The Rice Capades--A Middle Eastern comedy of errors.

FrontPageMagazine.com ^ | October 6, 2006 | P. David Hornik

[SJackson]

With Condoleezza Rice visiting the Middle East this week for talks with Arab and Israeli leaders, on Tuesday Israel’s left-wing daily Haaretz printed an editorial that in some ways was remarkably reality-attuned.

“The situation in Gaza is worse now than it was a year ago, before Israel evacuated the settlements and left the Philadelphi route,” Haaretz—which fervently supported Israel’s withdrawal at the time—admits. “This is true also of Sderot and other southern [Israeli] communities. The Haniyeh government has caused troubles for both sides, and the worst of this is its failure to prevent terror attacks, the digging of tunnels and abduction attempts.”

The editorial goes on to say:

The West Bank, which seemingly has disappeared from the map of Israeli-Palestinian conflict zones, is teeming with potential suicide bombers who have been thwarted by the Shin Bet security service, the Israel Defense Forces and the separation fence. The lesson is that security is a necessary pre-condition for peace. Israelis, for the most part, are prepared to make concessions over territory in return for peace, but they are not prepared to sacrifice their security and leave it in the hands of Hamas, Hezbollah, Syria or Iran. The immediate challenge facing Rice is to bring about [kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad] Shalit’s release, to stop the terror from Gaza and seal off the Philadelphi route, lest her visit turn into a prologue for war rather than peace.

Mon dieu—these are words a member of the hated Israeli “Right” could have written.

Haaretz, though, does not go so far as to indecorously mention Rice’s special contribution to this dismal situation. It was a little less than a year ago, in mid-November 2005, that Rice forcefully pushed through an agreement to effectively remove all Israeli control over the Philadelphi route (the Gaza-Sinai border) and leave it in the hands of Palestinian, Egyptian, and European “monitors.” She thereby ensured that an already-bad situation would not only stay bad but get worse.

As Yuval Diskin, head of Israel’s General Security Service, reported to the Israeli cabinet last week, 15 tons of explosives crossed Philadelphi to Gaza from August 2005 to August 2006—and just since last August, “four tons of standard explosives, hundreds of rifles, thousand of bullets and other kinds of weaponry and munitions that I don't want to detail have been smuggled from Egypt.”

He added that “The Egyptians know who the smugglers are and aren’t taking care of them. They even received intelligence from us on the matter.” He apparently didn’t even regard the Palestinian and European “monitors” as worth mentioning.

The situation is so dire that even Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who was one of the prime movers of the disengagement, said in response that he is “not satisfied” with the situation on the Philadelphi Route and would raise the matter with Rice when she came.

But in Rice’s talks in Israel this week, the hellish life of Israelis in Sderot and other near-Gaza communities—a hell for which she bears a significant part of the responsibility—does not seem to have figured at all. Despite Israel’s intensified military activity in Gaza since Shalit’s abduction in June, in September Gaza Palestinians fired 45 Qassams into Israel, a slight increase over August. On September 26, a female soldier living in Sderot was wounded and several civilians went into shock when a rocket fell. On September 30 another rocket hit a residential building in the town and wounded three.

But Rice’s talks with Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah and with Olmert in Jerusalem studiously followed the script of “strengthening” good-cop Palestinians—including the entire Fatah-PLO establishment with its overtly terrorist Tanzim and Martyr Brigades militias—while quarantining Hamas as the source of all evil. Indeed, before meeting Abbas, Rice met in East Jerusalem with other PA leaders including, reportedly, Hussein al-Sheikh, a close associate of the Martyrs Brigades.

The fact that Hamas did not take power in a coup but was elected last January by a majority of Palestinians was wiped from the slate. So was the fact that the Martyrs Brigades—maintained and funded by Abbas’s Fatah—is responsible along with Islamic Jihad for all suicide bombings in Israel over the past two years.

Instead Rice “promised Chairman Abbas to double our efforts to improve the living conditions of Palestinians,” as she said in a joint press conference with Abbas after the meeting. Rice also urged Olmert to transfer funds to the Palestinian Authority frozen by Israel since Hamas’s victory in January, and Haaretz reports the U.S. is “mildly” pressuring Israel to loosen its blockade of West Bank and Gaza crossings that are known conduits for terrorists and weapons.

One of these is the Rafiah crossing on the Philadelphi Route itself, which Israel has largely closed as part of its operations in Gaza since Shalit’s abduction. Again, mollifying Arabs and creating images of “movement” and “progress” trumps ominous realities on the ground.

Rice’s swing of the Middle East has the realpolitik aim of getting unsavory Arab Sunni regimes and actors to unite against the Iran-Syria-Hezbollah-Hamas axis. With such a grand objective, details like a kidnapped Israeli soldier, besieged Israeli civilians, and the terrorist, anti-American, and anti-Israeli record of the PA faction Rice seeks to strengthen may seem like negligible details to her.

