U.S. to support ceasefire resolution

Posted: Thursday, January 08, 2009 11:21 AM by Domenico Montanaro
Filed Under: Security, State Dept.

From NBC's Libby Leist

NEW YORK -- After two days of intense negotiations, the United States has caved to pressure from Arab leaders and is now working on a U.N. resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.

According to Western and Arab diplomats, the United States, UK, and France have their own draft text of a resolution -- written by the British -- that they presented to the Arab League this morning. The diplomats failed to provide any details about the substance.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told reporters in the hallway here at the United Nations that there was no agreement with the Arabs yet on the resolution, but "you may know that the British have tabled something that might be a consensus text."

This is a sharp change from last night at the U.N. when the U.S. was pushing for a less forceful, non-binding presidential statement that would have put less pressure on Israel. It is not clear now how the two sides will compromise on sticking points like ceasefire language and the characterization of Hamas and Israeli military actions.

Rice, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner and British Foreign Secretary David Miliband just emerged from their meeting with the Arab League and went to meet again behind closed doors.

The Arab leaders right now are considering the text presented by the U.S., U.K. and France. The two sides are expected to meet again shortly.

*** UPDATE *** Rice has just gone back into a meeting with the Arab foreign ministers. The US, UK, and France are trying to come to an agreement with the Arabs on a text of a draft resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.

The U.S. is pushing for the text to call for an "immediate and durable" ceasefire, which the Arabs appear willing to accept. But, negotiations are on-going.

Rice will likely leave NY with agreement on a text, but leave the formal vote to her UN ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad.

*** UPDATE *** According to Arab diplomats at the U.N., Arab leaders are now on board with the draft text of a resolution presented by the U.S., the United Kingdom, and France this morning, but there is still some haggling going on about language. (So far, no British, French or American officials will discuss content.)

The Arabs would like to see a statement that demands an "immediate and durable ceasefire." The U.S., U.K. and France want it to be less forceful, instead "stressing the urgency" of an "immediate and durable ceasefire."

At the U.N., it's all about the wording. Negotiations continue.

*** UPDATE 2 *** A senior State Department official said Secretary Rice has been consulting with the White House and the Israelis all morning on the U.N. resolution. Rice has spoken to President Bush once and National Security Advisor Hadley several times. She has spoken to Israeli Prime Minister Olmert four or five times today, as well as Foreign Minister Livni.

When asked if Rice was "updating" Olmert, the official laughed and said, "I wouldnt say updating. It's a back and forth." The official added some insight into the on-going deliberations saying the U.S., U.K., and France are working with the Arabs on how to characterize a demand for Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza strip.

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Comments

A letter to the Editor form the SF Chronicle
We're being 'conditioned' to ignore Palestinian suffering
We're being 'conditioned' to ignore Arab humanity

You can thank the American political class and the infotainment industry

'...Shared crime

Editor - Behind the bombast about rockets and terrorists and collateral damage and self defense, something else is being whispered to us: The Palestinians are not part of our common humanity. They are surfeit. They can be walled away, their land can be stolen, they can be starved, and if the militant among them strike back, they can be annihilated - every man, woman and child. Their agony is nothing to us.

Listen for this murmuring beneath the clever talking points of our statesmen. They want to bind us in a shared crime.

CAROL SANDERS, BERKELEY...'

Thank you, Carol

MSierra, SF (Sent Thursday, January 08, 2009 11:29 AM)

Condi has no creds with them, she represents the war cowboy from the US.See Bush himself has chosen to let Condi do his talking.You see foreign policy is not Lil GB strong suit,and to this day I can not find what his strong suit is!Little George stays clear of this type of thing knowing he has little or no knowledge of what is going on.He has had Dick Chaney to lead him on such issues,and Dick must not be hanging to much.Of coarse he would just respond Soooooooooooo.You see these two mongers like making a profit off anything they do,so if there is something in it for them, they are all ears,if not, screw you!

jesse St.Paul Minnesota (Sent Thursday, January 08, 2009 11:45 AM)

How on earth is this hard?

We promise to fight no more, forever ~

"I am tired of fighting. Our chiefs are killed .... The old men are all dead. It is the young men who say yes or no. He who led the young men is dead.
It is cold and we have no blankets. The little children are freezing to death. My people, some of them, have run away to the hills and have no blankets, no food. No one knows where they are--perhaps freezing to death. I want to have time to look for my children and see how many I can find. Maybe I shall find them among the dead.
Hear me, my chiefs. I am tired. My heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever.

~ Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce

Anna Molly (Sent Thursday, January 08, 2009 11:57 AM)

Carol deserves a standing ovation! Well said!

