US Races to Secure Gaza Truce(Gaza Anti-Arms-Smuggling Deal With Israel)

[tekisui]

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Bush administration is racing in its final moments to negotiate a last-minute deal with Israel that might allow the Jewish state to agree to a cease-fire with the militant Hamas movement and end its military operation in Gaza.

On the administration's second-to-last work day before President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration, the two sides were crafting an agreement on American support for Egyptian-led truce mediation efforts under which the U.S. would provide technical support and expertise to prevent Hamas from rearming, said U.S. and Israeli officials.

"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," Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told reporters. "There are several elements to that and we are working with regional partners and also with the Israelis."

"We are aggressively working for that cease-fire and we are trying to help put the pieces in place so that it can be durable," she said.

It was not immediately clear if members of Obama's or Secretary of State-designate Hillary Rodham Clinton's transition teams were being advised of the talks, which could lead to a prominent and ongoing U.S. role in the truce.

A senior official from the Israeli foreign ministry was meeting Thursday with the top U.S. diplomat for the Middle East at the State Department in a bid to secure the memorandum of understanding that would also guarantee international monitors along Egypt's border with Gaza, which is riddled with tunnels used to smuggle weapons to Hamas, diplomats said.

If the two officials — acting Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Jeffrey Feltman and Director General of Israeli foreign ministry Aaron Abramovich — can agree to language of the document, Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni may make a quick trip to Washington to sign it with Rice, the diplomats said.

more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g14_OgVc3KvfIE0q7FpUa4Ou69QQD95NR1IG0

[bemildred]

1. The US and Israel already agree on everything. That's not where the problem is.

Just saying ...

[EFerrari]

2. What are you getting at, bemildred?

Do you think this is about Iran?

[bemildred]

3. I think it's bullshit.

There is no agreement that the US and Israel can make that will resolve the problem. It's Egypt and Hamas that could make agreements to resolve the problem. Bringing the EU monitors back could help resolve the problem. I would wager that whatever "agreement" comes from this will be as empty of positive effect as in the past, futile, futile, futile.

[EFerrari]

4. I see, thanks. What they're doing by this bit of theater is inflating

the threat in popular perception. That's pretty much the sum of their skills, imo. I just hope that's all they do.

Junior seems to have lost his appetite for beginning new projects. I hope his sloth is on our side.

[bemildred]

5. I think it's more to do with trying to "shape" what Obama might do.

His failure to "take a stand" could mean a lot of things. I take it to mean he intends to chart his own course, and I don't expect his course will be Bush-like, but after that who knows?

It might also be to do with getting some form of "agreement" in place while Bush can still do that, maybe in concert with a cease fire or whatever.

It seems kind of a panic move, to be honest, what's the hurry? Why cling to a lame duck?

[EFerrari]

6. Yes, they are and have been trying to herd Obama as close to their corner

as possible. Of course.

For some reason, I always expected Bush/Cheney to do something in the last days so this aggression wasn't really surprising. Don't know about panic, though. They'll keep acting by the (no) rules of their criminal bubble right up to the minute they walk to their cars after the swearing in.