US & Israel Discussing Ways to Destabilize Palestinian Government

[kpete]

February 14, 2006
U.S. and Israelis Are Said to Talk of Hamas Ouster
By STEVEN ERLANGER

JERUSALEM, Feb. 13 — The United States and Israel are discussing ways to destabilize the Palestinian government so that newly elected Hamas officials will fail and elections will be called again, according to Israeli officials and Western diplomats.

The intention is to starve the Palestinian Authority of money and international connections to the point where, some months from now, its president, Mahmoud Abbas, is compelled to call a new election. The hope is that Palestinians will be so unhappy with life under Hamas that they will return to office a reformed and chastened Fatah movement.

............

The officials and diplomats, who said this approach was being discussed at the highest levels of the State Department and the Israeli government, spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak publicly on the issue.

They say Hamas will be given a choice: recognize Israel's right to exist, forswear violence and accept previous Palestinian-Israeli agreements — as called for by the United Nations and the West — or face isolation and collapse.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/14/international/middleeast/14mideast.html?ei=5088&en=957986e4a40ff0c2&ex=1297573200&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&pagewanted=print

[cantstandbush]

1. This is NOT news. Business as usual. n/t

[Warren Stupidity]

2. Gee that will be helpful for the peace process.

What a bunch of vile clowns we are. How about treating Hamas with respect and fairness and seeing if that might just have a positive effect? Nah, lets get right down to the disruption and destabilization.

[Brain In Vat]

3. Typical

This is normal Republican foreign policy.  Stupid, immoral and
counter productive.  Damaging the Palestinian economy is not
going to make the Palestinians love Israelis.  Just the
opposite it will radicalize them and turn them towards
violence, and anti-Israel candidates.

[im10ashus]

4. Welcome to DU!

[Wilms]

5. K&R n/t

[phoebe]

6. the new Special Ops team appointed by * will be anxious to help

see who they are and what the agenda looks like.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2105706

[incapsulated]

7. That was for certain

As soon as the election results were known.

It will be interesting to see what Hammas does. They can stay and play or... fight the Israelis and the US?