The Clinton Tapes Jewish Press Interview: Part II - The original story
Two additions to the Hillary Clinton interview with the Jewish Press in the previous post.
First, I forgot to post this tweet from last night.
I don't really buy the 'censored by Israeli press' part, but okay, let's put that out there.
What's more interesting is this -
the original story written by interviewer Eli Chomsky in 2006.
The Jewish Press: Israel recently concluded
its war against Hizbullah in what many consider to be a stalemated
position. How do you see things right now?
Sen. Clinton: First, I don’t think we should have
pushed for an election in the Palestinian territories. I think that was a
big mistake. If we were going to push for an election, we should have
made sure we did something to determine who was going to win instead of
signing off on an electoral system that advantaged Hamas.
That, to me, was a first step that led Hizbullah to take the actions
that it took [killing and kidnapping Israeli soldiers and firing
missiles into Israeli population centers]. What has concerned me is that
I don’t think our or Israel’s intelligence was very good at uncovering
what Hizbullah had developed in the last six years.
Frankly, the American intelligence didn’t know how dug in Hizbullah
was, how many rockets they had, where they were going to be launched
from and what the range was.
I think, based on what I know, that a lot of damage was inflicted on
Hizbullah’s capacity. But that capacity is not destroyed and has not
disappeared. Thus, Hizbullah, the Syrians and the Iranians have been
emboldened.
This was a problem of situational awareness and about what we were up
against. This is a longer-term issue for us and for Israel as we try to
figure out how we’re going to get a better grasp of what we’re up
against.
The question relating to Gilad Shalit where Clinton equated Israel and Hamas (see
previous post) didn't even appear in the 2006 story.
Hmmm.
Labels: Fatah, Hamas, Hillary Clinton, Palestinian elections 2006, US presidential campaign 2016
The Clinton Tapes: 'We should have made sure that we did something to determine who was going to win'
From an Israeli perspective, what is perhaps the most interesting leak comes not from Wikileaks, but rather from the release of an old-fashioned audio cassette with a
2006 interview with Hillary Clinton.
The tape is 45 minutes and contains much that is no longer relevant,
such as analysis of the re-election battle that Sen. Joe Lieberman was
then facing in Connecticut. But a seemingly throwaway remark about
elections in areas controlled by the Palestinian Authority has taken on
new relevance amid persistent accusations in the presidential campaign
by Clinton’s Republican opponent Donald Trump that the current election is “rigged.”
Speaking to the Jewish Press about the January 25, 2006, election for
the second Palestinian Legislative Council (the legislature of
the Palestinian National Authority), Clinton weighed in about the
result, which was a resounding victory for Hamas (74 seats) over the
U.S.-preferred Fatah (45 seats).
“I do not think we should have pushed for an election in the
Palestinian territories. I think that was a big mistake,” said Sen.
Clinton. “And if we were going to push for an election, then we should
have made sure that we did something to determine who was going to win.”
The sentiment is not surprising. In 2011, former Bush National Security aide Elliott Abrams told the Jerusalem Post that the 'Palestinian Authority' sought to call off the 2006 'Palestinian' elections, and the reason it didn't happen was that they insisted on
blaming Israel.
According to Abrams, the Palestinians seized on the voting in Jerusalem
as a possible pretext to cancel the elections, since this issue has been
debated amid questions of how and where Palestinians would vote.
“The
Palestinians said to Sharon, ‘Why don’t you say no voting in Jerusalem.
Zero. Not in the post offices [where voting was allowed in 1995]. Zero.
And this will be a reason to call off the election.’”
Sharon,
according to Abrams, “said he was not going to take the blame for this.
He said, ‘If you want to call off the elections, call off the election, I
don’t care. If you want to have an election, great; if you want to call
off the election, great. But you do it – I’m not taking the blame for
it.’” The Palestinians, Abrams said, then came to the Americans with a
request that they call off the elections.
The American reaction
was that the US doesn’t call off elections just a few days before they
are scheduled, “because it looks like you’re not going to win anymore.
That’s ridiculous.
Your job is to win the election, go out and
work, and get your people to the polls and win the damn election. So the
election was held, and Hamas won.”
Of course, it was '
moderate' '
Palestinian' President
Mahmoud Abbas Abu Mazen who insisted that Hamas participate in that election in the first place.... And by the way, after the election, there were discussions over the possibility of Hamas being
expelled from the 'Palestinian Authority.' So Hillary's statement about making sure that Fatah won the election was practically mainstream thought back then.
But there's something else on that audio tape that's even more significant.
