Arabs found their backbone ...

The Americans had sanctimoniously preached about bringing democracy to the Middle East while supporting their dictator-client states. When a truly democratic Arab government was elected, the US instead sabotaged the former’s ability to rule, just because it (the US) had to obey the dictates of its Israeli master.

The US set about embargoing the Hamas government of Palestine from financial assistance, with a view towards its administrative toppling, while its spiritual suzerain in Tel Aviv illegally held back Palestinian tax collection from the owners, the Palestinians.

To put more bite into the financial embargo, the Americans instructed US financial agencies to inform if any Arab nation dares move money into Palestinian accounts, with dire threats of severe penalties for the offender. Only Iran in the Middle East bucked the Americans openly.

That was the sorry lot of the Arabs, allowing Israel to dictate what they could do, which government the Arab people could elect, basically what sh*t they (the Arabs) could eat, albeit directing them so via the powerful but compliant-to-Israel Americans.

The plight of the Palestinian people was so pathetic that Palestinian PM Haniya last week offered to resign to placate the Americans so as to improve the oppressed lot of his people. A democratically elected Arab PM forced into offering his resignation as a result of Israeli directed and US-managed oppression – a treacherous stab in Democracy’s back by the hypocritical Bush Administration.

That was the sad unjust situation unfolding until a few days ago … yes, until the USA veto-ed a UN Security Council Resolution condemning Israel for the unmitigated massacre of 19 Palestinian civilians, mostly women and children, which brought the numbers of Palestinian civilians killed by the Israeli military since beginning of this month (just 14 days ago) to about a hundred.

The hypocrisy (in sabotaging a democratically elected Hamas) of the Bush Administration was matched only by its double standards (protecting Israel's terrorist crimes from world condemnation while it condemns Hamas as a terrorist organisation), while the deliberate evil of Deutronomic Israel was matched only by the idiotic evil of the USA.

The US veto was the last straw that broke the Arab camel’s back. Even though they long knew of US bias in their region, that last straw was the final insult, infuriating them to act, to do the obvious, the belated but the necessary. The Arab nations have finally discovered their balls, dignity and decency to lift the US-imposed financial blockade of the Palestinian government.

Amr Moussa, the Arab League secretary-general, said at a meeting of the organisation in Cairo on Sunday: "There will be no compliance with any restriction imposed ... The Arab banks have to transfer money [to the Palestinians]. Our message is loud and clear to those who take unfriendly positions against Arabs."

Even usually compliant-to-US Kuwait, which donated US$500 million to the USA for the Hurricane Katrina relief aid, said it would send $30 million to the Palestinians, while another pro-US Arab state, Bahrain promised the Arab countries would begin contacting international financial institutions to get the money transferred.

Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, Bahrain's foreign minister, said: "There will no longer be an international siege."

Mohammed Awad, secretary-general of the Palestinian cabinet, said at least $52 million would be ready for immediate transfer and would go to paying salaries. Palestinian civil servants and security forces have been living on Mediterranean air thus far.

Give the Yanks and the Israelis enough rope ……..