The following is a news story from the Electronic Telegraph. My comments are in [square brackets].--Jana
Clinton set to foot bill for Mideast settlement
By David Wastell in Washington and Tom Gross in Jerusalem
[That’s real generous of you Bill. Personally I didn’t think you had that kind of money. I thought you were already up to your nostrils in debt over your Oval Office oral affair with Monica Lewinsky.]
PRESIDENT CLINTON is preparing to offer Israel and the Palestinians aid worth tens of billions of dollars to underwrite a peace deal at the Camp David talks and attach his name to a solution to one of the world's most intractable conflicts.
[Hey Bill er...I mean, President Clinton, WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? It sounds like you’re planning to use some of MY MONEY in this “underwrite” deal! Well I can tell you right now, FORGET IT! The only thing you’re going to underwrite is housing for ME since I cannot afford to rent a decent place to live.]
Despite warnings that Congress is wary of writing a "blank cheque" to pay for what suspicious Republicans see as his "legacy project", Bill Clinton is willing to assure Ehud Barak, Israel's Prime Minister, and Yasser Arafat, the Palestinian leader, that the US will foot a large part of the peace bill.
[OH NO WE’RE NOT! THE UNITED STATES WILL NOT “FOOT A LARGE PART OF THE PEACE BILL”! If the United Snakes of Israel wants to foot the bill that’s fine with me but the digital resources of the United States of America is no longer available for playing “Footsie” (aka “Middle East peace process”).]
He is also sympathetic to Israeli requests for a substantial package of military aid, worth up to £8 billion, to upgrade its weapons systems and help strengthen defenses against possible attack from Iraq if the Jordan Valley is handed to the Palestinians as part of a final agreement.
[Come on Bill, you know Israel’s Persecution/Extortion Racket doesn’t work anymore. It hasn’t worked since it was exposed to the Light of Day. Who do you think you’re fooling with this “sympathetic” camel dung? We all know you don’t give a fig for the plight of the Palestinian people. We know “You’re only a pawn...in their game.”--B.Dylan]
Israel is believed to be seeking Apache attack helicopters and conversion kits to turn ordinary bombs into "smart" weapons of the kind used by the US in Kosovo. Talks at the Camp David retreat on a spine of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Maryland continued yesterday amid an official news blackout.
[There may have been an “official news blackout” but that didn’t stop me! I was there. You guys are ridiculous. You’re scared silly. Nothing works anymore. You don’t know what hit you. You don’t know where it’s coming from. “Something is happening but you don’t know what it is, do you Mr. Jones?--B. Dylan]
According to one report, however, Mr Arafat threatened to walk out of the summit in anger over American proposals on Jerusalem designed to bridge the gap between the two sides, but President Clinton calmed him down and the proposals were withdrawn.
[Theatrical.]
Senior members of Congress are in the dark about what may be decided and are nervous of being presented with a substantial bill for what some believe may prove a misguided attempt to strike a deal in the closing stages of Mr Clinton's presidency.
[“Senior members of Congress are IN THE DARK” because they play “ostrich politics” and prefer to keep their heads buried in the sand. They are TERRIFIED of Israel. The mere thought of displeasing Israel has them nervously rushing to a corner to groom themselves like caged mice when they spot the white coats coming.]
George W. Bush, the Republican presidential candidate, attempted to defuse tensions at the end of last week by saying he wished the talks success. Sonny Callahan, the influential Alabama Republican whose congressional sub-committee would be asked to agree to any American aid package, has however said that Congress will look long and hard before agreeing to pay up.
[The Jr. Bush is already tightly installed in Israel’s fat-ass back pocket and guess what? Israel’s about to sit down hard! Too bad Jr. but I warned you a long time ago. As for you Sonny-boy, with your phony Congressional “look long and hard before agreeing to pay up” teeth-chattering theatrics, don’t waste your time because you’re playing to an empty House.]
A spokesman for Mr Callahan said: "He has heard every figure from £10 billion to £100 billion. He and others support anything that would bring true peace to the Middle East. But he told the Secretary of State that he is concerned that Mr Clinton may be trying to build a legacy division in his presidential library at Little Rock, with a Middle East peace accord at its centre. Even as a friend and ally of Israel we have got to be concerned when a lame duck administration is preparing to leave billions of dollars of obligations for the next administration."
