New Details on U.S.-Israel Pact to Block Arms to Hamas
EmailABC News’ Kirit Radia reports: The United States and Israel are hammering out a deal late this evening that would guarantee U.S. support in helping to block arms shipments from reaching Hamas in Gaza as fighting between Israeli troops and militants there nears the end of its third week.
An Israeli official said under the agreement, the United States would spearhead and effort to enlist the support of other countries in preventing arms from reaching Gaza.
Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni is on her way to Washington, D.C. and could ink a sort of memorandum of understanding with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice tomorrow.
Late this afternoon, Rice hinted a deal was in the works, telling reporters, "We are discussing with the Israelis and others what we can do to bolster the possibilities of getting to the durable cease-fire that we are all seeking."
"There are several elements to that and we are working with regional partners and also with the Israelis," she added, offering no details on the draft agreement.
The director general of Israel’s Foreign Minister Aaron Abramovich met at the State Department with acting Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Jeffrey Feltman to work out the details of an agreement.
Jonathan Peled, a spokesman for the Israeli Embassy in Washington, said the deal was several days in the works, and would be a "commitment for addressing in a concerted international way the prevention of smuggling arms into Gaza."
Israel is considering signing onto an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire, but has been concerned that a halt in fighting would only allow Hamas to re-arm.
This agreement with the United States would, Israel hopes, add another layer of security to ensure that arms don’t even reach the Egyptian border with Gaza, where underground tunnels have been used to smuggle weapons in.
Under the agreement, according to an Israeli official who spoke only on the condition of anonymity because the text has not yet been made public, the United States would organize like-minded countries to use methods like interdiction to prevent arms from reaching Gaza.
The effort would be similar, the Israeli official said, to the Proliferation Security Initiative, which is an agreement among several countries to prevent sensitive nuclear technology from falling into the wrong hands. That agreement allows countries to interdict shipments at sea thought to be headed for hostile elements.
The Israeli official said there have been preliminary talks with several European countries who are expected to sign on in support.
The official did not know if the incoming Obama administration had officially signed off on the proposed agreement, but said Israel is confident they will not back out of the deal once President-elect Barack Obama takes office on Tuesday.
A spokeswoman for Obama’s transition team declined to comment when asked if the new team had been kept informed or agreed with the U.S.-Israeli deal.
Livni is expected to leave Washington, D.C. on Saturday, but an Israeli official said so far she has no plans to meet with members of the incoming Obama team.
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We obviously need to stop funding the Israelis too! Why do they need to use white phosphorus on civilians?
Posted by: Ford Fairlane | January 16, 2009, 12:47 am 12:47 am
Why don’t we block Israel’s weapons they are the ones shooting at the UN buildings
Posted by: Real republican | January 16, 2009, 1:21 am 1:21 am
The IRA committed terrorist acts against the British for over 50 years, but England never bombed Ireland to kingdom come. Even on Bloody Sunday only 14 civilians were killed. This massive overreaction is unwarranted.
Posted by: 1bluestocking | January 16, 2009, 1:52 am 1:52 am
Maybe one day, Hamas will apologize for fighting in the vicinity of UN Buildings and civilians. Or may be one day, the the UN might even ask then not to.
Posted by: TobyTan256 | January 16, 2009, 3:20 am 3:20 am
Unbelievable. Its bad enough we veto any UN action against Israel, and its bad enough we supply Israel with arms and money to buy those arms. But now, despite the fact that Israel has overwhelming military strength (thanks to us), we want to help them make it even more lopsided.
Posted by: Paul | January 16, 2009, 3:44 am 3:44 am
Livni is expected to leave Washington, D.C. on Saturday, but an Israeli official said so far she has no plans to meet with members of the incoming Obama team.
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Livni is making a big mistake in not talking to Clinton while she is in the USA. After Tuesday, everything Rice is involved with will be put on hold until Clinton’s team makes decisions on them.
Rice should just be packing her personal things and arranging her departure for CA. Any non emergency affair should be left up to the incoming pros.
Posted by: beto | January 16, 2009, 4:07 am 4:07 am
US, Israel Work Together to Prevent UN From Criticizing Attack on HQ
Israeli Envoy Brags of “Thwarting An Attempt to Act Against Us”
Posted January 15, 2009
An attempt by the British government and other members of the United Nations Security Council to condemn Israel’s attack on the United Nations Relief and Works Agency headquarters in the Gaza Strip was foiled today, after Israel found out about the attempt and demanded United States ambassadors prevent it.
