Kerry's visit to Gaza better than expected
After visiting Sderot with Israeli foreign minister Tzipi Livni, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John F. Kerry visited northern Gaza today, stopping at the site of the 'American school,' which was being used as an ammunition dump before it was bombed by the IDF last month. Over at Gateway Pundit, Jim Hoft is upset that AFP reported that Kerry came to 'listen and learn' from the Hamas Islamofacists, but if this conversation was accurately reported by the Boston Globe and Gaza stringer Nidal al-Mughrabi (Hat Tip: Lance K.), it could have been a lot worse. Sharhabeel al-Zaeem, a member of the school's board, told Kerry that Israel was supplying only "the minimum" of what was needed, and complained that ordinary Palestinians felt isolated because of the Israeli-led and Western-backed blockade of Gaza.The AFP article that Jim links describes Zaeem as a lawyer and adds that Kerry said that his visit doesn't constitute any shift in favor of Hamas.
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"Your political leadership needs to make critical decisions and make it clear how it is willing to move to make peace, and those fundamental decisions have not been made," Kerry told Zaeem and others at the school.
"Secondly, your political leadership needs to understand that any nation that has rockets coming into it over many years, threatening its citizens, is going to respond," Kerry added.
Zaeem responded by comparing the plight of Palestinians in Hamas-ruled Gaza to a hostage crisis. "A police officer won't be able to take a decision to destroy the whole building, killing all the hostages and the kidnappers?" Zaeem asked.
Kerry said: "You know, what is important is not to have a debate that goes backwards. It is important to go forwards. There is a clear path forward... Help us find peace."
Kerry did not elaborate on the path forward.
Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum described Kerry's visit as a "step in the right direction to end the isolation of the Gaza Strip" but described his comments about Hamas as "unfair to the democratic choice of the Palestinian people."
Also visiting Gaza today was a Congressional delegation led by the Congressman from CAIR, Wisconsin's Keith Ellison. Ellison, a Democrat, is the first Muslim member of Congress.
Over at The American Thinker, Ed Lasky reminds us that regardless of what happened in Gaza today, President Obama still has plenty of unsavory, anti-Israel friends.
The good news is that while Kerry and Ellison visited the northern part of the Strip, IAF jets visited the southern part, destroying six weapons tunnels in three bombing runs.
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 6:54 PM
3 Comments:
The good news is that Hamas didn't get the Hopenchange it was looking for from America. Will they clean up their act to get the Americans to parley with them?
When hell freezes over first!
Yeah I agree. Kerry didn't say anything about Gaza=Warsaw as far as I can tell.
Common Dollar
Long time reader, first time poster. Thanks for all your efforts.
One correction to this post, only because I do not want to be connected to that Liability...Kieth is from Minnesota. They are confused there, you know, with the wrestlers, comedians, and takbir-ists they elect.
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