Regarding capturing combatants in war—the June capture of IDF soldier
Gilad Shalit by Hamas militants who came across the Gaza border via an
underground tunnel was very much front of mind—Clinton can be heard on
the tape saying, “And then, when, you know, Hamas, you know, sent the
terrorists, you know, through the tunnel into Israel that killed and
captured, you know, kidnapped the young Israeli soldier, you know,
there’s a sense of like, one-upsmanship, and in these cultures of, you
know, well, if they captured a soldier, we’ve got to capture a soldier.”
Equating Hamas, which to this day remains on the State Department’s official list
of Foreign Terrorist Organizations, with the armed forces of a close
American ally was not what many expected to hear in the Jewish Press
editorial offices, which were then at Third Avenue and Third Street in
Brooklyn. (The paper’s office has since moved to the Boro Park section
of Brooklyn.) The use of the phrase “these cultures” is also a bit of a
head-scratcher.
In other words, Hillary equates Israel with Hamas. That ought to bother you all a lot more than whether she thought the 'Palestinian election' should be rigged.
Labels: Abu Mazen, Elliott Abrams, Fatah, George W. Bush, Hamas, Hillary Clinton, Palestinian elections 2006
The chickens of Western-backed 'Palestinian' intransigence come home to roost
The chickens created by years of Western-backed 'Palestinian' intransigence are coming home to roost.
In the 23 years since the 'Palestinian Authority' was created, we continually heard the claim that they had to be armed in order to be the only law enforcement authority in the 'Palestinian territories.' But the 'Palestinian Authority' never chose to assert control, instead allowing all kinds of lawless gangs to arm themselves and inflict terror on Israelis. Now, those armed gangs are turning their guns on the 'Palestinian Authority.' And
like in
Gaza in 2007, Abu Mazen is
losing control.
Hours after his security officers lynched a detainee, Palestinian
Authority President Mahmoud Abbas urged Palestinian businessmen living
abroad to support the Palestinian economy by investing in the
Palestinian territories. The Palestinian Authority (PA), he asserted,
was "working to provide security and safety to encourage investment."
According
to Abbas, "The Palestinian territories are living in a state of
security stability, which we are working to provide for residents and
investors alike by enforcing the rule of law and enhancing transparency
and accountability."
Funny that he never speaks that way in front of the 'international community.' And this time it's really a lie.
In his speech before the businessmen, Abbas neglected any reference
to the latest wave of "security chaos" in PA-controlled areas in the
West Bank, specifically Nablus, the largest Palestinian city.
Five Palestinians, including two PA police officers, were killed in
the worst scenes of internecine violence to hit the West Bank in recent
years. Abbas was either playing the businessmen for fools or hoping that
they share his deaf and blind state.
The violence in Nablus did not come as a surprise to those who have
been monitoring the situation in the West Bank in recent months.
In fact, scenes of lawlessness and "security chaos" have become part
of the norm in many Palestinian cities, villages and refugee camps -- a
sign that the PA may be losing control to armed gangs and militias.
Palestinians refer to the situation as falatan amni, or "security chaos." An article published in Gatestone
in June referred to the growing instances of anarchy and lawlessness in
PA-controlled areas in the West Bank, first and foremost Nablus.
The chickens of years of Western-backed 'Palestinian' intransigence and weapons supplies are coming home to roost. And the 81-year old 'Abbas' - the 'moderate' hope of the Leftist West - may not last much longer.
The Palestinian Authority is now paying the price for harboring,
funding and inciting gang members and militiamen who until recently were
hailed by many Palestinians as "heroes" and "resistance fighters."
Unsurprisingly, most of these "outlaws" and "criminals" (as the PA
describes them) are affiliated in one way or another with Mahmoud
Abbas's Fatah faction.
Nablus, the so-called Mountain of Fire, is now threatening to turn
into a volcano that is set to erupt in the face of Abbas and his PA
government.
The situation in Nablus the past few days raises serious questions
about the ability of the PA to perform basic security measures and rein
in armed gangs and militiamen.
Moreover, the unprecedented violence has
further shattered Palestinian confidence in the PA and its leaders ahead
of the local and municipal elections, scheduled to take place on
October 8.
And guess who is stepping into the vacuum....
Hamas's dream of extending its control to the West Bank now seems more
realistic than ever. Under the current circumstances, Abbas would be
offering the West Bank to Hamas on a silver platter -- unless he wakes
up and realizes that he made a big mistake by authorizing the local and
municipal elections.
Sounds like
2006 all over again, doesn't it?
Pass the popcorn and
read the whole thing.
