UK Independent: Time to Ask Questions About Condi

[marmar]

Leading article: Time to ask questions about Condi
Published: 19 February 2007

The US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, was in Jerusalem yesterday, preparing for today's meeting between the Israeli Prime Minister and the President of the Palestinian Authority. It is a meeting she is expected to chair. But it is not at all clear how long it will last. Israel says it will not work with the new Palestinian government unless it recognises Israel, a position, it said, that had been agreed with President Bush.

In principle, this stance is understandable. How can Israel, given its precarious geographical position, be expected to conduct negotiations with a government, part of which does not recognise it? Yet a part of the Palestinian coalition does accept Israel, and the other part - Hamas - has come close to doing so, while fearing lost support if it spells out a change of policy too explicitly. It is of such shifting definitions, subtle distinctions and double meanings that diplomacy is made. Neither side should start with too much clarity.

Fresh from the talks in Mecca that hammered out the new unity government, the Palestinians understand this. Israeli leaders have also been adept at the small-print bargaining that has bought Israel the improved, but imperfect, security it now enjoys. And while Mr Olmert's political weakness may tie his hands today, it is Ms Rice's approach that should perhaps prompt most questions.

As National Security Adviser in Mr Bush's first term, Ms Rice was excused much responsibility for the ill-prepared Iraq war on the grounds that she was caught in the feuding between Donald Rumsfeld at the Pentagon and Colin Powell at the State Department. She was seen as a pragmatist, whose views contrasted with those of the neo-conservative ideologues supposedly pushing Mr Bush to war.....(more)

The complete editorial is at: http://comment.independent.co.uk/leading_articles/article2283925.ece

[Olney Blue]

1. I have a question for you, Condi?

Who could have anticipated that you would be such a sorry Security Advisor and SOS?

[sam sarrha]

2. Withdrawing from the occupied territories would end most of the problems there..i wouldnt negotiate

till they left.. they are lucky they have as much cooperation as they do.. the Israeli's arent doing as well as we are here in the governmental Fasacist f ups

[tularetom]

3. I've got one for her - does the chimp get the job done?

[CJCRANE]

4. It's long overdue n/t

[TheBaldyMan]

5. How come every European paper sidesteps the EU cutting funding

when Hamas won that election fair and square?

It is two-faced to sneer at the US and Israel when the European Union is every bit as culpable for the current trouble with the PA. Sanctions imposed to directly interfere with a democratically elected government is the lowest blow.

It seems that the election must have been really democratic because the result was not what the West wanted. Now we have Fatah sitting at a table where they haven't earned a seat. They lost the respect of the Palestinians, yet we still prefer a corrupt but compliant party to an honest, awkward one.

I can't understand why the West is so cack-handed when it comes to Middle East diplomacy. Having Fatah included because of western bullying will bolster support for Hamas, if not at home then most definitely abroad.