Rice phones Israel's Tivni for fifth time amid tensions

[bemildred]

WASHINGTON (AFP) - US Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice telephoned Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni for the fifth time in three days amid escalating tensions with the Palestinians, a spokesman said.
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Rice again urged the Palestinians to release an Israeli soldier whose capture sparked an Israeli military incursion into the
Gaza Strip, US State Department deputy spokesman Adam Ereli said.

But Rice also views
Israel's detention Thursday of one-third of the Palestinian cabinet -- all of them Hamas members -- with concern, Ereli said.

"The detention of the lawmakers raises particular concern," Ereli said.

Yahoo

[still_one]

1. They had better exert more pressure than concern

In other words force Isreal to release the cabinet, and Hamas to release the soldier, and FORCE BOTH PARTIES TO SIT AT THE TABLE

[Poll_Blind]

2. Even the Bushies are uncomfortable with that sort of behavior.

And that is very telling.

PB

[bemildred]

5. Nah, that's all bullshit.

I'm just wondering what they really talked about? Five times is a lot.

This sort of major over-reaction is no accident, they have certain goals in mind. Removing the image of victorious Palestinian arms is one, destroying or weakening the Hamas government is another, punishment of the disobedient a third, enhancing Olmert's tough guy image a fourth, I could go on. But it looks really bad, it has a desperate, urgent, anxious feel to it, too, a "one last surge and over the top boys" smell, and I just wonder what is really going on. With the ubiquitious presence of loons and desperadoes on both sides, reason is not enough to clear it up.

[applegrove]

6. Israel just spent years building a wall to stop suicide bombings.

Now terrorists start using a new tactic..just as horrifying..if not worse... kidnappings. I'm not surprised they want to nip this in the bud. I just hope cooler heads prevail.

[bemildred]

8. The wall was stupid. This is even stupider.

I remember being in long, stupid arguments here about my assertion that the wall would not solve anything. You cannot outwit committed people with static defenses forever, at best you slow things down for a while, buy some time.

It seems clear already that cooler heads have diddly-doo to do with all this moronic posturing and violence. I will stipulate that is true of both sides, if you like.

Kidnapping is hardly new, by the way, what was striking was the good account of themselves the Palestinians gave in the incident, and the failure of the Israeli troops to do likewise.

[Poll_Blind]

9. See this message (link inside)- the editors at Ha'Aretz see it too...

My synopsis

The editors at Ha'Aretz also smell something bigger is in the works, that there is much more that's going on that has very little with rescuing a soldier. My synopsis above is a distillation of the 5-6 articles Ha'Aretz has placed on a single page. I would encourage you and anyone else reading this message to read through all of them if they have the time.

PB

[saltpoint]

3. Perhaps I underestimate the woman's diplomatic skills but I don't

believe she has the wherewithal or ethical chops to persuade other governments' officials to do much of anything.

If the Middle East is such a damned mess, why is frail Condi doing all the heavy lifting while her boss is smirking his way through Graceland?

No matter one's political opinion of Dick Lugar and Joe Biden, I think either of them, for example, should be on that phone and not Condoleeza Rice.

[leftchick]

4. this is just a horror

and it is additionally horrifying to have a diplomatically inept person like rice in the drivers seat. :(

[applegrove]

7. That's why they put her there. I mean Powell solved a lot of problems

as a stateman - before he was secretary of state under *. Has she solved ANYTHING? Does it always have to unwind? Peace!

[BayCityProgressive]

10. Israel is overreacting

and playing eight into the hands of Hamas. I say this as a pro-Israel poster. This is exactly what Hamas wants. It also solves nothing and will save no lives. smaller targeted attacks and rescue efforts should have been used.

[Poll_Blind]

11. I agree...as I've stated in a few messages, I have no complaint with...

...Israel using their military to rescue a captured soldier, so long as they at least make some sort of convincing attempt not to harm civilians while doing so. I also agree that this benefits Hamas politically on a number of fronts and those benefits continue to grow as this situation continues. But the Shin Bet director said something very curious and worthy of further inspection:

The detention of Hamas parliamentarians in the early hours of Thursday morning had been planned several weeks ago and received approval from Mazuz on Wednesday. The same day, Shin Bet Director Yuval Diskin presented Prime Minister Ehud Olmert with the list of Hamas officials slated for detention.

Shalit's been held for 6 days. The detention of Hamas parliamentarians was planned for "several weeks", not in response to Shalit's capture. The Israeli Attorney General dismissied the idea that Shin Bet proposed of using these Hamas members as hostages against Shalit's release. Good for him! Someone's still thinking over there and they should get a medal for it.

But it has raised eyebrows all over the world just as it has in Israel about what, exactly, Olmert's plan with this is and what his goals are. This opening paragraph from a Ha'Aretz editorial says succinctly what Americans, Canadians, Frenchmen, Arabs and most of the Israelis are thinking, the world over:

Bombing bridges that can be circumvented both by car and on foot; seizing an airport that has been in ruins for years; destroying a power station, plunging large parts of the Gaza Strip into darkness; distributing flyers suggesting that people be concerned about their fate; a menacing flight over Bashar Assad's palace; and arresting elected Hamas officials: The government wishes to convince us that all these actions are intended only to release the soldier Gilad Shalit.

It is clear, even now, that Olmert had something...larger in mind even before Shalit's capture. However, what those goals are is very fuzzy and I'm extremely concerned for the innocent Palestinians and Israelis who might suffer greatly in the next move, by either party in this grotesque misadventure.

PB

[partylessinOhio]

12. I disagree. I feel they want to be free and out from under the oppression

of Israel. Give them their own state and stop this madness.

The Decider is incompetent and so is his concubine.