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Editorials are posted and archived on
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The Abbas Crossroads

is

ahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian prime
minister, says he does not intend to
disarm the terrorists among his people.
With time and patience and repeated Israeli con-
cessions to bolster his position, he insists, the bad
guys will surrender the path of violence them-
selves.
To which Hamas replies, check out what we are
blowing up in Gaza today. As Israel moves steadi-
ly ahead on its laudable disengagement from
Gaza, Hamas seems hell-bent on sabotaging the
process. It is willing to do so not because that is
in the best interests of the million or so
Palestinians living in the strip, but to help propel
itself to greater political power i in the
area. By advertising itself as the organi-
zation that stands up to the "Zionist
• ,5 i
entity," it expects to take votes away
from Abbas' Fatah wing of the Palestine
Liberation Organization (PLO) in elections
scheduled for July 17.
Asking Hamas not to attack the 8,000 or so
Israeli settlers as they move out is like asking a
fish not to breathe water. The first goal of Hamas
is the destruction of the Jewish state. It will aban-
don that aim when it is ready to go out of exis-
tence, which doesn't feel like any time soon.
Thus, it is up to Abbas to show whether he has
effective power or even just a backbone. Sooner
rather than later, he is going to have to deploy his
newly armed Palestinian Authority police to pro-
tect the cease-fire that has been in place for the
last three months. The longer he waits to make a

show of his determination to comply with
the Quartet-brokered road map's first com-
mitment — ending the violence — the
harder it will become to move at all.
Israel does not need to have Abbas order
the arrest of all the Hamas leadership nor
any great public show of collecting weapons.
A few simple confiscations done quietly
would be enough to get the word out in the
symbol-conscious world of the Gaza Strip
that he does mean to halt the people who
would undercut the ceasefire. The shoot-out
between Hamas and P.A. police last week in
Kahn Yunis was a welcome indication that
action is possible.
Abbas should be guided by the
steps taken within Israel to prevent
another roadblock demonstration
of the kind that tied up transportation 10
days ago. The police quietly and firmly
rounded up both leaders and rank-and-file
who were protesting the planned Gaza with-
drawal. Most were released within a few
hours, but clear notice was served that
another such action would result in jail
time, and a few were indicted on charges
that could mean up to 20 years in prison.
If Abbas fails to restrain Hamas now and
in the coming weeks as settlers begin to pack
up, he will have surrendered any claim that
he is the leader of the Palestinians. If he
acts, he might actually come to deserve the
title.

Dry Bones

YOU CAN SEE 1 IF YOU IGNORE A
THAT THE ISRAELI
FEW KILLINGS,
PALESTINIAN PEACE
MORTAR
IS HOLDING...
SPELLINGS,

EDIT ORIAL

AND IF YOU
SQUINT YOUR
EYES A BIT.

www.drybonesproject.com

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Stolen Bliss

T

he entire Detroit area is hanging breath-
less on the fate of Mayor Kwame
Kilpatrick's city-issued credit card.
Lots of items on there can't be explained. Lots
of black lines are drawn through some of the
charges on it.
Oh, that, says the mayor's office. Those are
charges that are being disputed.
There certainly are an awful lot of disputes
going on. Every time the mayor takes a trip, the
hotel or the restaurant seems to get it wrong. But
there is an explanation.
This is clearly a case of identity theft.
There must be another 300-pound guy out
there wearing a diamond pin in his ear who is
claiming to be the mayor of Detroit and demand-
ing gigantic hotel suites and lavish meals.
I think the credit card companies ought to get
to the bottom of this. They probably would if
they weren't busy throwing money at Congress so
they can keep grinding the faces of the middle

George Cantor's e-mail address is

gcantor@thejewishnews.com

class with duplicitous lending practices.
State campus and trying to find any land-
So in all fairness to the mayor, I think
mark that still was standing from the
we ought to hold off on further criticism
years I was a student. Not many. At least
until this mysterious impostor is caught
the university keeps growing as the city
and identified. Otherwise, we might risk
shrinks.
his father going off again and comparing
Finally, the library doors opened and I
these stories about his son to the
could take care of business. Then I
Holocaust. We sure don't want that to
thought I'd visit the men's room before
happen.
taking the drive home.
While the mayor and his charming wife
Inside was a homeless man. He was
GEORGE
visit Las Vegas and complain about the size
standing at the wash basin and singing
CANTOR
of their free hotel room, I happened to visit
loudly. The song was: "If it takes forever,
Reality
the main branch of the Detroit Public
I will wait for you."
Check
Library recently to do some research.
This is not quite what I wanted to hear
I got there at about 11 a.m. on a
in the men's room, so I quickly turned
Wednesday, only to find it didn't open until
around and decided to tough it out until I got
noon. At that, I was pretty darn lucky. If I'd
home.
shown up on a Sunday or a Monday, the building
Meanwhile, Mayor Hip-Hop has opened the re-
wouldn't have opened up at all.
election season with far more money in his cam-
When I was in high school in Detroit and had
paign fund than any other candidate. Too bad
to do a research project, Sunday was always the
some of it couldn't go to the library so it could
day I'd get to the library. I wonder when today's
extend its hours a little.
students are able to do their research projects.
But first he better clear up this identity theft
Ah, forgive me. I got carried away there.
thing. It's really hurting his image.
I killed an hour walking around the Wayne

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JN

5/26
2005

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