Palestinians Offer Truce Extension, Israel Says No

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Palestinian Foreign Minister Nabil Shaath told his Israeli counterpart in a meeting on Sunday that he would urge militant groups to extend a temporary truce if Israel implemented its part of a "road map" to peace.
But his proposal was rejected by Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom who demanded the Palestinian Authority (PA) dismantle the "terror infrastructure" in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, including the disarming of militant groups.

"We are ready to extend the truce through dialogue with Palestinian groups if the Israelis make real steps to implement the road map," Shaath told Reuters after his meeting with Shalom at the Israeli Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem.

Shaath called on Israel to withdraw its troops from Palestinian cities, release Palestinian prisoners, halt expansion of Jewish settlements on occupied land and take additional steps mandated by the road map.

http://asia.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=UUFGJD2WPYBUWCRBAEOCFFA?type=worldNews&storyID=3210572

n/t

Thank you NY for the assist...

Link

The semi-colon is screwing it up.

Now, about the article...

Though the terrorist groups may be rearming, which isn't clear, that is no excuse to refuse an offer for a longer period of relative quiet.

The longer it lasts, the greater the chances of Sharon getting kicked to the curb by the Israeli electorate.

but I thought he'd show enough of a politician's common sense to keep the cease-fire. This refusal could be suicide for him politically. I hope so, at least.

His political cache increases with violence.

The Israelis are distressed with terrorism. If the terrorism stops for whatever reason, or is lessened, Sharon will do better. That is the only justification for his hardline policies that anyone can accept, and Sharon knows it.

but I'm too cynical to invest much in that view until I see some actions that can back it up.

it is no! Case closed, like so many others. So. I guess this ends the cease-fire portion of the show. I wonder if this will change a bit the Fat Lady's repertoire. There is a performance scheduled in a very quaint little mosque in Gaza. It will be converted that evening for the special event. Date yet to be announced.

Although I hear tell. Sharon is her understudy. Very conveniently, just before half hour is called, she'll show up missing. Sharon will stand in for her. It will happen so fast, the stage manager will have had no time to put the little announcement in the playbill, but that will be of no concern. Sharon's performance will be stellar. He has been waiting for this moment for quite some time. It will be his tour-de-force, sure to bring the house down, along with all the others in the village.

In the aftermath, an unknown group whose motto is "Free Lebanon" will claim responsibility for the Fat Lady's disappearance. On occasion video's will be aired on Fox. None will be conclusively authenticated. The group that abducted her will have all sorts of demands with threats of a ghastly rein of terror which will befall America if these demands aren't met.

Little will come of it. Some will say she was really Sharon's mistress and was flown off to Xanadu. there will be whisperings that she was Palestinian. Others will passionately oppose this theory, and one will say this theory is nuthin' but shit. But alas, for all the conspiracy theories and even the most plausible speculations, the Fat Lady will never be found. Not dead or alive.

Eventually National amnesia will set in, as another famous American sports icon is charged with having allegedly dismembered a woman (who many will vilify miserably). And while the plebians will argue amongst themselves about his innocence or guilt, all business will continue right on schedule and as per usual. No one will be the wiser.

Seems all it does is list the demands from both sides. Doesn't have any step by step method for acheiving them. This allows Israel to demand that the Palestinians do everything they are responsible for in the peace process before Israel will even start doing anything on there end. And since the Palestinians aren't in any position to make counter demands, it makes them look like the obstructionists.

of the road with their pants down do they?

It's fairly clear who is being obstructive here however,
assuming the road map is the guide. There is no "commitment
to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure" in the road map.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=124&topic_id=4537&mesg_id=4712&page=