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Weekly Commentary: Quartet Statement Declines to Insist PA Performs

Dr. Aaron Lerner Date: 12 April, 2012

Let me walk you through this:

#1. ISA Monthly Summary of Attacks – March 2012
43 attacks in the Judea and Samaria ; 29 attacks in Jerusalem.
Of which: 2 stabbings; 70 firebombs (29 in Jerusalem).

#2 Statement of the Middle East Quartet April 11, 2012

"…Noting the significant progress on security achieved by the Palestinian 
Authority in the West Bank, the Quartet calls on the Palestinian Authority 
to continue to make every effort to improve law and order, to fight violent 
extremism, and to end incitement. The Quartet emphasized the need to 
continue assisting the Palestinian Authority in building its law enforcement 
capacity.

The Quartet also expressed its concern over ongoing settler violence and 
incitement in the West Bank and calls on Israel to take effective measures, 
including bringing the perpetrators of such acts to justice…."
#####

Note the critical difference.

The Quartet has “concern” about “settler violence and incitement” and 
demands that Israel take “take effective measures, including bringing the 
perpetrators of such acts to justice”.

But when it comes to the 2 Arab stabbings and the 70 Arab firebombs, the 
only thing the Quartet has to offer is praise for “the significant progress 
on security achieved by the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank” and to 
call on the PA “to continue to make every effort to improve law and order, 
to fight violent extremism, and to end incitement.”

Note some of the key words missing when it comes to Arab terror in the West 
Bank:

#1. “Concern”.

#2. “Effective measures”.

#3. “Bring the perpetrators to justice.”

That’s right.

When it comes to Israel, the Quartet wants results. They don’t just demand 
action, they want “effective action”. They even indicate what they expect 
to see as one of the results of such “effective action” - that Israel bring 
settlers “to justice.”

When it comes to the PA, the Quartet asserts that Palestinian Authority is 
already making “every effort to improve law and order, to fight violent 
extremism, and to end incitement.”

All the Quartet wants from the PA is that they “continue”.

Does the Quartet insist that the PA be “effective”?

No.

Does the Quartet call on the PA to bring the Arabs involved in terror “to 
justice” ?

No again.

By the way: why does the same Quartet that wants to see settlers sent to 
jail apparently think that there is nothing wrong with the PA taking the 
position that all Arabs caught by Israel for terror activities should be 
immediately freed. That’s released to freedom – not extradited to the PA 
for criminal proceedings there?

Here is the irony: By setting the bar on the floor for the PA instead of 
demanding results, the Quartet makes it just that much harder for the PA 
leadership to take a serious stand against terror.

After all, if the Palestinian street sees that the Quartet doesn’t really 
expect results from the PA on security matters, why should the PA interfere 
with “resistance fighters” ?

Dr. Aaron Lerner, Director IMRA (Independent Media Review & Analysis)
(Mail POB 982 Kfar Sava)
Tel 972-9-7604719/Fax 972-3-7255730
INTERNET ADDRESS: imra@netvision.net.il
Website: http://www.imra.org.il