What a Wanker

Interim Fijian Prime Minister, Frank Bainimarama, has declared the New Zealand High Commissioner, Michael Green, persona non grata, claiming he has been interfering in the country's domestic affairs.

Meanwhile Green said he had no regrets about his actions in Fiji, but still does not know why he was kicked out. Helen Clark will have us believe that it is due to the seating arrangements at the rugby match between the Junior All Blacks and Fiji.

On his return to New Zealand Green made the following undiplomatic comments. “Having the opportunity to serve as New Zealand's representative in Fiji has been an honour but not always have a pleasure. We hope there will be opportunities to meet again in happier times, ideally when Fiji's economy is prospering and the Government is chosen by people… freely chosen by Fiji citizens".

Clark is obviously on a mission to get rid of Bainimarama and get disposed Fijian Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase back into power. That she has been meddling in Fijian internal politics can be in no doubt.

Clark had this to say about Green. "He is one of NZ's most senior diplomats. He has represented faithfully the decisions of the New Zealand Government. I suspect that is the reasons why he is being sent home."

"His job has been extremely difficult and unpleasant for quite some time. If you're the High Commissioner carrying a strong message, your life is not easy".

Clark said officials had tried for "several days" to pull Fiji back from the brink but that had failed, leading to "a giant step backwards" in restoring democracy to the troubled island state.

Clark's friend, Qarase, has also condemned the decision to expel New Zealand High Commissioner. Mr Qarase did not know why Mr Green was being targeted but had said that he had heard that Mr Green had been talking to members of the ousted government.

Not content with interfering in the internal affairs of a sovereign nation, Helen Clark has said that she believed New Zealanders were at risk in Fiji and the Government travel advisory, at present urging caution, was under review. She is calling on New Zealanders to use their political and moral judgment when planning overseas holidays.

This is on top of the travel bans, halting seasonal employment schemes, immigration quotas and bilateral sports contacts already in place.

Fiji's interim Prime Minister, Frank Bainimarama, has repeated that his government would welcome a replacement for the expelled Michael Green.

The Islamic Republic of Hamastan

Scores of Palestinians were killed this week in Gaza in factional fighting between loyalists of President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah and those of Prime Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas. As if on cue, it took about 24 hours before pundits the world over blamed the violence on Israel and President Bush.

This is the Israel that withdrew from Gaza after a unilateral decision and not demanding anything in return and the Bush who several years ago was calling on Palestinians to "elect new leaders, leaders not compromised by terror."

However last year they elected Hamas to govern them. This was was not unexpected and .. it is a consequence of the cult of violence that has typified the Palestinian movement for much of its history and which has been tolerated and often celebrated by the international community.

So now Hamas, as puppets of Iran, will have free reign to lob missiles into Israel as they wish. And pressure will surely mount on Israel and the U.S. to accept Hamas's ascendancy and begin negotiations with its leaders.

Eye witnesses have said that Hamas has taken hold of the office of Preventive Security Services which has traditionally been a Fatah stronghold and "They are executing them one by one."

Is it wise to negotiate with a group that kills its fellow Palestinians almost as freely as it does Israelis? And what would there be to negotiate about?

This would simply give Hamas time and money to consolidate its rule and rebuild an arsenal for future terror assaults.

The deeper lesson here is that a society that has spent the last decade celebrating suicide bombing would inevitably become a victim of its own nihilistic impulses. This is not the result of Mr. Bush's call for democratic responsibility; it is the bitter fruit of the decades of dictatorship and terrorism as statecraft that Yasser Arafat instilled among Palestinians.

Read the whole opinion in the Wall Street Journal online at
http://www.opinionjournal.com/weekend/hottopic/?id=110010219