A Mild Defence

While Olmert seems to possess a suicidal impulse regarding Israel's security, Barak appears to be a stronger character- although it has to be said that this is a pretty mild defence in the face of persistent aggression.

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak approved a measure Thursday to begin cutting off electricity to Gaza, which Israel recently declared a "hostile territory," according to a spokeswoman for Barak.

The move is part of a plan put together by Israeli security officials in response to ongoing rocket attacks from Gaza into southern Israel.

According to figures compiled by the Israel Defense Forces, approximately 800 rockets were fired from Gaza into Israel from June to September, compared with approximately 500 during the same period last year.

Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said Israel must respond to the barrage of attacks.

"We've had a situation where day after day, week after week, month after month, we've had rockets fired from Gaza by extremists, designed to kill our people," Regev said. "The Israeli Cabinet has decided that this situation just can't go on and we will act to defend our citizens."

And, of course, Abbas complains-

"There should be no sanctions against the Palestinian people, neither individual nor collective punishment," he said days after the Cabinet's decision. "It will harm our bilateral relations, it will harm our discussions and negotiations, it will harm the atmosphere and even sabotage it."

Israeli measures to prevent further rocket attacks aimed at its population are harmful to bilateral relations? And rocket attacks aren't? Telling that Abbas doesn't publicly condemn the rocket attacks and demand they be halted- so as not to harm bilateral relations and negotiations. While he's at it too, he might want to tell his own bunch of terrorist thugs to stop attacking Israel.