In light of yet another bloody Palestinian sucide attack, the clock is ticking down to Operation Defensive Shield, the sequel. This time, however, there is evidence that Israel is planning to stay long enough to provide for more than a ephemeral decline in terror.
Avi Dichter, the head of the Shin Bet, Israel's Security Agency, has been lobbying for the last week for Israel to move deeper into the Palestinians areas and remain there until a buffer zone to include a fence and other physical and technological obstacles is set up along the Green Line to make terrorist incursions more difficult. Sharon and Ben-Eliezer have favored pinpointed incursions based on intelligence information. But Dichter's opinion gained some ground yesterday among ministers. Education Minister Limor Livnat told reporters that "there is a need to be present in Area A in a more significant manner, as was the case during operation Defensive Shield."
Meanwhile, disconnected as ever from actual reality, diplomatic activity buzzes about. Muburak pushes for imminent Palestinian Statehood (is this before or after Arafat's faux-reforms), the Europeans are shuttling around, excited by the prospect of a conference, and the U.S. has sent CIA Director George Tenet to the region to discuss security reform with Arafat. Well, I guess this gives him a good excuse to miss the Congressional hearings on why the CIA fouled-up royally before 9/11. Memo to W. - you may want to have your CIA director concentrating a bit more, on...I don't know...stopping the next planned Al Qaeda attack against the U.S.
Welcome Ladies and Gentlemen to the theater of Middle East Diplomacy - please turnoff all cell-phones, beepers and logical facilities. We hope you enjoy the show and remember our motto "both sides are equally to blame."
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