The United States and Israel are discussing ways to destabilize the Palestinian government so that newly elected Hamas officials will fail and elections will be called again, according to Israeli officials and Western diplomats.
Basically the plan is to starve Hamas of cash. The Israelis and the USA between them can easily engineer it so that: Beginning next month, the Palestinian Authority will face a cash deficit of at least $110 million a month, or more than $1 billion a year, which it needs to pay full salaries to its 140,000 employees, who are the breadwinners for at least one-third of the Palestinian population.
[Palestine] will blame Israel and the United States for its troubles, appeal to the world not to punish the Palestinian people for their free democratic choice, point to the real hardship that a lack of cash will produce and may very well resort to an open military confrontation with Israel, in a sense beginning a third intifada.
Mr. Asaad laughed and added: "First, I thank the United States that they have given us this weapon of democracy. But there is no way to retreat now. It's not possible for the U.S. and the world to turn its back on an elected democracy."
When will the USA learn that they don't understand foreign policy and intervention? Every time they stick their fingers into something, it gets a lot worse. But that poor Mr. Asaad. The world can and will turn its back on just about anything, mate. We're a callous bunch without a lot of idealism when you get us collectively.
Here's an interesting test for your humanity that I've stolen from a book I can't remember. Next time you're up in a ferris wheel or somewhere high, notice that when you're far away, humans just look like little moving dots. Then imagine that in order to stop a dot from moving, all you have to do is think it, and no-one else will ever know it was you that did it. Then imagine that for every dot you stop with your mind, you get a million bucks. How many dots would still be moving when you finished your ferris wheel ride? I know I'd be several million dollars richer, if I'm honest.
Thought For Today: What do you think the most common "last words" are? My money is for somekind of swearword. Probably "Ah, fuck!" or "Shit!". Unless "Ow" counts.
(All quotes from nytimes.com)