Middle East News
US vows to continue supporting Palestinian people
Jun 14, 2007, 20:39 GMT
Washington - The United States on Thursday vowed to keep supporting Palestinian aspirations for an independent state after the extremist group Hamas appeared to have taken control of the Gaza Strip.
'Nobody wants to abandon the hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people in the Gaza Strip to the mercies of a terrorist organization and the most extreme elements of a terrorist organization,' US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said. The United States will also review its security assistance programme to the Palestinians now that Hamas controls most of the Gaza Strip, but will continue to help the forces of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party willing to negotiate with Israel.
'So we're going to continue to work and try to strengthen those moderate Palestinian forces that seek peace in the region,' McCormack said.
McCormack responded sceptically to a proposal by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon for deploying an international peacekeeping force to the Gaza Strip, saying 'it would be difficult to find forces that would be ready and effective in going into such a clearly non- permissive environment.'
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice spoke with Abbas earlier Thursday before he announced the dissolving of the unity government between Fatah and Hamas. Rice also urged the Egyptians to increase security along the Gaza border during a phone call with Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit.
Hamas overran Fatah militants and security forces after more than a week of fighting in Gaza.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-AgenturCOMMENT
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Older Talkback
page: 1
Show them the MONEY. Since Arafat and the fat boys made off with the whole SHABANG. The Palestinians want the MONEY. Do you think that they will love the Americans any better then they do presently???????? Naw, they want the money, after they get the money, they will kick your ass out the gaza.
Show them the money, honey. SEE WHAT HAPPENS>
Bush plays observer while the Palestinian situation degrades, and then declares his support for the Palestinian people. I expect the same good results as came for the Katrina survivors. No enemy to fight, and we still have a mess in the Gulf States (that's OUR Gulf States, not the Mideast).
An old saying:
'If wishes were horses, then beggars would ride'.
page: 1
NoharnessJun 15th, 2007 - 00:33:03
Well, I don't suppose I should be surprised by this one. It is typical of the water-headed, mealy-mouthed crap I've learned to expect from the Bush Administration.
This is a job you give to the Marines, George. You tell them to land in Gaza, kill every last member of Hamas and then LEAVE. Fatah and the Israelis can take care of the rest.
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