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And the beat goes on:



TIME.com: Why Hamas Terror Challenges Sharon, Arafat and Bush



Hamas has once again cast its bloody veto over any move to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; the question now is how the other players will vote. Sixteen Israelis were killed and more than 50 wounded as a suicide bomber struck at a pool hall in Rishon Letzion, south of Tel Aviv. The first such attack inside Israel in a month was timed perfectly to coincide with Ariel Sharon's Tuesday visit to the White House, where President Bush was pressing for progress toward a political solution of the conflict. Sharon, who heard the news during his meeting with Bush, flew home almost immediately, warning that the work of his West Bank offensive was not yet finished. Other Israeli spokesmen blamed the attack on Yasser Arafat's Palestinian Authority, while the PA, for its part, condemned the bombing -- for which Hamas has claimed responsibility -- and promised that they would "not be light-handed in punishing [the perpetrators] who have caused great harm to our cause."
Oh, snort! The attack was also "perfectly timed" in the sense that it occurred within a day of Arafat being allowed to wander about free again. Strange coincidence? Meaningful? Who knows. I ask again, if Arafat is in charge, then he's either doing a lousy job, or he's responsible for these attacks. If he's not in charge, why bother to talk to him? He has proven himself less than relevant--at best!



At worst, he continues to establish himself as a sly, dangerous, murderous terrorist, a despot in waiting for a Palestinian state to rule over, and from which to stage further attacks against Israel, which would then be "invading" a foreign country if it were to stage any retaliations. Oh, the UN would have a field day.

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