Palestinians are human just like everyone else, have a little compassion.

Lilja (Sent Thursday, January 08, 2009 11:58 AM)

If the world were serious about ending such conflicts and stabalizing areas as that between Israel and Gaza (the Palestinians) they would do the following:

Contribute equally military personnel and funds to develop an effective UN Force.

Give the UN Force the proper policing authority to defend themselves and to fight back if attacked by one side or the other.

Provide for strict enforcement of UN Agreements that would include the arrest and conviction in a properly run World Court by any offenders violating such peace agreements.

Many Nations talk a good game and will develop all kinds of written peace agreements. But when it comes to the enforcement of these agreements these same Nations are hesitant to do their part in supporting and funding the forces necessary to enforce these plans, or to give these United Forces the proper authority to kick someone's butt if they do not comply.

If France and other countrys are serious about initiaitng and enforcing peace plans then they also should be equally willing to contribute an equal share of men, arms and money to maintain the peace plans.

C A, Tuscaloosa, AL (Sent Thursday, January 08, 2009 11:59 AM)

Is this the real life, or is this just fantasy ....

The Queen (Sent Thursday, January 08, 2009 12:00 PM)

Aside from the potentially irrational actions which might accompany their "resolutions", does anyone in the world really give a flying hoot about what US, UK, and France have to say about this? These three countries also have blood on their hands as the facilitators of the changes pushed upon the middle east in the 20th century. How about a resolution barring any Bush administration official from presenting any resolutions for the rest of his term? You bastards have done enough damage, leave the middle east alone!

Pete Caloger Bushkill, PA 18324 (Sent Thursday, January 08, 2009 12:12 PM)

this IS an area we WILL see change! in a couple weeks we will not ever see another line like "the USA caved"

Welcome to Changeville

Hey MSierra, good thing those JEWS who are being rocket bombarded aren't people we should consider huh? let's see how humane hilsy and the "change cowboys" are too palestinians

Ted K, Hyannis, MA (Sent Thursday, January 08, 2009 12:16 PM)

When it comes to peace the US should be leading the way not caving in. What ever happened to the USA, peace maker and leader of the world? For 8 years we've been seen as a bullying war loving country much like Prussia in the 19th & early 20th Centuries. Look where it got them. Starting Jan. 20 the world will breathe a sigh of relief and look to America once again for guidence, leadership and as a mediator to help solve serious problems which create peace rather than war.

eagle1776 (Sent Thursday, January 08, 2009 12:35 PM)

The U.S. has "caved" but there were two days of intense negotiating and it is still not clear how the two sides will compromise?

I suppose it escapes the reporter that the U.S.'s opening position was a prelude to negotiation. After all, there is no such thing as negotiations if all parties assume the same positions from the start.

Meanwhile, we don't know anything and the reporter says so. Besides, the British and French are just our lapdogs anyway, right?

Great reporting. Shows right where the mind of the U.S. media is with regard to their own country.

By the way, Barack Obama has earned the enmity, before even assuming office, of a revered world statesman. Yup, Ayman Al-Zawahiri is already pissed off at BHO.

Not even in office and he's angering foreigners.

Richard, Washington State (Sent Thursday, January 08, 2009 12:38 PM)

MSierra:

I thought I was conditioning myself to ignore you. Guess I need to keep working on it.

Richard, Washington State (Sent Thursday, January 08, 2009 12:43 PM)

http://israelisoldiersmother.blogspot.com/2009/01/images-they-show.html

floopy, Albuqwacky, NM (Sent Thursday, January 08, 2009 12:48 PM)

How did Israel get the land and who was living there before it was "given" to them?

chicken or egg? (Sent Thursday, January 08, 2009 12:51 PM)

http://israelisoldiersmother.blogspot.com/2009/01/images-they-show.html

floopy, Albuqwacky, NM (Sent Thursday, January 08, 2009 12:53 PM)

Israel has no right to any of the land it is on...the brits threw the palestinians off it in 1948...the jews should go home to eastern europe where they came from

Sick of the jewish theocracy running american foreign policy (Sent Thursday, January 08, 2009 12:56 PM)

I support Israel 100%. They have a right to defend their people and property. The Palestinians should look at their own actions and take heed.

Israel is a nation with one G-d (Jehovah) and will continue to be a nation throughout history.

I will not support a president or government that does not recognize and support the nation of Israel. I have been an ardent support of Barack Obama for 2 years, but this one issue can cause that support to reverse if the nation of Israel is not supported and valued by the U.S. continuing to offer assistance and support on a regular basis.

