With "friends" like Condoleezza Rice, who needs Hamas?

(IsraelNN.com) French President Nicolas Sarkozy has announced that Israel has agreed to a ceasefire with Hamas. Israel has not confirmed.

According to the plan, Egypt agrees, for the first time, with Israel's demand to deploy international observers on the Egypt-Gaza border to help stop the wholesale arms-smuggling into Gaza. It insists, however, that Israel must cease its fire immediately and then discuss the details of a full-scale truce.

The plan is backed by Sarkozy and Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas.

Army Radio reports that Israeli officials rejected the idea out of hand. "We didn't start this offensive in order to buy a cat in a sack [an unknown quantity]," is the Israeli position.

Officially, Israel welcomes the Egyptian and French "efforts." A statement released Wednesday afternoon states, "Israel thanks the presidents of Egypt and France for their efforts to advance a solution for the cessation of terrorism from Gaza and an end to arms/weapons smuggling from Egypt into Gaza. Israel views positively dialogue between Egyptian and Israeli elements for the purpose of advancing the matter of a ceasefire."

Rice in Favor

For the first time during this war, however, a high-ranking U.S. official appears to have come out against the Israeli position. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice said on Tuesday night that she supports the Egyptian proposal, adding that it was crucial that the ceasefire "endure and bring real security. Our goal must be the stabilization and normalization of life in Gaza."

Okay, so Condoleeza Rice doesn't care if life in Sderot ever becomes normal or stable; that's a given at this point. But the friggin' Road Map - conceived by her President, sanctioned her State Department, and agreed to by the UN, the Quartet and the palestinians.... calls for "confronting all those engaged in terror and dismantlement of terrorist capabilities and infrastructure."

So what's not to like about the IDF doing just that?

C'mon, Israel, we're rooting for you. Just keep saying Lo (No) to the politicians and Jew-haters.

Comments

[LB]

All right - but one more point. Egypt, the PA, the US, and even Israel can agree to a ceasefire - but where is Hamas? Even assuming the ridiculous notion that there is such a thing as a tenable ceasefire with Hamas - don't they have to agree to it first? Since when can the PA, Egypt, et al negotiate a ceasefire on Hamas' behalf? Especially since they don't agree to such a ceasefire...