According to Israel’s Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Carmon “this is the first time we have succeeded in thwarting an attempt to act against us thanks to reliable firsthand information received from the Foreign Ministry and the IDF.”
European Union ambassadors called the meeting following the attacks, but the Israeli diplomats alerted the United States to it and the later prevented the council from achieving a resolution. Instead, Security Council President Jean-Maurice Ripert made a speech calling for both sides to stop fighting.
The attack on the compound destroyed several tons of food and fuel aid intended for Gaza’s civilian population and injured three aid workers. The United States has stymied several attempts by the United Nations Security Council to bring an end to the fighting in the Gaza Strip. Perceived Israeli influence over US policies was brought to the fore this week when Prime Minister Ehud Olmert claimed to have ordered President Bush to abstain from voting on a Friday vote on a Gaza ceasefire.
Posted by: Prophet of Judea | January 16, 2009, 7:38 am 7:38 am
I see pictures of Palestiney children dead or suffering, bleeding, burnt and wounded all over the news. It should be stopped. It can not be justified, I do not care who is terrotist and who is not. This is simply war crime.
Posted by: SHAILA | January 16, 2009, 11:45 am 11:45 am
America claims to protect Israel from the threat of the Arabs and Muslims around Israel.
Hamas is trying to gain the sympathy of the world, but the senseless and evil act carried out by by hiding in civilian homes and schools of the United Nations, as well as mosques, they are vulnerable to beatings.
Posted by: samimohammad | January 16, 2009, 11:45 am 11:45 am
Why are we doing ANYTHING in this conflict at all, on either side?
We need to spend our money on our own domestic infrastructure problems, not assisting Israel in destroying the Gaza infrasrtucture!
Congratulations, America, you get what you elected–WAR MORE YEARS!
Posted by: Peacemonger | January 16, 2009, 11:46 am 11:46 am
GO STEELERS !!!
Posted by: Jazz | January 16, 2009, 1:37 pm 1:37 pm
“When the LORD your God Yahweh brings you into the land you are to possess and casts out the many peoples living there, you shall then slaughter them all and utterly destroy them…You shall make no agreements with them nor show them any mercy…You shall destroy their altars, break down their images, cut down their groves and burn their graven images with fire. For you are a holy people unto the LORD thy God and He has chosen you to be a special people above all others upon the face of the earth…”
Posted by: Zion | January 16, 2009, 8:22 pm 8:22 pm
Ultimately this conflict is about Iran, Syria and Islamic extremists vs. western civilization. They will not negotiate, only lie and kill until western is overtaken. You need to pay more attention to their intent. They are not going to stop. Iran is developing long range missiles capable of reaching Europe with nuclear payload. your choice, I choose armed confrontation to stem the tide of islamic domination.
Posted by: Verner | January 16, 2009, 11:04 pm 11:04 pm
I applaud the efforts being made but I don’t really see much hope of success. We have’nt figured out how to protect our own borders yet.
Posted by: ray sparks | January 17, 2009, 6:18 am 6:18 am
Verner – Is that what it is really about? Your thinking is the problem. They hate us because we kill so many of them through sanctions, war, and inequitable support for Israel. Hasn’t Ron Paul taught you anything this election cycle?
Posted by: Huh | January 17, 2009, 3:04 pm 3:04 pm
In 1948 the United nations declared certain land to be Israel. This land was supposedly Palestine. Was Palestine apart of the United Nations then and if they were why did they go along with this , If they weren’t why didn’t they have a spokes person there to speak up for them.. The going on now was started by a terrorist group hamas and is bin laden supporting this group too?
Posted by: Rose Szymanski | January 18, 2009, 12:29 am 12:29 am
Israel is the biggest terrorist there is. they have savagely killed hundreds of children in Gaza. Israelis are coward they don’t fight fair bombing kids with with tanks and planes when the Palestinians have nothing . ISRAELIS ARE WAR CRIMINALS. They used illegal weapons against this poor people. America needs to wakeup and smell the injustice that Israel has created. I suggest that people goggle jews and the media and uncover the truth about what jews in this country are trying to do. they are controlling everything you see and read.
Posted by: cami1970 | January 18, 2009, 8:50 pm 8:50 pm