<html> I don't think Sharon & Co. are blindly blocking the Saudi proposal.  They know what the U.S. wants.  Sharon himself made it most brutally clear recently, when he said the _first_ the Palestinians must be beaten into a bloody pulp, _then_ there'll be talk of peace. Well, at least they spare us the usual twisted rationalizations and apologetics. But it is most important to underline that Washington fully supports Sharons' policy, without a qualm (heard any lately?).    The only possible "difference" that could emerge is over how quickly the Palestinians can be "beaten".  Washington wants Sharon to hurry up with the dirty job, so the way will be clear - and the Saudis onboard - the projected war of aggression against Iraq.   War of aggression, that is what it is and will be.  Stalin was an even beastlier tyrant than Saddam Hussein, but there was no doubt as to who the aggressor was after June 22nd, 1941. -Brad At 01:48 PM 3/6/02 -0800, David Friedman wrote: <blockquote type=cite class=cite cite>This is in the context of the Saudi peace proposal. What it suggests to me is a desire to escalate the level of hate and violence as a way to torpedo any peace process just in case the U.S. might decide to put pressure on the Israelis, as part of clearing the way for an Iraqi campaign. If the Sharon government ups the ante, they might force the Saudis and other Arab governments to denounce them, and that in turn becomes an excuse to reject any peace initiative. All aimed at manipulating the American public, of course. Still, it seems to be just a trial balloon right now.  Maybe Schiff and his friends want to see if there's much reaction against it among the Israeli people.  There'll be plenty of right-wingers talking it up. At 12:28 PM 3/6/02 -0800, joanna bujes wrote: <blockquote type=cite class=cite cite>Following sent to me from GUSH SHALOM. FYI. Joanna _________________________________ = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Killing ("physically harming") of families of suicide bombers discussed by circles close to the army high command. = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Ze'ev Schiff, who is known for his close relations with the army high command, wrote the following words at the end of his article "How to fight against people ready to die" (Ha'aretz 5.3.02) (The article appeared in the Hebrew and English printed versions of yesterday's Ha'aretz, but we couldn't find it in the Internet edition.) "Perhaps the voices calling for physically harming the families of the suicide terrorists will drown out the voices that reject this idea out of hand as unethical. The terrorists, those who send them, and their families are liable to to find out that a terror-battered Israel is being drawn into merciless responses." Killing (or otherwise physically harming) the innocent families of those who commit hostile acts is a mark of the most barbaric regimes in history, including the most barbaric of all. It is, of course, a war crime, and those who order, execute or recommend it may find themselves one day before the International Criminal Court at The Hague. It should be noted that Ze'ev Schiff, often described abroad as "the respected military commentator", cites this idea without voicing any objection of his own. ********THE OCCUPATION IS KILLING ALL OF US******* *********INCLUDING OUR MORAL STANDARDS******** </blockquote> Dave Friedman (510) 986-3614 david.friedman@sun.com Sun Microsystems Forte Tools 1800 Harrison Street, Oakland, CA 94612 </blockquote></html>