Really. It’s all Israel’s fault that the gas deal fell through.

Palestinian gas project ‘is wrecked by Israel’
An offshore gas project in the Mediterranean, which could have earned desperately needed revenue for the Palestinian economy, is in ruins after negotiations to sell the fuel to Israel collapsed.

Industry sources blamed Israel for the failure of negotiations with the British multinational BG Group after the Jewish state repeatedly reduced its offer price for the gas.

“This meant that from the off the project would struggle to be economic,” one source told The Daily Telegraph.

Israel also insisted on what insiders called “totally unacceptable security controls” by demanding the ability to stop Palestinian gas from reaching consumers in the Gaza Strip.

So, where is it written, exactly, that Israel must purchase the gas? How is it Israel’s fault that they want a good price for it? And why should Israel’s own gas company not object to the competition, like every other nation’s gas company would do?

Oh, wait. I forgot. It’s The Exception Clause in play here. And look. It’s now all Israel’s fault that the Palestinian economy will never, ever recover from this blow.

The failure of negotiations puts back indefinitely the day when the Palestinian economy receives earnings from the Gaza Marine Field, which was discovered eight years ago amid hopes that it could lead to Palestinian economic independence.

Say, does anyone remember all those greenhouses left behind in Gaza? The ones that would have brought millions in revenues to the Palestinian economy? The ones that the Palestinians ransacked and destroyed? Yeah. Those greenhouses. Those must have been Israel’s fault, too.

Watch how the author of this article manages to completely downplay the terrorism-funding angle involved in the gas field exploitation:

Even though Israel’s growing economy needed gas, Ariel Sharon, the prime minister during the Second Intifada, refused to consider any deal that would generate revenues for his Palestinian enemies.

But Israel’s hostility thawed last year after a number of top-level contacts between Britain and Israel, led by Gordon Brown, then Chancellor, who urged the Israeli government to reconsider the deal.

In the summer of last year, Israel committed itself fully to negotiations and BG Group installed a team of experts in an office close to Tel Aviv hoping to sign an agreement within months.

But talks dragged on, bogged down by concerns the royalties paid by Israel might end up in the hands of its enemies from the elected Hamas government.

This issue was dealt with as the World Bank set up a means to ensure funds paid to Palestinians ended up under the control of Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian national authority who is trusted as a moderate by the international community.

Astonishing, isn’t it, that the Israeli concern about funding terrorism against itself is so blithely discounted by, gee, people who aren’t Israelis? As if Israel has the right to dictated its own defense or something. Who on earth would be so stupid as to think that Israeli security comes before the Palestinian economic needs?

Yes, indeed, Virginia, there are days when I simply hate the news. This would be one of them.

Proof that Hamas will not stop the rocket fire on Sderot: It’s working.

About 64% of Sderot’s residents said they would leave the Qassam-stricken city if given the chance, according to a new poll conducted for Yedioth Ahronoth by the Dahaf Institute.

Published Friday, the poll showed that some 86% of Israelis residing in kibbutzim and communities surrounding the Gaza Strip believe that the government failed to protect Sderot from the incessant rocket attacks , and 25% of them also expressed a desire to move from the area.

Some 57% of those who took part in the survey said they knew of at least one neighbor who has relocated in the past year.

This is great news for Hamas, whose members have sworn to make Sderot a ghost town.

The thing is, killing terrorists also works. Which is why Hamas is now suing for a real cease-fire, supposedly unconditional:

A senior Hamas official In Gaza said that his organization may offer Israel an unconditional truce in the Strip, but added that such an offer has not been made yet, London-based al-Sharq al-Awsat reported Saturday.

The official, who asked to remain anonymous, told the Arabic language newspaper that “the debate regarding a hudna has been seriously renewed within Hamas and with the other Palestinian factions, we hope we will be successful in this.”

He added, “There would be no prior conditions. A truce on our side and a truce on the Israeli side.”

There are reports that Hamas is actually drafting terms for the cease-fire. The AP report contradicts the al-Awsat report. No big shock there.

Hamas is drafting terms for a temporary cease-fire with Israel while trying to gain support from other Palestinian factions to accept it, Israeli media reported Saturday.

Israel Radio cited senior Hamas officials as saying the militant group is working toward a limited truce with Israel and is in talks with other armed Palestinian groups for their support.

If Olmert sticks to his guns, there will be no cease-fire from the Israeli side. Shimon Peres said the other day: “there will be no peace talks with the Palestinians until Qassam attacks on Israel cease.”

Here’s hoping they mean it this time. Because I don’t believe that the terrorists do. They want a break because Israel killed over 30 terrorists last week—including Hamas terrorists—without a single civilian casualty. The IDF engaged the terrorists on the Gaza border, and a couple of kilometers inside. One soldier was seriously wounded and three others were lightly wounded, but that is the extent of Israeli casualties. It tells Hamas that in a real war with the IDF, they will lose, and lose badly—so Hamas wants to take the opportunity to smuggle in more weapons and get more training in Iran.

The IDF is reestablishing its military superiority against the terrorists. This is a great thing for Israel. And it’s partly the reason why Hamas wants a time-out. Don’t give it to them.