“They’ve said, ‘Here you go. You’re in the Mediterranean. This ship — if you divert slightly north you can unload it and we’ll get the stuff into Gaza,’”, he said. “So what’s the big deal here? What’s the big deal of insisting it go straight to Gaza? Well, it’s legitimate for Israel to say, ‘I don’t know what’s on that ship. These guys are dropping… 3,000 rockets on my people.
"That's a big f-----' deal!"
That's right.
Biden continues:
“Look, you can argue whether Israel should have dropped people onto that ship or not — but the truth of the matter is, Israel has a right to know — they’re at war with Hamas — has a right to know whether or not arms are being smuggled in.”
“As we put pressure, and the world put pressure on Israel to let material go into Gaza to help those people who are suffering, the ordinary Palestinians there, what happened? Hamas would confiscate it, put it in a warehouse [and] sell it.
I can't wait for the "clarification" to follow. I wonder how Robert "Jokeman" Gibbs will explain this one. In the meantime, way to go, Joe.
Wow...so if they say stuff that you don't agree with, they're made fun of. If they say stuff that you DO agree with, then you make fun of them just the same.
ReplyDeleteThere's no winning with you, is there?
Lance,
ReplyDeleteYou just never get my nuances and subtleties. I am saluting Joe for what he said and pointing out that he is in contradiction to what Hillary said. Obama? He hasn't said anything yet. I simply interjected a little humor into it, but you don't get it.
Gary, no offense, but your humor kinda sucks. Trust me, all my friends and family members know me for having a pretty robust sense of humor. This stuff just falls really flat. The sheer fact that you have to explain your jokes so often is evidence of that.
ReplyDeleteBiden was on Charlie Rose last night. I think he meant Olmert in 2006 but here is part of the conversation:
ReplyDeleteCHARLIE ROSE: Prime Minister Netanyahu was scheduled to come to
Washington. He did not. He went back to Israel. There is a blockade. Should they end blockade in lieu of what’s happened here?
JOE BIDEN: I think Israel has an answer lute right to deal with its
security interest.
I put all this back on two things. One, Hamas, and, two, Israel’s need to be more generous relative to the Palestinian people who are in trouble in Gaza.
Let me explain that very briefly. Sometimes, because we deal so much
in the Middle East, which you know so much about, we have to remember how we got here. Remember it was Ehud Barak who decided to pull all Iraqi troops -- excuse me, all Iraqi -- all Israeli troops out of Gaza. He did that back in ‘06.
Then there was an election. An election for their parliament with a president named Mahmoud Abbas who, in fact, was a successor of Arafat in the Fatah. That produced a majority of members of the parliament which was
the West Bank and Gaza of Hamas.
The international community, the so-called quartet -- the United
States, Europe, Russia and the U.N. -- said, look, in order for you to be part of that government, you have to agree to four conditions. One, you’ll
abide by previous agreements that have been made by the government of -- by the Palestinians.
Two, you are going to renounce terror. Three, you’re going to
recognize Israel, and basically that you have to accept any -- and here’s what happened. They then got in a fight among themselves. They physically took over by force of arms, killed members of the existing government, exiled them, took over and started firing rockets into Israel. Over 3,000
went in last year.
And as we put pressure and the world put pressure on Israel to let material go into Gaza to help those people who are suffering, the ordinary Palestinians there, what happened? Hamas would confiscate it, put in a warehouse, sell it.
So the problem is this would end tomorrow if Hamas agreed to form a
government with the Palestinian authority on the conditions the
international community has set up.
And so, I mean, again, look you can argue whether Israel should have dropped people on to that ship or not. But the truth of the matter is Israel has a right to know. They’re at war with Hamas. They have a right to know whether or not arms are being smuggled in.
And up to now, Charlie, what’s happened? They’ve said here you go, you’re in the Mediterranean. This ship, if you divert slightly north you can unload it and we’ll get the stuff into Gaza.
So what’s the big deal here? What’s the big deal of insisting it go straight to Gaza? Well, it’s legitimate for Israel to say I don’t know what’s on that ship. These guys are dropping 3,000 rockets on my people.
Now, the one thing we have to do is not forget the plight of these
Palestinians there. Not Hamas. They are in bad shape. So we have put as much pressure and as much cajoling on Israel as we can to allow them to get building materials in.
CHARLIE ROSE: That’s what they were trying to bring in, building
materials.
JOE BIDEN: Yes, we know that. But they could have easily brought in here and we get it through.