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| Middle East |
| Jibril Accuses U.S. of Blackmail |
| 2004-02-05 |
| A senior adviser to Yasser Arafat on Wednesday accused the United States of "blackmailing" the Palestinians by withholding aid - unusually harsh criticism reflecting exasperation with perceived U.S. disengagement from the Mideast conflict. "OOOCH! Ouch! Loosen the laces, dammit, that pinches!" Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has said repeatedly in recent weeks he would go ahead with unilateral measures, including dismantling some settlements and imposing a boundary on the Palestinians, if there is no progress in coming months. Earlier this week, he proposed dismantling virtually all the Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip, a political bombshell that is threatening his center-right coalition. Which is a shame because it’s the right idea. Get out of Gaza, get out of most of the West Bank, and let the Paleos have the civil war they so richly deserve. Sharon is facing mounting opposition, including from within his Likud Party. Challenging his critics, Sharon said Wednesday he would support a referendum on the issue. A senior Israeli official said Sharon would welcome a referendum because the issue cuts across ideological lines and "has overwhelming support among the public." Polls indicate a large majority of Israelis support a Gaza pullout. Excellent idea, and it could awaken the religious nutters there about where the public is on this -- out in front. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher offered a mixed response to Sharon’s Gaza initiative. Boucher said that while removing settlements is good, the United States is concerned about "any steps that could attempt to unilaterally end the process or unilaterally impose a settlement." Diplospeak for "Go ahead, but this doesn’t have our fingerprints on it." In the West Bank city of Ramallah, Jibril Rajoub, a senior security adviser to Arafat, charged that the United States is cutting aid and scaling back involvement in Mideast diplomacy because the Palestinians have failed to find those responsible for an attack on a U.S. convoy in Gaza in October. Three U.S. security guards were killed in the roadside bombing. "I think this is blackmail," said Rajoub, who enjoyed close relations with U.S. agencies when he served as security chief in the West Bank. Nope, hit him with the Clue Bat™ again, he’ll still not figger out cause-and-effect. U.S. officials have complained about lack of progress in the investigation of the attack. In December, U.S. envoy William Burns said the United States "cannot carry out our full range of assistance projects" without progress in the probe. About time! How ’bout some justice for the Americans the Paleos have whacked in the past? We got a dead Ambassador who deserves justice. Boucher on Wednesday dismissed Rajoub’s comments as "ridiculous." He said Palestinians should improve their security, but added that the United States remains engaged in peacemaking. "Something you should consider, Rajoub!" The United States offered a give up to $5 million to anyone who provides information that leads to the "conviction or arrest" of those responsible for the convoy attack. "To bring justice for those responsible for this attack, the U.S. government is offering a reward of up to $5 million, plus protection for an informant’s identity and relocation with their families, for information leading to the arrest or conviction of individuals who committed or aided this attack," a statement from the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv said Thursday. We can move Mahmoud to Detroit if he’ll give up the goods. |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #13 Not just any store Shipman! A party store. Please make note. |
| Posted by: Lucky 2004-2-6 12:26:47 AM |
| #12 Jarhead - same here! From Semaans Liquor on W. Warren. And I'm not kidding about the name. |
| Posted by: Steve YAO 2004-2-5 2:31:03 PM |
| #11 Oh! You mean a store! |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-2-5 1:19:43 PM |
| #10 Package stores, A.K.A 'Packies' (not to be confused w/ Paki's) are what they're called here in Kerry CountryTM. |
| Posted by: Raj 2004-2-5 1:16:11 PM |
| #9 Ship, like SteveS said - "Party Store" is Detroit slang for any Arab owned 7/11 /Stop-n-Go, Ali Babba's or mom&pop type package store that sometimes sells gasoline as well. They also sell lotto tickets. Owning Arab and family members usually make up the employees. Not uncommon to see bars on the windows, bulletproof plexiglass, and all of them usually own some sort of pistol (fine by me). They also are known for their dislike of the inner-city black even though that is their main clientele in Detroit. I was fortunate enough to be able to purchase most of my underage liquor/beer from the local Arab Party Store when I was an incorrigible youth in metro-Detroit. |
| Posted by: Jarhead 2004-2-5 12:51:36 PM |
| #8 "What's a party store?" A small neighborhood store selling beer,wine, possibly liquor and a small selection of snacks and groceries. They are usually owned by the lastest immigrant group as a means to gain a foothold in the American Dream. A national franchise version would be a 7-11. In some states they call them package stores. Here in Texas, a colloquial name is stop-n-rob after the Stop-n-Go chain. |
| Posted by: SteveS 2004-2-5 11:44:08 AM |
| #7 I'll dilvulge my ignorance.. What's a party store? |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-2-5 11:22:28 AM |
| #6 "Difficult"? Hell, they put the prime suspect in charge of the investigation! |
| Posted by: mojo 2004-2-5 11:10:51 AM |
| #5 Shipman - In many parts of metro Detroit it's unusual to go in a party store without an Arab behind the counter. |
| Posted by: Steve YAO 2004-2-5 10:40:07 AM |
| #4 I love it - terrorists complaining about "blackmail". Note to Yasshole: can you say irony? |
| Posted by: Spot 2004-2-5 9:24:56 AM |
| #3 lessee.... they're hemming and hawing about how "difficult" it is to find the bad guys who killed the Americans. They won't dismantle the terrorist infrastructure. Compound that with the fact that they utterly refuse to sign a document saying they won't support terror, forgoing a ton of cash. I'm thinking I see a pattern here. Wish the euroweenies did, too. *sigh* |
| Posted by: PlanetDan 2004-2-5 8:10:48 AM |
| #2 Jarhead what is a party store in Detroit's context? |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-2-5 7:29:21 AM |
| #1 "We can move Mahmoud to Detroit if he’ll give up the goods." -pease God no, we have enough party stores on 8 mile already. |
| Posted by: Jarhead 2004-2-5 6:46:03 AM |