When The Big Boys Play Footsie

 
Roger Simon has a heartening post today, linking to a story about Pakistan’s gestures towards Israel. The Foreign Minister for Pakistan stated that Israel’s removal from Gaza led to Pakistan’s decision to “engage” Israel.

What does “engage” mean? In French, I would think the connotation could be face-to-face meetings, but in any language it’s a fuzzy word. In this case, no doubt fuzzy-on-purpose. You know, that genetically tuned diplo-speak you hear whenever someone in a ministerial position opens his or her mouth. Obviously it is genetic because only people who possess those genetic codes show up in morning suits speaking diplomatese.

Mr. Simon quotes the article from the Associated Press, via the International Herald Tribune.

Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom hailed the meeting as “historic” and said that following the Gaza withdrawal it is “the time for all of the Muslim and Arab countries to reconsider their relations with Israel.”

Oh sure. Another Foreign minister “engaged” in diplo-speak. Hey, it’s loooong past time for Muslims to reconsider their relations with Israel but they won’t. They’d rather die first, drink pig’s blood, circumcise their boys instead of their girls. It will be a cold day in Paradise before any Muslim consents to peace with Israel. They’re carrying on a very, very old grudge from Mohammed, and he was mad because the Jews dissed him for his interpretation of their Torah. This grudge is so deep and so ancient there is no help for it.

So meanwhile, what’s really up? Well, there’s all the money that Pakistan got from the United States. That moolah has strings that reach thousands of miles. That moolah has little tags on it which say things like “make nice with the Jews,” or “how about you look a little harder for Osama?”

And then there’s India. If ever there was a case of the elephant in the room, it’s India, if you’re standing in Pakistan’s boudoir. Israel and India are way too chummy for Pakistan to sleep easy at night. So how about a little triangulation here, kind of like a toddy before bedtime? Here’s The Jerusalem Post’s take:

	Musharraf wants to develop some type of relationship with Israel. Not because he has suddenly discovered his Zionistic side, but as a way to throw a spoke in the wheels of the strong and growing Israeli-Indian ties, and also of course as a way to please America.
	…
	The close ties Israel and India have developed over the last decade specifically the close military relationship, with Israel a key arms supplier to New Delhi is obviously not to Pakistan s liking. Pakistan is interested in cooling down this relationship, and one possible way to do this would be by developing ties with Israel.

According to the Jerusalem Post, though, India is not going to wait outside the door. The paper thinks India has probably already made its feelings known to Israel.

No footsie with the enemy.


Hat tip for the Post link: sbrst in Roger’s comments page.