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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| Obama says Gaza siege unsustainable |
| 2010-06-10 |
| [Ma'an] US President Barack Obama told reporters on Wednesday that Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip was unsustainable, after meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the White House for official talks. You can't dance with a bucket on your foot, either. Obama said there remained "lots of work" before a peace agreement is reached, the online news site Palestinenote wrote, referring to Israel's raid on a Gaza bound aid flotilla in which nine passengers were killed in international waters. "We condemned all the actions that led to the crisis," he said of the raid on the convoy. "We know the situation is unsustainable," the news site reported Obama as saying who "discussed how to promote a better situation in Gaza," with Abbas. The Palestinian president said ahead of talks in the White House that ending the Gaza siege would be on top of the agenda with his US counterpart, with earlier reports suggesting Obama would discuss ways to increase aid to the coastal enclave. Meanwhile, the Reuters news agency reported that Obama offered 400 million US dollars in aid, as the global condemnation of the flotilla attack quickly turned to calls to end the siege on Gaza. Israel must allow "more goods and services" into Gaza, Obama told reporters, after meeting with Abbas privately for an hour, and later with senior US and Palestinian officials including US Middle East envoy George Mitchell and chief PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat, Palestinenote reported. Abbas told reporters that they held "very important discussions on Gaza. We appreciate the effort of the United States on improving the [Palestinian] economy and we are persistent about making more improvements. I highly appreciate Obama's persistence in continuing the push for peace. This is our interest, the world's and the United States'." Thanking the US for its support of Gaza, Abbas said Obama's comments reflected "a positive signal that the US cares about the suffering [of Gaza's population.]" Responding to remarks made by his US counterpart, calling on the PA to curb incitement against Israel, Abbas said " ... we have nothing to do with [it]. We are interested in peace with Israel in order to bring about an independent state," Palestinenote quoted him as saying. The US president further called on Israel to comply with an investigation into the flotilla raid, saying "The United Nations called for a credible investigation that meets international standards. That's what we expect. I've said to the Israelis directly 'it is in your interest to know exactly what happened.'" |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #9 Palestinians couldn't sustain themselves without all the money that morons like Obama keep sending them. HEY! THAT'S MY MONEY! |
| Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305 2010-06-10 18:06 |
| #8 To leftists, Helen Thomas's problem was saying what they all believe. was being recorded saying ... and the video going viral. Fixed it for you. Ms Thomas has said the same and worse among her colleagues and friends, if reports are to be believed. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2010-06-10 13:36 |
| #7 What a dangerous statement. People will die for that news quote. The other side of the coin would be that checking for weapons and weapon materials is the only chance to avoid real war. The obliterating kind of war. Credible investigation meeting international standards, now WTF does that mean? Like the credible investigation into Honduran and Iranian elections? Forgive me if that standard seems a little wanting. |
| Posted by: swksvolFF 2010-06-10 11:55 |
| #6 Unsustainable? Wanna bet? Historically, if the besieger has good supply, the defender is screwed. Only disease of the attackers and a relief force can usually saved those trapped in a siege area. Cut of ALL aid, food, water and electricity and Gaza will be a land devoid of people in 6 months. Israel doesn't even have to break a sweat to do it. |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2010-06-10 10:21 |
| #5 Yea, the place, along with the rest of MME---and some western capitals, needs to be fumigated. |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2010-06-10 07:01 |
| #4 To leftists, Helen Thomas's problem was saying what they all believe. |
| Posted by: DMFD 2010-06-10 06:59 |
| #3 Sure it is ed. To the left, the media, and U.N. it's entirely sustainable - as long as the people being blown to bits are Jew... No doubt Obumbles threw a big party for Abbas. |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2010-06-10 06:00 |
| #2 Assertion ≠ fact. What is not sustainable is to have 20-30 young people murdered in pizza parlors each week. |
| Posted by: ed 2010-06-10 01:07 |
| #1 So did Obowma grab his ankles for Abbas like he did for China? |
| Posted by: gorb 2010-06-10 00:54 |