Condi Rice says Gaza is not enough
By Aussiegirl
Condi says Gaza is only the beginning and Israel will have to give up more and more. This disastrous policy of appeasement and pressure on Israel for further unilaterial disengagement can only lead to more terrorism. Let's face it -- Condi Rice may very well be out of her depth as Secretary of State. Yes, yes, I know how you all love her -- first black woman Secretary of State, figure skater, pianist, PhD., president of a university -- BUT -- she has zero experience as a diplomat and has little knowledge of the Middle East -- her specialty is the now defunct Soviet Union -- in effect, she has an obsolete body of knowledge. She commands no authority when she speaks and appears schoolmarmishly stilted and ill at ease, reading from a prepared text or searching for words. I am at a complete loss to understand the Bush policy in the region and fear it will prove disastrous.
The Jerusalem Post has the story:"
As Israel struggled Thursday to evacuate the Gush Katif settlements, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said it must take further steps.
"Everyone empathizes with what the Israelis are facing," she said in an interview with The New York Times. But, she added, "It cannot be Gaza only."
Rice said this is "really quite a dramatic moment in the history of the Middle East," and praised Sharon for proving himself "enormously courageous."
According to the Times, Rice said that while the withdrawal would take several weeks, Israel must take further steps soon afterward, including loosening travel restrictions in the West Bank and withdrawing from more Palestinian cities.
posted by Aussiegirl @ 11:19 PM
3 Comments:
When the Palestinian authority fails to control the Hamas thugs living in Gaza(and I do mean when), Israel will have a free hand in dealing with the Palestinians in Gaza. They will no longer have to balance their response with the safety of those Israelis still living there. The gloves will come off and the Palestinians will have no one to blame but themselves. Strategically it makes some sense, but gaza will now become the funnel for a massive influx of weapons into the hands of the terrorist with no Israeli controls in the region to stem the flow.
The west bank disengagement will be far more difficult and dangerous. Even if it is pulled off sucessfully the Palestinians will not be home free regardless of outside pressures from diplomats including Dr. Rice. The Jordanians my not be too happy to have the Palestinian terrorists having free reign in their own playground right in Jordan's backyard. The history of Jordan and the PLO is not friendly and without the Israelis in the mix the Palastinians will be able to look both east and west for future expansion. Isreal may be the tougher nut to crack and Jordan has a great deal more space for a burgeoning terrorist community. Gaza is just the first step on a very bumpy road.
Wonderful comments, thanks to TJWillms and BBF. I must admit that I have friends and colleagues on both sides of this issue -- some saying this is a good move by Israel and others questioning it. Thanks to TJ for some great insights. I think at this point both possibilities are realistic -- and neither choice is really satisfactory. We'll just have to wait and see what happens. However, I'm not hopeful that this will move the situation forward in any beneficial way.
I remember Czechoslovakia giving up the Sudatenland to Hitler. Once you start giving up land, you will find some way to give up more land. Eventually, you surrender everything.
How much land can Israel offer for the promise of peace?
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