Submitted by Bart, Jun 19, 2007 11:33

The internacine combat in Gaza and the West Bank has been covered by the press and treated by the United States as if it were some kind of opportunity--suppressing the question, by what measure is the ineffectual, historically beligerent, and wholly unproven Fatah a rational choice for leadership?

Habitually looking for negotiating partners among groups whose only mission has been the destruction of Israel has made matters worse since 1948. I praise the Editorial for stepping back far enough to put reality back into proposals for the future.

However the prospect of either Egypt or Jordan having the courage and wisdom to step into the breach left by the "tyrannies" of Hamas and Fatah, and thereby exacerbating their own vulnerabilities, seems far-fetched however devoutly to be wished and energetically encouraged.

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