How much better if she and the U.S. administration could learn that further empowering the terrorist stranglehold that the Arab and Muslim world is building around Israel contributes nothing to any pacification or stabilization—the opposite.

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P. David Hornik is a freelance writer and translator living in Tel Aviv. He can be reached at pdavidh2001@yahoo.com.

[Diogenesis]

WHAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN:

President Bush(2001):

“You’re either on our side or the terrorists’ side”.

WHAT HAS BEEN:

SoS Condi Rice (2006) to Murderer (including the Munich Olympics) Abbas (beloved at the US State Dept)
after attacks on Israelis, "(We promise,) Chairman Abbas(,) to double our efforts to improve the living conditions of Palestinians
[... so you may continue to viciously, violently, and paroxysmally murder as many Americans, Jews, and Christians as you possibly can].”

SoS Condi Rice (2006) to Israel after decades of attacks on Israelis through the Voice of America, "More Restraint!".

SoS Condi Rice (2006) regarding Iran's missile attack on Haifa ...................................................[.... sounds of crickets]

SoS Condi Rice (2006) regarding Iran's threat of exterminating Jews worldwide............................[.... sounds of crickets]

SoS Condi Rice (2006) to Israel following Iran's missile attack on Haifa, "More Restraint!".

SoS Condi Rice (2006) regarding Hezbollah's missile attacks murdering Israelis .............................[.... sounds of crickets]

SoS Condi Rice (2006) to Israel following Hezbollah's missile attacks murdering Israelis, "More Restraint!".

SoS Condi Rice (2006) regarding Hezbollah's act of War ......................................................[.... sounds of crickets]

SoS Condi Rice (2006) to Israel following Hezbollah's act of War, "More Restraint!".

SoS Condi Rice (2006) regarding Hezbollah terrorists murderering and capturing Israeli soldiers......[.... sounds of crickets]

SoS Condi Rice (2006) regarding Gaza terrorists capturing and holding Israeli soldier ......[.... sounds of crickets]

SoS Condi Rice (2006) regarding Gaza terrorists 24-hour ultimatum regarding captured Israeli soldier......[.... sounds of crickets]

SoS Condi Rice (2006) regarding the threats to use chemical weapons against the Israelis ......[.... sounds of crickets]

SoS Condi Rice (2006) to the Jews defending themselves after they are murdered by terrorists, "More Restraint!".

SoS Condi Rice (2006) regarding Hamas Rocket-Attacking Israeli Schoolchildren (again, and again) .....[.... sounds of crickets]

SoS Condi Rice (2006) to the Jews mourning for those murdered by terrorists, "More Restraint!".

SoS Condi Rice (2006) regarding Hamas or Fatah murders of Americans and Israelis .....[.... sounds of crickets]

SoS Condi Rice (2006) regarding the abductions of valiant Marines, soldiers, airmen and seamen ......[.... sounds of crickets]

SoS Condi Rice (2006) regarding the hostage holding of valiant Marines, soldiers, airmen and seamen ......[.... sounds of crickets]

SoS Condi Rice (2006) regarding the repeated beheadings of valiant Marines, soldiers, airmen and seamen ......[.... sounds of crickets]

SoS Condi Rice (2006) regarding the repeated torture and murders of valiant Marines, soldiers, airmen and seamen ......[.... sounds of crickets]

SoS Condi Rice (2006) regarding the frame-up of valiant Marines, soldiers, airmen and seamen by the terrorists ......[.... sounds of crickets]

SoS Condi Rice (2006) regarding the frame-up of valiant Marines, soldiers, airmen and seamen by the MSM ......[.... sounds of crickets]

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."
George Santayana

[Bahbah]

Rice forcefully pushed through an agreement to effectively remove all Israeli control over the Philadelphi route (the Gaza-Sinai border) and leave it in the hands of Palestinian, Egyptian, and European “monitors.” She thereby ensured that an already-bad situation would not only stay bad but get worse.

I like Dr. Rice, but this was a terrible mistake and many here commented on it at the time. It is one of those predictions that you don't want to see come true.

[rrrod]

Agree....peace aint in our time.

[SJackson]

If you'd like to be on this middle east/political ping list, please FR mail me.

High Volume. Articles on Israel can also be found by clicking on the Topic or Keyword Israel.

also Keywords 2006israelwar or WOT [War on Terror]

----------------------------

[gitmogrunt]

Whatever happened to the "territory for peace" advocates?

[jwparkerjr]

We just don't seem to learn do we? My heart sinks every time I hear the term negotiate or sanctions. Talk is cheap and if we are going to prevail in this war on terror we are going to have to insist on the enemy paying a high price for their activity. As long as the coin of the realm is talk, talk, talk they are not going to change. They have an unlimited supply of that. But once we get the balls to make the coin of the realm something they don't have a lot of things will change. Unfortunately the legal tender in these situations is controlled at this point the by PC police.

