Israel Matzav

Rice's remarks to the American Task Force on 'Palestine': The more I read the sicker I get

The Jerusalem Post has more of US Secretary of State Condaleeza Rice's Tuesday night remarks to the American Task Force on 'Palestine.' The more I read of this, the sicker I get. Here are the parts that I did not blog previously:

Rice compared the vision of Palestinian statehood to that of American independence and the civil rights battles in one of the strongest endorsements from the Bush administration to the idea of an independent Palestinian state.

"I should never have grown up in segregated Birmingham, Alabama to become the secretary of state of the United States of America," Rice said, adding that eventually, once these visions do come true, "we wonder why did anyone ever doubt that it was possible."

Rice emphasized US support to the Palestinian people, by increasing the American foreign aid to the Palestinians to $468 million, and by putting in place an international mechanism which will allow transfer of financial assistance to the Palestinians without going through the Hamas government. [Money is fungible and Fatah is no better than Hamas. CiJ]

She said that now, after several months of having Hamas in power, the Palestinian people are holding Hamas accountable for the situation in the territories.

"Hamas now faces a hard choice that it has always sought to avoid: Either you are a peaceful political party, or a violent terrorist group - but you cannot be both," Rice said.

The secretary of state also stressed the importance of backing moderate leaders in the Arab world, such as Mahmoud Abbas in Palestine, Fuad Siniora in Lebanon and Nouri al-Maliki in Iraq. She said that one of the goals of her recent trip to the region, her sixth trip since becoming secretary of state, was to "build a support for those people who are trying and who need our help more than ever now."

Ziad Asali, president of the American Task Force on Palestine, said Wednesday that the fact that Rice came to speak at the American-Palestinian event has great importance. At the same time, Asali stressed that it does not reflect a change in policy toward the region, though "sometimes symbolism is more important than substance."

She compares the struggle for an independent 'Palestine' to the struggle for an independent United States? Was George Washington a terrorist? Did Paul Revere blow up buses? Did Alexander Hamilton target innocent civilians? Did John Hancock create and nurture a culture of death? Did the United States threaten to continue to attack England even after it became independent? Did it try to wipe England off the map?

Mahmoud Abbas Abu Mazen, who tells Rice that Hamas must recognize Israel, while telling his own 'people' that neither Hamas - nor for that matter Fatah - has to 'recognize' Israel is a 'moderate'? Siniora, who says that Lebanon will be the LAST country to make peace with Israel, and who refuses to talk to anyone in an official position in Israel is a 'moderate'? Al-Maliki, who cannot hold his own country together, but finds the time to denounce Israel is a 'moderate'?

Asali is right. Sometimes symbolism is more important than substance.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 3:10 PM