Let's review, shall we...

I know it is hard to keep track, but let's take a moment out of our busy day and look at the latest peace overtures that have come our way since Friday (that's less than three days for those reading this in the archives) from the poor, beleaguered Palestinians who want nothing more than to be left in dignity to pursue their dreams of self-determination:

According to the IDF, no less than ten (10!) Kassam rockets have landed inside Israel since Friday.  One hit a house... another struck a gas station (wounding a teenager with shrapnel) and the latest one landed outside a kindergarten.

A security guard working at a facility where fuel is transferred from Israel to the PA was critically wounded when as many as three Palestinian gunmen opened fire, hitting him in the head and leg.  His condition is still extremely unstable and he has lost the leg and an eye.

Sadly there have been too many rock and Molotov cocktail attacks over the weekend to count (but see here, here, here, here and here to get some highlights).  Multiple vehicles have been damaged and at least two individuals were injured. 

Yet amid all this mayhem, the US is still pressuring Israel to move ahead with more confidence building gestures.  They want Israel and the PA to agree to a short timetable during which each must achieve a series of steps in hopes of getting the stalled peace process back on track.  IMHO this is a lot like getting a deer and a hunter to agree to work together towards their shared goals.

On Israel's side this series of steps includes such lunacy as removing security check points and easing restrictions on Palestinian movement.  It also involves the incredible requirement for Israel to supply the Palestinian security services with more weapons and ammunition!

On the Palestinian side, the PA government is being asked to commit to far less tangible steps such as 'deploying security forces' and 'endeavoring to reign in rocket fire'.  But even these seem plain silly in light of the fact that Hamas not only hasn't recognized Israel, but its top political leaders still say that open attacks on Israel - what they call 'resistance' - are among the basic rights of the Palestinian people.

My question is this?  Why bother with this charade?  The Palestinians will never be made to be deliver on any of the commitments they make, and each side's obligations are independent of one another, meaning that Israel must meet her obligations regardless of whether the Palestinians meet theirs.  Good deal, huh?

While I personally maintain that there is a need to provide a hugely disproportionate response to each and every attack on Israeli citizens / sovereignty, it is beyond me that we continue to risk Israeli lives to provide basic services to the Palestinian population. 

It is untenable that Israel should be simultaneously required to show restraint, arm its antagonists and provide fuel, water and electricity to a population that is unambiguous about its dedication to our destruction.  Show me any other time and place in history... just one... where this kind of arrangement has ever been tolerated. 

As far as I'm concerned, if they shoot an Israeli electrical worker (as happened last month), Israel needs to cut off their electricity.  If they shoot someone safeguarding a fuel transfer facility, stop delivering gas.  It's really that simple.  This isn't about collective punishment.   It is about it being just too damned dangerous to continue providing the services.  Sorry.  Stop trying to kill the people providing the services and maybe we'll send someone out to see about getting the lights back on.

Seriously... don't believe me?  Go ahead and take a couple of pot shots at the cable guy and see what it's like to do without CSI and Desperate Housewives for awhile.

In the mean time, I think I'm going to have to dust off the old bullet proof vest for my commute. [sigh]

Good Times!