Israel Supporter (Sent Thursday, January 08, 2009 12:59 PM)

The longer Israel keeps up the terror campaign, the sooner it becomes a glass dish

Greg R., Spokane, WA (Sent Thursday, January 08, 2009 1:06 PM)

I would disagree with the sentiment that was posted. I do not think Americans believe that Palestinians are believed to be sub-human, unworthy of the basic standards or freedoms. I believe that the American people do care about the suffering of innocent Palestinians and the suffering of innocent Israelis. We are looking for a solution to his conflict and know that our current leadership is failing us--we could be more of a friend to Isreal by standing up to Israel, just like others could be more a friend to Palestine by standing up to them as well. For example, the bombing of the UN building was most assuredly frowned upon by our people. I will certainly concede that it is probably easier for Americans to identify with Israeli Jews than Palestinian Muslims for at least a couple of reasons. First, America is more or less yet a Christian nation that shares stories, a history and thereby values with the Jewish religion more so than the Muslim religion. Second, the government of Israel is much closer our government than the government of say Palestine. Now, I don't think it wrong that a country to back another country and that country's people who closer share values, beliefs, ideas and what-have-you.

Expanding on the government difference. The Palestinian people elected a terrorist organization for their government to represent them. They went to the polls knowing what that organization represented, their views and tactics with Israel and that Israel could not simply sit and take it. When these are the people a nation elects, agony is not unexpected. The Mideast is clearly a quagmire, we back groups all the time, only to be against those very groups years later. But one ally, since its creation, has worked with us and we them. It is not always pretty, but one has to stand behind one's friends.

Human suffering is not new. We have been ignoring it for years. We have ignored it against Christians (both historically, but today how hard is it to be Christian in a non-Christian country?), Jews before and during WWII, Eastern nations, Africa, so much suffering we don't know what to do. I think the U.S. is unique in that it is a country that tries to do what it can, we as a nation do attack the issue of human rights and human suffering. Frankly it's hard. We know what we have and we do want that for others, but it is not always possible. It's not that nobody cares about Palestinians, people do and we're waiting with open arms for solutions (oh, there's the silence).

Nicholas: Minnesota (Sent Thursday, January 08, 2009 1:10 PM)

How did Israel get the land and who was living there before it was "given" to them?
chicken or egg? (Sent Thursday, January 08, 2009 12:51 PM)
_
I don't know, but it seems logical that the UN take a cue from it's own action in 1948, and give the US back to the Indians. Why not? Or Florida to Spain?
Or the Ottoman empire land back, or the Holy Roman empire lands back....
See where this is going? Why is Israel the only one to have land 'given' back to them? Could it be that after WW2, no one was going to (or would have been strong enough to) challenge the the U.S. and Britain)?

Buzz (Sent Thursday, January 08, 2009 1:16 PM)

Some are right in saying the Palestinians need to be recognized as part of the common humanity. Others are right in saying to become a part of the common humnanity one must be willing to lay down their arms and seriously work on a solution for peace without harboring an intent to destroy another people.

Both the Israeli and Palestinian people are wonderful people and should be recognized equally as part of the common humanity. But both also have a responsibility to reject and eliminate if necessary elements within their own societies (militants) who create an unfortunate over-generalized world perception that all within their societies are militant.

The U.S. has been guilty of profiling Arab looking people ever since 911. This is unfortunate as not all Arabs are militants and many are fine, peace loving people. But that is human nature (to react in such a way). To eliminate this perception will require that the peace-loving Arab people identify and eliminate themselves those within their society who wrongly create a negative perception for the entire population. This may not sound fair. People may say we all should be adult and responsible enough to separate peace-loving people versus the militants regardless of a persons race or culture. But that is not how life works amoung the imperfect and bias prone human race.

C A, Tuscaloosa, AL (Sent Thursday, January 08, 2009 1:33 PM)

It is going to be a problem to have a lasting and durable peace. Hamas is unwilling to live with Israel. They want to destroy Israel. I don't see how they can really be a force to work with when they hate Israel, Jews and any governmental structure without them at the top.

To those that say we should show some compassion, I say it would be easier if the terrorists didn't hid among the civilians; didn't bomb, murder or try to kill the Israeli civilian population. The non-terrorists, the ones who just want to have a business and keep it running, they need to get rid of the terrorists for the sake of their children.

S.B. Stein E.B. NJ (Sent Thursday, January 08, 2009 1:37 PM)

anna molly: Israel didn't have the good fortune to have smallpox kill 90% of all palestinians for them. That might make a difference in how things are going down there vs how things went down in the US with Native Americans. We're looking at a situation closer to England's occupation of Ireland. We'll see how things shake down in a few centuries.

Andrew, Minneapolis, MN (Sent Thursday, January 08, 2009 2:03 PM)

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