Lessons from Islamabad -EditorialWhen Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf [pictured above] shook hands with prime minister Ariel Sharon at the UN in 2005, Israelis hoped they were witnessing the dawn of a new era in relations between the second most populous Muslim state and the world's only Jewish one.
[Some] Israelis believe Musharraf simply wanted to capitalize on that handshake, along with an unprecedented [speech] to American Jewish leaders, in order to bolster his image in Washington as a Muslim moderate.
He never even came close to establishing diplomatic relations with Israel.
Musharraf's departure after nine years in power contributes to an atmosphere of uncertainty. Who will replace him? What of the war on terror? Most critically, who will control Pakistan's nuclear arsenal?
Pakistan is a failed state. It cannot provide for its 165 million people, 32 percent of whom live in abject poverty. The regime does not exercise control over large swaths of its territory. Washington, which has funneled $10 billion in military assistance to Islamabad only to discover that much of it was misdirected, would like to believe that Pakistan will "remain" an ally against the Islamists.
Western leaders should stop deluding themselves about the utility of working with Muslim counterparts who cannot - or will not - deliver on their promises.
[Jerusalem Post]
Released murderer Sultan Ajlouni kisses his mother's hand in Amman, Jordan
Jordan Frees Killers of Israeli Soldiers
Four Jordanian prisoners [one pictured above] handed over by Israel last year to complete their life sentences in the kingdom were released from jail. The four were convicted of killing two Israeli soldiers in 1990.
(AFP)
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