[Hummm...let’s see. How much peace can we get for 10 billion? I think we can starve enough American children to come up with that amount. Not enough you say? Well, what if we throw in another 15 billion and you get to count all the billions you make from child pornography? Still not enough you say? Well, we could eliminate all the K-8 public schools because there won’t be many kids attending since they will have all died from starvation and rat bites. That way we can add at least another billion or so. No? Not enough? How about we eliminate the middle and high schools and put the kids to work. They don’t need an education to become prostitutes and drug addicts anyway. I think this could add another sizable chunk to the billions you demand. Still won’t do it? How about we just abolish everything except the military and place everyone under house arrest with nothing but bread and water? Do you think that savings would buy some peace in the Middle East? Ok! Ok! We’ll throw in the Apache attack helicopters and conversion kits so you can turn your ordinary bombs into "smart" weapons just like the ones the US used in Kosovo. Does that do it? Will that BUY PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST?]
Practical issues which would arise from a settlement and require a huge infusion of cash include establishing and securing new borders, rehousing thousands of Jewish settlers forced to move from the West Bank and other land handed over to the Palestinians, and building new roads and schools. The complex nature of a division of territory between the two sides means bridges and tunnels may be needed to allow people to move between different parts of a new Palestinian state without passing through Israeli checkpoints.
[Oh, how tragic. The poor Jewish squatters will “require a huge infusion of cash” to help them resettle. Perhaps we could enslave what’s left of the population of the United States and ship them over to help out. They could be put to work building bridges and tunnels for the Israeli land grabbers. This would simplify the “complex nature” of the problem. That’s just what’s needed. American slaves could really be useful when it comes to checkpoint crossings. After all, we wouldn’t want the Israelis inconvenienced in any way NOW WOULD WE!]
An international fund would also be set up to help compensate Palestinians driven from their homes when Israel was founded. The mood in Israel is uneasy, with signs that opposition to Mr Barak is hardening since his governing coalition broke up and he narrowly survived a no-confidence vote last week. A huge anti-Barak rally is planned for this evening in Tel Aviv, with up to 15 per cent of Israel's 4.8 million Jews expected to attend. Even Mr Barak's supporters say it is likely to be the largest rally in the country's history.
[An “international fund” you say? Does that mean you have set your sites on the third world countries and are about to bankrupt them too? Does this mean that what little bread the poor children of the world have will be taken away too? I think if the children knew it was to help Israel they would gladly starve to death for the cause, don’t you?]
One Jerusalem resident who planned to attend the rally, Leah Pavliski, said: "We want to show that we are only for real peace, not for this capitulative peace process in which we are to give up vital territory to a police state in the making in our backyard. Such appeasement will only lead to war."
[“Such appeasement will only lead to war.” Well, someone got it right! I wonder if anyone ever told Israel that PEACE CAN NEVER BE BOUGHT but the THREAT OF WAR IS BIG BUSINESS AND GREAT FOR BILLION-DOLLAR EXTORTION RACKETS!]
Even Mr Barak's pro-peace supporters on the left are concerned at what they see as his abrasive manner. His failure to consult his coalition partners about planned concessions to the Palestinians led to a mass of resignations, and he is now in the unusual position of holding 10 cabinet portfolios. In addition to being Prime Minister and Defence Minister, he is now Education Minister, Health Minister and is the acting head of six other ministries.
[It’s lonely at the top eh Barak?]
Israel's Foreign Minister, David Levy, with whom Mr Barak had also failed to consult, refused to travel to Washington with him. There is speculation that if a peace deal is reached, Mr Barak plans to go over the heads of parliament and appeal directly to the Israeli public in a referendum.
[More theatrics.]
Anxiety in Israel has been fed by reports that while talking peace, the Palestinians are in fact preparing for war. Traditionally, in the summer, the Palestinians hold camps for their youth, but this year military-style exercises and training have replaced treasure hunts and basketball. The Fatah wing of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation is training young people to handle weapons, storm settlements and throw petrol bombs.
[Well, what would you do if you were up against Israel and their 100 billion dollar aid packages and demands for Apache missiles and “smart” bombs (oxymoron)?]
Electronic Telegraph (Issue 1878/July 16, 2000)
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/et?ac=003112450302313&rtmo=lnS7ou7t&atmo=99999999&pg=/et/00/7/16/wmid16.html
