January 06, 2003

England and Israel

Among the government's post-attack decisions was a refusal to allow a PA delegation to participate in an important London conference later this month. Great Britain has registered a protest, but Finance Minister Silvan Shalom explained today that the Israeli decision is designed to prevent the PLO terrorists from presenting themselves around the world as seekers of peace.
England's protest follows on the heels of British Prime Minister Tony Blair's refusal to meet with Foreign Minister Binyamin Netanyahu; Blair's red-carpet hosting of Syrian dictator Bashar Assad; and a British embargo on the sale to Israel of critical spare parts for the Phantom fighter-bomber jets. Israeli officials recently said that their fleet of 140 F-4 Phantoms might have to be grounded because of the embargo. "We are desperately searching for other sources," said a Defense Ministry spokesperson, "but we haven't found any yet."

Tony Blair is going to have to make a decision or else risking look like as schizophrenic a leader as Putin of Russia or Zemin of China:
he needs to either pledge Britain's faith to fighting all forms of Islamist terrorism, whether it be in Iraq, Syria, or the "Palestinian" areas in Israel, in which case he would unqualifiedly put the UK with us and Israel, or side completely with the Islamists, which would keep him in bed with Assad, Arafat and...yes, Saddam Hussein.
But to pledge his support for our U.S.-led mission for régime change in Iraq *and* support Arafat and the PLO in their Intifada, while openly spurning the Isrealis is simply "not on!"
It seems Blair has forgotten that one of Britain's greatest Prime Ministers was a Jew named Disraeli, doesn't it?