Labels: Fatah, Hamas, Nablus, Palestinian Authority, Palestinian elections, Palestinian elections 2006, Palestinian police
Where do they find these people? Obama's Director of 'National Intelligence' thinks the Muslim Brotherhood will save us from al-Qaeda
Where does Barack Hussein Obama find morons like James Clapper to serve in his administration? This is what Clapper, Obama's Director of '
National Intelligence,' told the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on Tuesday (Hat Tip:
Will via
Doc's Talk).
If, over the longer term, governments take real steps to address public demands for political participation and democratic institutions—and remain committed to CT efforts—we judge that core al-Qaeda and the global jihadist movement will experience a strategic setback. Al Qaeda probably will find it difficult to compete for local support with groups like the Muslim Brotherhood that participate in the political process, provide social services, and advocate religious values. Nonviolent, pro-democracy demonstrations challenge al Qaeda’s violent jihadist ideology and might yield increased political power for secular or moderate Islamist parties.
You got it? The Muslim Brotherhood are the 'good terrorists' and if they participate in the 'political process' then they will be more popular than al-Qaeda, who are the 'bad terrorists' (and indeed the only enemy in the bizzaro world of the Obama White House.
Where have we
heard that before and
where is
that relationship heading?
What could go wrong?
Read the whole thing.
Labels: al-Qaeda, Barack Hussein Obama, Fatah, Hamas, James Clapper, Muslim Brotherhood, Palestinian elections 2006
Wikileaks quotes Dahlan: 'We have to reform this piece of s--t called Fatah'
Wikileaks has released a cable sent by then-Jerusalem Consulate General (and now Assistant Secretary of State) Jacob Walles, who is very much in the 'Palestinians' corner, describing 'Palestinian' reaction on the morning after the January 2006 'Palestinian elections' won by Hamas. Here's what
Mohamed Dahlan - who has been
expelled from Fatah by
'moderate' '
Palestinian' President
Mahmoud Abbas Abu Mazen - had to say.
Successful Fatah candidate Mohammed Dahlan confirmed that Hamas would gain a majority. He opined that Hamas should form a government and that Fatah should stay out. Dahlan said "we have to reform this piece of s--t called Fatah." He was very angry with Abu Mazen for allowing the chaos in Fatah to continue in the runup to the campaign and for appointing the "incompetent Nabil Sha'ath" as Fatah campaign manager. Dahlan thought that "Abu Mazen should dismiss all the leadership in Fatah" and start over. He thought that Hamas would not actually be able to govern, but that he would rather have "one year of chaos" than "going on like this."
One year of chaos? Heh.
For those who have forgotten, Dahlan was Fatah's 'strongman' in Gaza, but he managed to be away during the Hamas coup in 2007.
By the way, both Dahlan and Abu Mazen are
Jordanian citizens.
Labels: Abu Mazen, Mohamed Dahlan, Palestinian elections 2006, Wikileaks
Better than Wikileaks: Fatah sought to call off 2006 elections
The polls all said that Fatah was going to win the 'Palestinian elections' in 2006, but Fatah knew better. According to top Bush White House aide Elliott Abrams, whom I had the pleasure of meeting briefly last week along with his wife
Bad Rachel, Fatah tried to cancel the 2006 'Palestinian elections.' There was just one small catch: They wanted Israel to take the fall for it by forbidding 'Palestinians' in Jerusalem from voting. And so, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel
Sharon said no.
“If you look at what all the polls were saying, [Palestinian pollster Khalil] Shikaki, BBC polls, our own polls, they were all saying Fatah would win. The Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) was saying that, until the last few weeks. And then people began to say, ‘Uh oh.’ So at the very end the Palestinians got scared, and some of them said to Israel and the US that they might lose, so let’s call off the election,” Abrams said.
According to Abrams, the Palestinians seized on the voting in Jerusalem as a possible pretext to cancel the elections, since this issue has been debated amid questions of how and where Palestinians would vote.
“The Palestinians said to Sharon, ‘Why don’t you say no voting in Jerusalem. Zero. Not in the post offices [where voting was allowed in 1995]. Zero. And this will be a reason to call off the election.’”
Sharon, according to Abrams, “said he was not going to take the blame for this. He said, ‘If you want to call off the elections, call off the election, I don’t care. If you want to have an election, great; if you want to call off the election, great. But you do it – I’m not taking the blame for it.’” The Palestinians, Abrams said, then came to the Americans with a request that they call off the elections.
The American reaction was that the US doesn’t call off elections just a few days before they are scheduled, “because it looks like you’re not going to win anymore. That’s ridiculous.
Your job is to win the election, go out and work, and get your people to the polls and win the damn election. So the election was held, and Hamas won.”
Abrams said that in retrospect, it was a mistake not to find a pretext to call off the elections. He also said that it was Abu Mazen who insisted that Hamas be allowed to run and that Ariel Sharon and Tzipi Livni, along with unnamed American officials, were opposed to the election from the outset.
