SocraticGadfly: Does Olmert really want to address Israeli settlements?

December 29, 2008

Does Olmert really want to address Israeli settlements?

Committing a tautology, as well as probably being too generous in his interpretation, TPM's Josh Marshall claims the answer is yes to my rhetorical question in the title.

Here is what he says, tautology included:
The [settlement] numbers have continued to increase right through the Olmert government, which I think really wanted to get about the business of uprooting settlements and solving the core issues. But he wasn't willing or able to do it.

If you wanted to do something, Josh, by definition, you would be willing.

That said, I think either a generous interpretation, or a bit of naivete, by Josh led to this tautological thought process.

Given that there is good evidence Israel kept, in essence, picking, picking, picking at Hamas until it got the action it wanted, I don't think Olmert really wanted to do too much about settlements.

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