Condi Rice Is Making Herself Sound Like An Idiot Over Israel

by John Hawkins | April 30, 2008 4:00 am

When American Presidents get close to the end of their time in office and they need a “legacy builder,” they often turn to the Israeli crisis. Why, if they could just make peace between the Israelis and Palestinians, they’d go down in the history books!

Then the reality of the situation — which is that there is no politically acceptable, practical way to make any sort of real peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians — intrudes, and they start saying ridiculous things like this[1],

Young Palestinians are losing hope for an agreement with Israel, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told an American Jewish audience Tuesday.

“Increasingly, the Palestinians who talk about a two-state solution are my age,” Rice, 53, said in a somber speech to The American Jewish Committee at its 102nd annual meeting.

…Set to leave early Thursday for more meetings with various Arab and Israeli leaders, after talks in London designed to raise more economic support for the Palestinians, Rice called on Israel to make “difficult decisions” to provide the Palestinians with the dignity of statehood.

In fact, she said, “we have a chance to reach the basic contours of a settlement by the end of the year” – a scaling back of President George W. Bush’s initial hope for a peace treaty between Israel and the Palestinians before he leaves office.

…Rice also poured cold water on any prospects that Israel and Syria could negotiate peace terms.

Rice said the Bush administration had tried to interest Syria in peacemaking, with such moves as an invitation to a Mideast conference last November in Annapolis, Maryland.

“It is hard to see there is a Syrian regime receptive” to negotiations with Israel at this point, she said.

…And, the administration would have no dealings with Hamas or other Palestinian extremists that war with Israel and refuse to recognize the Jewish state.

“Either you are a political party or a terrorist group,” Rice said. “You cannot be both.”

Once again, Rice criticized former President Jimmy Carter for holding talks with Hamas leaders. “I don’t see the point of trying to negotiate with people who are determined to destroy the foundation of peace,” she said.

Ok, among other things,

#1) If “young Palestinians are losing hope for an agreement with Israel,” it’s because there is no hope of a genuine peace in the foreseeable future, government run Palestinian schools brainwash the children into hating Israel, and the Palestinians haven’t had anyone in their government genuinely working towards a real peace for decades. Nobody else has much hope for a genuine peace between the Israelis and Palestinians, so why should the young Palestinians be any different?

#2) Any “peace agreement” that doesn’t include Israel’s neighbors like Syria and Iran is pointless because they’re exporting weapons, supplies, and aid to the terrorists. In other words, if there is going to be peace, by hook or crook, Syria and Iran have to be forced to get on board.

#3) Additionally, simultaneously saying that we shouldn’t negotiate with Hamas while talking about negotiating a peace agreement makes no sense — because not only is Hamas part of the government, they’re currently the strongest force in Palestinian territories. If Hamas doesn’t want a lasting peace — and clearly, they don’t — then there isn’t going to be peace.

All this silliness from Rice is particularly ironic given that George Bush gave an outstanding speech back in 2002,[2] laying down the conditions for Palestinians’ statehood.

In that speech, Bush said — among other things,[3]

My vision is two states, living side by side, in peace and security. There is simply no way to achieve that peace until all parties fight terror.

…Peace requires a new and different Palestinian leadership, so that a Palestinian state can be born. I call on the Palestinian people to elect new leaders, leaders not compromised by terror.

I call upon them to build a practicing democracy based on tolerance and liberty.

…A Palestinian state will never be created by terror. It will be built through reform. And reform must be more than cosmetic change or a veiled attempt to preserve the status quo. True reform will require entirely new political and economic institutions based on democracy, market economics and action against terrorism.

…Today, Palestinian authorities are encouraging, not opposing terrorism.

This is unacceptable. And the United States will not support the establishment of a Palestinian state until its leaders engage in a sustained fight against the terrorists and dismantle their infrastructure.

…And as we move toward a peaceful solution, Arab states will be expected to build closer ties of diplomacy and commerce with Israel, leading to full normalization of relations between Israel and the entire Arab world.

If you’ll note, the Palestinians — as per usual — have made zero progress towards any of the requirements Bush laid down for a Palestinian state. Therein lies the real problem: the Palestinians have no interest in living peacefully with Israel. To the contrary, their goals are nothing less than committing genocide and taking Israeli land.

History tells us that until that changes or alternately, until the Palestinians are slaughtered or transferred, the fighting will continue no matter how many empty promises or worthless treaties are signed.