[BluH2o]

Why is it we insist on sending female Secretaries of State to deal with Mideast issues? First Madeline (not to bright) Albright & now Condi Rice ... both have been ineffective in this male dominated environment. Henry Kissinger on the other hand was respected by leaders in this part of the world and could actually influence events. Condi Rice is proving as effective as Secretary of State as Bush's former Press Secretary McClellan ... which wasn't effective at all. Then Tony Snow stepped up to bat and the contrast was remarkable. We need a more commanding Secretary of State ... someone of Henry Kissinger's stature.

[avital2]

what we need is people on the other side who are serious about peace, not a male Secretary of State.

[bennyjakobowski]

With the exception of Tony Snow and the Supreme Court nominees, our president's choices are about as disappointing as the Republican Party!

[R.W.Ratikal]

Condi is a nice lady. But I'm surprised that we do not have experts in our State Department who know that to Arabs a woman is on a scale somewhere between a camel and a goat.

You should not send a boy, or a nice lady, to do a man's work.

Call me politically incorrect, but those are the facts of Middle Eastern life.

[CBart95]

Thank you for dropping any pretense whatsoever of supporting our country and our administration as it valiantly deals with terrorism and assaults on our way of life.

Your patriotism will never be a matter of doubt again...inasmuch as you have none.

We are and ever will absolutely be sure of where you slime.

[gridlock]

I you are of the opinion that the US Secretary of State keeps a magic wand in her back pocket, then I guess you should hold it against her if she fails to use it.

[gridlock]

I you are of the opinion that the US Secretary of State keeps a magic wand in her back pocket, then I guess you should hold it against her if she fails to use it.

[SJackson]

Thank you for dropping any pretense whatsoever of supporting our country and our administration as it valiantly deals with terrorism and assaults on our way of life....Your patriotism will never be a matter of doubt again...inasmuch as you have none...We are and ever will absolutely be sure of where you slime.

[Sabramerican]

You remember when you were disgusted by the slavish Kool-Aid drinking Democrats who found an excuse and apology for everything done by Clinton no matter how wrong.

Know how you laugh and are contemptuous of Liberals who care not a wit about truth and facts but only want to blindly cheer for their side and to destroy any opponent to their orthodoxy and their guys.

Look in the mirror.

You will see their image.

If you are an iota better then them you will immediately apologize to SJackson (if he was your target) or even to the author who wrote the truth.

[SJackson]

I you are of the opinion that the US Secretary of State keeps a magic wand in her back pocket, then I guess you should hold it against her if she fails to use it.

I'm not, nor do I think she acts on her own, rather at the behest of her boss. However it is a "with us or the terrorists" moment, and in my view supplying funds and diplomatic cover to a terrorist run "government" is a mistake. It displays weakness. Any terror group watching knows we can be made to blink. Threats of sanctions, not to be taken seriously.

[SJackson]

Condi is a nice lady. But I'm surprised that we do not have experts in our State Department who know that to Arabs a woman is on a scale somewhere between a camel and a goat.

Perhaps some truth in that, but imo it's more the message than the messenger. We wouldn't appear forceful or committed irrespective of who the Sec. of State was.

[exit82]

I have watched us play shuttle diplomacy between the Arabs and Israelis since the 1967 war, when the Arabs, who were client states of the Russians in the Cold War, got their asses handed to them by Israel.

There is no reason for us to be constantly trying to "fix" the Palestinian problem. We should just say that we fully support Israel and be done with it.

The people in control of Gaza and the West Bank are maniacal bloodthirsty killers of innocent people. Who gives a rat's ass about their problems?

They have been given hundreds of millions of dollars and territory for free from Israel, and they are still poor, unemployed, living in refugee camps, and bitching and moaning about how it is all the fault of America and Israel.

Instead we need to repackage the whole debate about how the failure of the "Palestinians" is the fault of the Arab world at large who could shive a git about their so-called Muslim brothers.

Instead, we fly back and forth like we have been doing for almost forty years, yimmering and yammering, and accomplishing nothing because the Arabs want only one thing, which we refuse to acknowledge:

The complete and utter destruction of the State of Israel and all of its Jewish inhabitants.


The Middle East will change only after a massive painful military operation inflicted on it by America and Israel. Brute force is the only thing that will change 1400 years of death cult fanaticism inculcated by Islam.

Worked on Japan and Germany pretty well. Human nature, which ultimately is concerned with its own survival, will reform Mohammed rather than face wholesale destruction.

[SJackson]

Condi is a nice lady. But I'm surprised that we do not have experts in our State Department who know that to Arabs a woman is on a scale somewhere between a camel and a goat...You should not send a boy, or a nice lady, to do a man's work...Call me politically incorrect, but those are the facts of Middle Eastern life.

See 17, I admit John Bolton or a Maggie Thatcher might be better, but to the extent that the policy is appeasement, who delivers it isn't vital. If in fact the administration is correct, and I don't think so, that Abbas is a man of peace, then a civil war is the best option. Supply him arms, tell him to disarm Hamas who his forces outnumber 5 to 1. And shut down the arms smuggling. We might mention that to the Egyptians as well, even at the risk of offending them.