In March Palestinian Authority Chair Mahmoud Abbas spoke to the Arab League. He said:
"If you want war, and if all of you will fight Israel, we are in favor. But the Palestinians will not fight alone because they don't have the ability to do it.”Egypt and Jordan have peace treaties with Israel, so not all Arab nations will fight. The Arab League has an Israeli peace plan on the table, where it lingered since 2002. While Abbas postures on war, peace withers further. That didn't prevent the U.S. and Tony Blair from pushing economic peace with Fatah or approving direct war with Hamas.
Colonel Muammar Gadhafi hosted the Arab League gathering. American branded mulit-nationals salivate over opportunities in Libya, North Africa and the Middle East. Gadhafi also heads the African Union. He aspires to make it an economic union, much like the European Union (EU) or the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
Which way will Arab and African states cooperate, on war or their economies? Their partners in either case are global greed & power players. The release of the Lockerbie bomber provides a glimpse into that world.
Update: Egypt's Hosni Mubarek tried to push Abbas-Netanyahu together. AP reported "Mubarak received a message Sunday from President Barack Obama and a telephone call from U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urging a swift move to direct peace talks." That's a big change in four months, from favoring war to direct peace negotiations.
