EDITORIAL: Middle East madness [View All]

[GabysPoppy]

What goodwill did Israel generate yesterday by freeing 400 Palestinian detainees in a lopsided prisoner swap for one Israeli businessman and the bodies of three soldiers?

Not much. A suicide bomber left a Jerusalem bus a smoking ruin, killing 10 and injuring 50.

This is madness. It undermines progressive Israelis who continue to lobby for a resolution of the Mideast conflict on fair terms, meaning security for Israel and a state for Palestinians. Who in Israel has the stomach for peace talks when peoples' remains soak the streets?

Moreover, the bomber was one of President Yasser Arafat's police officers. If the Palestinian Authority cannot control its own police, what faith can Israelis put in its pledges to rein in violence generally?

snip

To this, Prime Minister Paul Martin should reply: It is hard to help those who refuse to help themselves.

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