Monkey Business

RedTamarin has been making strange patterns in the sand with his/her peanuts. Commenting on the Jericho Raid where the British and American's deserted their posts, allowing the Israelis to move in, kill Palestinian guards, and capture prisoners, in violation of an agreement, s/he offers:

Both parties were presented with the agreement in 2002, but neither Sharon nor Arafat ever put pen to paper. It has been considered binding the UK and US, who have done their part in fulfilling its provisions, but it never really existed.

This is an interesting argument but not one that is based in fact. As any law student knows, an agreement is not binding only if it is written and signed. Oral contracts and agreements are equally binding (in most legal systems, including our own). Indeed, we all enter into binding verbal agreements all the time.

The killer fact here is that the unsigned agreement has been implemented by the relevant parties all this time. The Palestinians kept this man in jail, the Israeli's kept out of it, and the British and Americans provided the jailers.

We can all find the Israeli legal system a bit confusing from time to time (relying as it does on (cough, cough) facts on the ground concerning key issues) but I am happy to report that the Israeli courts have enforced verbal agreements where the conduct of the parties evidences mutual intent.

The laughable bit is that she claims to be providing

details and insight that you can't find anywhere else in print or online media at present

. Right. It looked to me like a RedTamarin scratching its arse. Or it could have been spreading disinformation. Monkey see, monkey do. I wonder where RedTamarin picked up that information.

Meanwhile the bigger Westminster story, that over this issue Jack Straw lied in the Commons is ignored.