Rice, White House Give Israel Go-Ahead for More War in Gaza

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Speaking this morning from the White House on the continuing war on Gaza, Condi Rice illustrated once again why she may be one of America’s worst, most ineffective and disingenuous Secretaries of State. CSPAN Video here.

In describing the situation, she simultaneously misrepresented current facts, distorted history and condemned Hamas exclusively, while never mentioning Israel’s role.

She first noted that Hamas was holding the Gazans "hostage," while never noting that Israel, with the full support of the White House, has imposed a strangling siege of collective punishment on Gaza, preventing anyone from exiting, denying sufficient food, electricity, fuel, and medical supplies, all to wide-spread condemnation from other capitals and humanitarian organizations. She said Hamas staged a coup, but never mentioned that Hamas had won a democratic election promoted by the US and sanctioned by its allies, a result all of them tried to undo through undemocratic means.

It was a totally distorted, one-sided view of the world that might have been written by an Israeli Ministry of Propaganda.

Rice then claimed the US was working with other world leaders to establish a cease fire. There is only one catch: as a condition, Ms. Rice said a cease fire should only occur if it does not return to "the status quo ante," and that it must be durable and sustainable.

What this means is that Israel just got approval from the US to continue its onslaught on Hamas and Palestinians trapped in Gaza. Israel does not need to worry about pressure from the US for a cease fire until Hamas agrees to accept all of the conditions for unilateral surrender to continued Israeli containment, isolation and stateless domination. It’s exactly the formula Rice used two years ago to delay cease-fire efforts in Lebanon and "authorize" Israel to continue its war against Hezbollah.

This is how thousands of people get killed, while those responsible for their deaths claim they were working to stop the killing.

Update: More WH comments give Israel a go-ahead for ground assault.

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