Abrams said the opposition of some in the US administration was not because of a fear that Hamas would win – “they thought Hamas would lose” – but rather because they said that “terrorists have to lay down their arms before they can participate in elections.
They said this was an important principle in Northern Ireland, and for Kosovo.”
In the end, Abrams said, both the US and the EU accepted Abbas’s argument.
In September 2005, thensecretary of state Condoleezza Rice moved the American position on Hamas participation in the elections, saying that the US stand was no longer that the organization could not take part in the elections until it laid down its arms, but rather that it couldn’t participate in the government until it had set aside its weapons.
“Until then, she said you can’t run, now she said you can run but you can’t participate,” Abrams said. “Then Hamas won, and she said in January what she said in September, that they couldn’t participate in the government until they laid down their arms.”
As a result of that policy, the US and other countries boycotted the Hamas government, Abrams said.
“In retrospect I think we made a mistake, obviously,” he said. “The initial principle was correct: that people should not be allowed to compete in an election with guns in their hands, because it gives them an unfair advantage in the elections.”
Read the whole thing. The full interview (which sounds fascinating) will appear in Friday's JPost.
Labels: Abu Mazen, Ariel Sharon, Elliott Abrams, Fatah, Hamas, Palestinian elections 2006, Tzipi Livni
Wikileaks: Israel 'doomed' if Hamas wins elections
A cable released by Wikileaks reports that then-political-military bureau head Amos Gilad warned the Americans in September 2005 that Hamas would win the January 2006 elections and that Israel was '
doomed' if that happened.
Many in Israel's political and military establishments did not appreciate the historic significance of the elections. This apathy could also be explained by Israel's desire to not appear as if it opposed the Palestinians' decision to act according to democratic principles. Indeed, any local official criticizing the move could have been seen as criticizing the Bush administration and its preaching for "democratization" everywhere, especially in the Mideast.
Gilad, then head of the political-military bureau in the Defense Ministry, is quoted as saying he was sure the elections would be free, but that they would not result in democracy, as PA President Mahmoud Abbas had already announced he would never dismantle the terrorist infrastructure.
Gilad told Dibble that Hamas hoped to replace Abbas: "First they will win 40 percent of the votes. This will give them a good showing, but will not saddle them with responsibility," he said. "They will offer anything to win votes, and then they will take over the municipalities. They have a plan to take over Nablus and all the jobs it will offer. This will give them incredible power. Then they'll prepare the Palestinian street so that their frustration will erupt."
The cable said that Gilad admitted he was not sure if the Israeli government had given adequate attention to the elections and their implications, and he went as far as to say that, "We are doomed if Hamas becomes a real power and part of political life, especially as the PA continues to be helpless."
And in the end, Hamas did even better than Gilad expected. What could go wrong?
Labels: Amos Gilad, Hamas, Palestinian elections 2006, Wikileaks
Wikileaks: Omar Suleiman promised 'Palestinian' 2006 election would never take place
With the United States telling everyone who will listen that there is no need to worry about an Egyptian election because the Muslim Brotherhood won't win anyway, perhaps this is the time to look back at the last time the US sponsored an election in an Arab polity and told us not to worry about a terror organization winning: The '
Palestinian Authority' in January 2006. A recently released Wikileaks cable shows that the United States wasn't as stupid as we all thought they were when they agreed to that election: The US had been promised by current Egyptian Vice President Omar Suleiman that
the election would never take place.
But a Wikileaks cable released by Aftenposten may explain why State was taken by surprised.
They may have thought the election itself wouldn’t happen.
In fact, they were warned by Israeli Defense Official Amos Gilad that if elections were held, “it will destroy everything” with attempts to foster stability (in the name of “peace”) in the Middle East. But Gilad also told them Omar Suleiman promised to see to it that there were no elections. Gilad said he warned Suleiman that if Hamas participates in the January 2006 Palestinian elections “it will destroy everything, as Hamas will take over and start a new process.” According to Gilad, Suleiman and his deputy told him, “There will be no elections in January. We will take care of it.” Gilad requested that the USG closely hold this information and strictly protect the sources. He clarified that neither Suleiman nor his deputy explained how Egypt would stop the elections or elaborated further on the subject. Gilad admitted that he does not know how the Egyptians could prevent the elections from taking place, but said, “The only people the Palestinians can trust now are the Egyptians.”
So why didn't Suleiman rig the election or make sure that it wouldn't take place? (Or did he rig it?). And could it happen again?
Labels: Egyptian elections, Omar Suleiman, Palestinian elections 2006
