and founder and spiritual leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin assassinated by Israel in 2004, Hamas has no intention of ceding its authority to Abbas or anyone else.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <![if !supportEmptyParas]>&nbsp;<![endif]><span style="mso-tab-count:1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton arrives in Israel March 3 in what promises to be a fruitless attempt to restart peace talks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Her predecessor Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice found out the hard way that it s impossible to negotiate peace with half the Palestinian people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> She arrives only weeks, perhaps days, before Israel consigns its future to Netanyahu, every bit her equal and no pushover. She walks a tightrope pressuring Israel and pandering to Palestinians, while knowing that nothing can happen until Hamas loses control of Gaza.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> She also knows that a strident public face to Israel won t return Abbas to power in Gaza.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Clinton plans to attend a Gaza-rebuilding donor conference sponsored by Egypt in Sharm el Sheikh, pledging $900 million in U.S. aid.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> Rebuilding Gaza can only happen after Hamas militants are rooted out of the former Egyptian territory.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <![if !supportEmptyParas]>&nbsp;<![endif]><span style="mso-tab-count:1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>Since brokering a ceasefire Jan. 18, more than 110 rockets and mortar shells have hit Israel s southern border.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Caretaker Israel Prime Minister Ehud Olmert warned Hamas that Israel s next response would be severe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> Hamas rockets  will be answered with a painful, harsh strong and uncompromising response from the security forces, Olmert told his Cabinet, hinting that when the reins are passed to Netanyahu all bets are off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>All public cries for restraint will be met with deaf ears when Bibi takes over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>He won t fool around with Hamas, knowing that there can be no peace without ejecting the militant group from Gaza.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>While unspoken by the U.S. and Abbas, they can t wait until Netanyahu purges Gaza of Hamas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Netanyahu knows he can t complete the mission without reoccupying Gaza.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>With the clock ticking before Bibi takes over, Hamas has little time left to acquiesce.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <![if !supportEmptyParas]>&nbsp;<![endif]><span style="mso-tab-count:1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>U.N. Mideast peace envoy former British Prime Minister Tony Blair expressed reservations about a donors conference without a political settlement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> This money will not have a lasting impact unless there is a political solution, said Blair.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> It is ultimately in the politics that the solution lies, hinting that with Netanyahu coming to power there s more hope for the future.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Hamas has no intent of ceding power to Abbas now or in the future.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> Abbas lost Gaza to a better-organized militant force.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>For two years, Hamas has consolidated its power, smuggling arms from Gaza s catacomb of elaborate tunnels.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Abbas also walks a fine line opposing Hamas and, at the same time, appearing to support U.S. and Israeli plans for a two-state solution.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> Hamas still believes it can overthrow the Israeli government, something appealing to militants opposed to any peace deal with the Jewish State.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span> </p> <p class="style5"> <![if !supportEmptyParas]>&nbsp;<![endif]><span style="mso-tab-count:1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>Netanyahu will play his cards close to the vest until sworn in as prime minister.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Before Israeli elections Feb. 10, he stated unambiguously he intended to take back Gaza from Hamas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Gaza, which was seized by Israel in the 1967 War, was returned by former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon Sept. 12, 2005.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>It took a little over two years before Hamas seized the Gaza Strip from Abbas, leaving the current mess.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Abbas can t expect more than 80 countries promising to pledge $2.8 billion, $1.9 billion from the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, to begin rebuilding until he regains control of Gaza.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>With Hamas firmly in charge, rebuilding now would be a complete waste.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>More retaliatory strikes against Hamas rocket fire would only undermine rebuilding efforts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>For Mideast peace to have any chance of working, U.S. and Palestinian authorities know that Hamas must be evicted from Gaza</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <![if !supportEmptyParas]>&nbsp;<![endif]><span style="mso-tab-count:1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>Only weeks away from Netanyahu s return as prime minister, the dynamics of Mideast peace will change.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> Before his election, Bibi made it clear he plans to retake Gaza sometime after taking office.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>His new conservative governing coalition, including the support of Russian-born ultranationalist Yisrael Beiteinu Party leader Avigdor Lieberamn, already pledges 100% support.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>When Clinton arrives March 3, her public face will support Palestinian efforts at reconciliation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Behind the scenes she ll discuss Netanyahu s contingency plans to take back control of Gaza.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>While Clinton and Abbas publicly condemn military action, they know there s no other path to their goal of a two-state peace plan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>As long a Hamas controls Gaza, there s no chance of Mideast Peace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Having pushed the situation to the brink, Hamas must reverse itself or face an ugly day of reckoning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analysing spin in national and global news.&nbsp; He&#39;s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of <a href="books.html"><i>Dodging</i> <i>The Bullet</i> </a>and <i> <a href="books.html">Operation Charisma</a>.</i></p> </td> <td width="1" height="2576" rowspan="2"></td> <td width="1" height="2"><spacer type="block" width="1" height="2"></td> </tr> <tr height="2574"> <td width="133" height="2574" valign="top" align="left" xpos="0"><img height="172" width="111" src="images/johninframe3.jpg"></td> <td width="1" height="2574"><spacer type="block" width="1" height="2574"></td> </tr> <tr height="1" cntrlrow> <td width="133" height="1"><spacer type="block" width="133" height="1"></td> <td width="7" height="1"><spacer type="block" width="7" height="1"></td> <td width="182" height="1"><spacer type="block" width="182" height="1"></td> <td width="300" height="1"><spacer type="block" width="300" height="1"></td> <td width="1" height="1"><spacer type="block" width="1" height="1"></td> <td width="1" height="1"></td> </tr> </table> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="2" width="597"> <tr> <td><font size="1" face="Arial,Geneva,Helvetica"> <hr noshade size="1"> </font><a href="index.html"><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular" size="2"><strong> Home</strong></font></a><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular" size="2"><strong> || <a href="articlesindex.html">Articles</a> || <a href="books.html">Books</a> || <a href="teflon.html">The Teflon Report</a> || <a href="mailto:letters@onlinecolumnist.com"> Reactions</a> || <a href="aboutdiscobolos.html">About Discobolos</a></strong></font> <div align="left"> <p><font size="1" face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular">This site designed, developed and hosted by the experts at</font><font size="2" face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"> <a href="http://www.cmeonline.net" target="_blank"><img height="30" width="138" src="images/cmelogoANIM.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"></a></font></p> </div> <p><font size="2" face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular">©1999-2005 <a href="aboutdiscobolos.html"> Discobolos Consulting Services, Inc.</a><br> (310) 204-8300<br> All Rights Reserved. </font></td> </tr> </table> </center> </body> </html>