Annals of Appeasement -- 2005

Yesterday, hours after the bombings in London, President Bush transmitted his latest report under the “Middle East Peace Commitments Act of 2002” (Sections 601-604 of Public Law 107-228).

The Act requires periodic reports on compliance by the PLO and Palestinian Authority with the commitments specified in Section 602 of the Act, including:

“Renunciation of the use of terrorism and all other acts of violence and responsibility over all PLO elements and personnel in order to assure their compliance, prevent violations, and discipline violators.”

The Act provides that if the President determines the PLO or PA did not comply with each commitment, the President shall impose, for six months, one or more sanctions:  (1) denial of U.S. visas to any PLO member or PA official; (2) downgrading the status of the PLO or PA office in the U.S.; (3) designating Fatah or groups operating as arms of the PA as a foreign terrorist organization; and (4) prohibiting U.S. assistance to the West Bank or Gaza. 

The Act further provided that the President could waive any sanction if he determined the waiver was “in the national security interest of the United States.”

In "Presidential Determination No. 2005-27,” President Bush stated yesterday that:

“[P]ursuant to section 603 of that Act, regarding noncompliance by the PLO and the Palestinian Authority with certain commitments, I hereby impose the sanction set out in section 604(a)(2), "Downgrade in Status of the PLO Office in the United States."

In the next paragraph, however, President Bush stated that:

“Furthermore, I hereby determine that it is in the national security interest of the United States to waive that sanction, pursuant to section 604(c) of the Act.”

The sanction (the mildest on the list) lasted all of one paragraph.  Somewhere, Winston Churchill is shaking his head.

UPDATE: Anne Lieberman notes that apparently you can "noncomply" with your "commitments" to stop terrorism but still get a big pay day from the G8. The day after 7/7.

Comments

[Cynic]

Can you please explain to this foreign fool just how the "national security interest of the United States " is served by maintaining the "status"of the PLO & PA?

If anything this is just one more example how the US is all hot air when it comes to fighting terrorism, and instituting democracy in the region.
Compliance of the US's very own "Roadmap" is trampled in the dirt and those responsible are awarded.
It got itself into a fix in Iraq through excessive bravado and now wallows in the aftermath giving succour to insurgents/operatives/activists
around the world by not coming through on all that bellicose talk post 9/11.
It's taking a bit longer than Lebanon or Somalia to lose interest but now it seems to be setting in.
If Powell was poor Rice it seems is even worse at the job.