Palestinian Hamas supporters protests US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's visit to the region in the West Bank city of Nablus, 6 October. The sign being held by the child reads, "Rice, you are not welcome in the land of resistance ... Hamas." (Ma'anImages/Rami Swidan)
Remi Kanazi, The Electronic Intifada, 7 October 2006
"Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is back in the Middle East and she is in a "very concerned" state. For someone who has played Israeli ambassador to the Middle East since her tenure began, her on again, off again concern for the plight of the Palestinian people has become more predictable than orange alerts during election season. In her newest stint, providing false promises and pernicious rhetoric, Rice vowed to "redouble" US efforts to "improve conditions for the Palestinian people." Rice, however, came to the table empty handed, with photographers trailing closely behind to capture images of hope, concern, and heartfelt declarations. Nevertheless, eye-catching headlines and West Bank photo ops will not put food on the table for the Palestinian people, nor will it end the economic, physical, and political blockade imposed upon the Occupied Territories by the international community.
If Rice was concerned for the well-being of the Palestinian people, she wouldn't have waited until hundreds of Palestinians had perished at the hands of Israeli forces to take interest. A humanitarian would have intervened to stop Israel's siege and immediately combated its effects: the rise in poverty and unemployment, the drop in wages, constant food shortages, and the heightening of tensions between factions in Gaza and the West Bank. At any point, Rice could have rode in on her white horse to fulfill last year's promises: the implementation of bus convoys between the West Bank and Gaza, the sustained entryway and exit through the Rafah border and a bolstering of freedom and democracy throughout the region. Furthermore, the feeding tube that had been inserted into the Palestinian economy -- made necessary by 39 years of occupation -- would not have been pulled with her expressed support."
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