Abbas: “Help me, I’m weak.”

Sharon: “Don’t say that, people might believe it.”

But Abbas not only said it, his entire strategy is based on people believing it.

Winning elections means having legitimate power. Abbas like Arafat before him, refused that power. He did nothing to rid the PA of corrupt officials or to to rid them of terrorising militias.

Instead, he try to persuade his rivals to play nice and give up the money and power they have amassed. Surprise, suprise, they refused.

Unfortunately the failure has done little to harm him. On the contrary, it enables him to come to Sharon and the international community with outstreched hands demanding additional help.

He will probably get it because the same regional experts who are working hard to ensure that the Iraqi Sunnis do not have to pay not only for their murder of thousands of Iraqis before and after the fall of Saddam or for their failure to vote in Iraq's elections are making sure that Abbas will not pay for his failure to lay down the law in the PA.

Consequently, we read World powers urge Israel to ease checkpoints" In other words, these enlightened powers ask Israel to risk the lives of her citizens on behalf of Abbas.

Let's not forget, Abbas learned from the best grovler - Arafat.