The Israelis are fools. Or maybe they just don't get it about Hitler and appeasement (do you think?). They applauded politely on May 15 as President Bush warned in a speech before the Knesset that it would be dangerous to have a government (i.e., one headed by Barack Obama) that would negotiate with terrorists and the nations that support them.
What Bush said, exactly, was this:
Some seem to believe that we should negotiate with the terrorists and radicals, as if some ingenious argument will persuade them they have been wrong all along. We have heard this foolish delusion before. As Nazi tanks crossed into Poland in 1939, an American senator declared: "Lord, if I could only have talked to Hitler, all this might have been avoided." We have an obligation to call this what it is -- the false comfort of appeasement, which has been repeatedly discredited by history.
Hypocrisy, irony, and what the Israelis really think below the fold.
Imagine my shock and surprise hopefulness when I opened the New York Times this morning.
This news is most welcome:
Israel and Syria Say They Are Holding Peace Talks in Turkey
JERUSALEM — Israel and Syria announced Wednesday that they were engaged in negotiations for a comprehensive peace treaty through Turkish mediators, the first time in eight years that such talks have taken place.
I guess the Israelis didn't get the memo--the one in which Syria was named (since 1979) as a state sponsor of terrorism by the U.S. Department of State. And it's quite likely they keep their own lists, huh?
State Sponsors of Terrorism
Countries determined by the Secretary of State to have repeatedly provided support for acts of international terrorism are designated pursuant to three laws: section 6(j) of the Export Administration Act, section 40 of the Arms Export Control Act, and section 620A of the Foreign Assistance Act. Taken together, the four main categories of sanctions resulting from designation under these authorities include restrictions on U.S. foreign assistance; a ban on defense exports and sales; certain controls over exports of dual use items; and miscellaneous financial and other restrictions.
Designation under the above-referenced authorities also implicates other sanctions laws that penalize persons and countries engaging in certain trade with state sponsors. Currently there are five countries designated under these authorities: Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan and Syria.
The remarks about Syria by Ambassador Cofer Black, Coordinator for Counterterrorism, before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, on October 30, 2003 are typical of our assessment of Syria.
There is no doubt that many past Syrian actions are in direct conflict with U.S. interests in the region and that the current posture of the Syrian government towards terrorism continues to be wholly unacceptable. As a state sponsor of terrorism, Syria has repeatedly shown an unwillingness to fundamentally change its behavior regarding support for terrorism. While we continue to have hope for eventual improvements in Syrian attitudes, policies and actions, we see little at this time to indicate that Syrian support for terrorism is diminishing.
Is there anyone in the world who believes in the efficacy of the Bush/McCain doctrine of not engaging one's foes with tough-minded diplomacy? Anyone, that is, except a few right wing dead-enders. We should applaud and support the Israelis and the Syrians as they seek accommodation. In fact, we should join them, which is exactly what one candidate for president has advocated.
I noticed in the "westerns" of my youth (circa 1950), that it was often unnecessary to reload. I thought that could never happen in real life. But now I see Barack Obama with the ability to just keep firing at will. Take that McCain! And that! and that! and that!, and that! and...