Agreement Reach in Washington For US to Help in Blocking Weapons Shipments to Gaza

Yes, my fellow Americans, you and I are now involved in keeping arms from Gaza, something no one in the region has been able to do, and an arrangement that could bring the onus of failure or success, including blowback terrorism, onto our shoulders.

Those making the deal will be out the door and off to their vacation homes in just about 4 days, but feel free to load more burdens on you and I. (A paragraph in AP report at Yahoo News  "US, Israel sign deal to boost Gaza truce effort " says that the president elect and Clinton who is the likely new Secretary of State have been consulted.)

Up front and center is Ms. Condi Rice, not the washed up president who couldn't to replace California's termed out governator in 2010.

Even Tzipi (are we having fun yet?) Livni admits this isn't a sure deal to bring about a truce, just a chance. 

The security arrangement with the US is meant to complement Egyptian efforts to control their border with Israel (which have worked poorly) says AP report

According to the Washington Post report by Glenn Kessler "U.S., Israel Sign Deal to Stem Weapons Smuggling Into Gaza" (free registration usually required):

Under the agreement, the United States said it would help track and thwart weapons shipments that have allowed the Palestinian militant group Hamas rain rockets on Israeli towns and cities. 

The Post also notes:

U.S. and Israeli officials have also discussed assistance in constructing a barrier along the border to prevent the building of new tunnels. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack acknowledged the United States has sent a team from the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers to the region to study the issue. 

Okay, no jokes about the ACE, now.  (Not till the Israeli Foreign Minister safely out of the country, anyway.)  There's always a first time.

Um, BTW, has Ms. Livni been following the news about our own frustration in constructing a barrier to keep undocumented immigrants from coming here to work or sell drugs?

At first I thought we were going to be required to send troops to monitor the crossing, but our troops are stretched thin anyway.  The frightening prospect of our nation sending Blackwater was one unwelcome conclusion.  Yeah, that would cement our relations with the Muslim world, but not in a good way.

An analyst quoted by Kessler notes:

One of Livni's main political rivals, Defense Minister Ehud Barak, has seen his support in opinion polls steadily increase since Israel began the military campaign against Hamas.

Daniel Levy, a former Israeli peace negotiator now at the Century Foundation in Washington, was skeptical that the agreement would amount to much.

"Barak and Livni both need their own victory narratives and victory photos," he said, noting that Barak clearly wins on the military front. "Tzipi needs her victory photo. So this will be her moment."

And it's easy to make fun of Livni and Barak, and to be angry with them, but keep in mind they are the only thing standing in the way of an electoral victory by the nuclear option Binny Netanyahu.

 Condi made a point in the conference to identify Iran as the source of weapons for Gaza, but even the Voice of America notes that some experts don't believe that Iran has played a part in sending the weapons . 

tags: netanyahu  livni  barak  israel  palestine  

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