Israel Matzav

Pigs fly again: Kerry blames Hamas, but off-camera it's a different story

Unbelievable. US Secretary of State John FN Kerry is actually blaming Hamas for the current conflict.

"Israel is under siege by a terrorist organization that has seen fit to dig tunnels and come through those tunnels with handcuffs and tranquilizer drugs, prepared to try to capture Israeli citizens and take them back to hold them hostage," Kerry told CNN.

"No country could sit by and not take steps to try to deal with people who are sending thousands of rockets your way."

"We're working on the idea of a ceasefire," Kerry revealed, adding that President Barack Obama was to speak later Sunday with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.

"They've been offered a ceasefire and they've refused to take the ceasefire," Kerry told ABC television, adding that Hamas has "stubbornly" refused efforts to defuse the conflict "even though Egypt and others have called for that ceasefire."

By its actions Hamas had "invited further actions" by the Israelis to stop the rocket fire from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel, Kerry said.

Oh wait.... In Kerry's book, if Hamas had shot a few hundred rockets and then accepted a 'cease fire' when Israel responded, that would have been okay. Essentially he's blaming them for being stubborn and stupid and not for being a terror organization.

He has also said nothing about their 'unity government' with the Fatah terror organization, which Fatah has yet to cancel.

And this might be why. Here's what Kerry said off-mic (Hat Tip: Memeorandum).

Secretary of State John Kerry was caught on an open mic just before his interview with “Fox News Sunday” candidly speaking about the conflict in Gaza.

“It’s a hell of a pinpoint operation, it’s a hell of a pinpoint operation,” Kerry said to an aide on the phone, with some measure of frustration.

His comments seemed to be criticizing the Israeli government’s assurances about the limited scope of its attack and ground invasion of Gaza.

Kerry, speaking by phone to one of his top aides, then added: “We’ve got to get over there. Thank you John. I think John, we ought to go tonight. I think it’s crazy to be sitting around.”

Kerry was confronted on air by host Chris Wallace, who asked if Kerry was implying that the Israeli government had gone too far in its Gaza operations.

“While you were on camera and while you were on microphone, you just talked to one of your top aides about the situation in Israel...,” Wallace said.

Kerry stood by his comments, while defending Israel’s right to defend itself.

“It’s tough to have these kind of operations. I reacted, obviously, in a way that anybody does with respect to young children and civilians,” Kerry said,

“War is tough. I’ve said that publicly and I've said it again. We defend Israeli’s right to do what it is doing,” Kerry said.

“We support Israel’s right to defend itself against rockets that are continuing to come in. Hamas has started its process of rocketing after Israel was trying to find the people who killed three young [people] — one American kid, three young Israelis,” Kerry said.

Hmmm.

Labels: cease fire, Gaza, Hamas, Hamas rockets, Hamas-Fatah reconciliation, John Kerry, Operation Protective Edge

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 6:12 PM