Writing in The New York Post on the Palestinian seige of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, Uri Dan quotes Israeli diplomat extraordinaire, Yitzhak Minervi: “The Palestinians in the church are keeping the [estimated] 60 priests there as a shield. They are de facto hostages.”

“Three of Arafat’s top lieutenants for Bethlehem,” Dan notes, “are with the 200 Palestinian gunmen inside the church.”

The three — who include Arafat’s governor for the region and Abu Jihad, his intelligence chief for the area — could have ordered the gunmen to put down their weapons.

‘We learned through intelligence surveillance that Arafat’s officials in Ramallah — and in one case Arafat himself — ordered them to remain and not give in,’ an Israeli official told me.

So, just to recap: Arafat can’t control the suicide bombers, but he can control the suicide gunmen?

And the Palestinian gunmen who Arafat can control — the ones holding the priests de facto hostage, the ones who shot their way into the church to begin with — these are the victims here, and the Israelis are the agressors?

I think I’ve just figured out the whole of the problem in the Middle East! I think the Arabs have transposed the meanings of the words “victims” and “aggressors”!

Well, don’t just sit there, somebody tell them! Hell, we’ll have this silly misunderstanding taken care of in no time!

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