Briefly

Before I hit the beach….

Mahmoud Abbas, who was pretending that he was going to stop the firing of kassam rockets into Israel, has had even his pretense taken from him. Can you say, “impotent”? I knew you could.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas was forced earlier this week to call off plans to deploy PA security personnel in the northern Gaza Strip when several armed groups, including militias from his own Fatah movement, threatened to attack these forces, PA officials here told The Jerusalem Post on Monday.

Abbas had planned to deploy several hundred PA policemen and security officers in an attempt to stop the armed organizations from firing rockets at Israel, the officials said, noting that the proposed move had won the backing of the US and Israel.

When even USA Today notices the “peacekeeping” force is bogus, well, it’s bogus.

The most glaring problem is that the 30,000-man peacekeeping force, designed to separate the Israelis from Hezbollah and prevent resumption of rocket fire from Lebanon into Israel, has been slow to arrive.

The Lebanese army moved about 3,000 troops into southern Lebanon — 12,000 short of its commitment. As for the remaining 15,000 troops, other nations are waiting on France, which had signaled it would take the lead. But the French, who showed great zeal in drafting the U.N. resolution, have committed just 200 new soldiers, protesting that the rules of engagement are unclear.

U.N. officials are working on those rules with maddening languor. When they are done, countries will think about sending troops. A process that France’s U.N. ambassador said would be “swift” is turning out to be anything but.

Then there’s the question of what the peacekeepers will do, if they ever get there. It has become clear in the past week what they won’t do: disarm Hezbollah.

The Boston Herald agrees:

So far the 30,000-member force that was supposed to secure a fragile peace between Israel and Hezbollah consists of the same United Nations crew of 2,000 that has been ineffective for the past 28 years – and 3,000 members of an untested and unproven Lebanese army newly arrived on the scene.

Is it any wonder Hezbollah apparently feels free to continue smuggling arms – and Israel baited into responding?

Where are the AP headlines screaming “Hezbullah violates cease-fire“? Oh, wait. Sorry. I had a moment of insanity, it’s gone now.

A week after a UN-brokered cease-fire went into effect, IDF troops clashed with Hizbullah guerrillas in the village of Shama in the western sector of southern Lebanon Monday. Three gunmen were killed during the fighting that erupted after the Hizbullah guerrillas were spotted approaching an IDF paratrooper force.

Wait, I found the AP’s description of this event!

Israel has clashed with Hezbollah several times since the truce was declared, claiming it was acting in self-defense. Israeli aircraft also have flown over Lebanon.

And now I am beach-bound. TTFN.