Panmunjom of Palestine, Arab Political ED and the Blue Pill
Interesting, Mr. Bush mentioned a possible Korean style situation for Iraq- he meant a South Korean style US presence. Now we might have a different Korean style situation for the Palestinians: a North Korea-South Korea style of division, something like a Gaza- West Bank division. Ironically, that would make Israel the Panmunjom, the truce village, of the divided Palestinian areas.

Speaking of hypocrisy: The US government and other allies are resuming aid to the Palestinian government, now that President Abbas has dissolved the popularly elected Hamas government and installed a pro-PLO unelected cabinet- for the West Bank only, of course.

An Arab League foreign ministers meeting in Cairo stressed the importance of supporting ‘legality’ in both Lebanon and Palestine. Typically, they did not specify who was legal and who was not in these two cases, although it is understood by all what they meant. Normally whoever is in power is considered legal, no matter how they got there.

Who is right and who is not? The constitutionally elected president of Lebanon along with its constitutionally elected Speaker of Parliament (one side of the current Lebanese divide), or the constitutionally elected Prime Minister and his remaining ministers (the other side of the divide)? About one third of the Arab countries boycotted that Cairo meeting: what is the point if the whole system suffers from a severe case of ED? ED here could mean Electoral Dysfunction, but then again, it could also mean something more personal and therefore more serious, as in maybe 'they won't be ready when the moment is right'- quel embarassment!

I suppose in Arab terms an unelected regime in the West Bank is more legal than an elected and nutty one in, say, Gaza. And if there is a way to make it a hereditary regime, as in a hand-me-down, father-to-son regime, then it would be even more legitimate.

An embarrassment: the Lebanese army has been fighting for many weeks to root out the Fath al-Islam terrorist group in the Nahr–el-Barid refugee camp, and it has the support of all major political factions in Lebanon. If there are only about 200 or so armed men, then how come it is taking so long?

I read a comment on the Aalarbiya website about the differences between Lebanon to Syria, in terms of culture and democratic values. A Saudi commentator said that when he crossed from Syria to Lebanon, it was like moving from the 15th century to the 21st century. He did not say how it felt when he got to Lebanon from his own country.
Cheers
Mohammed