Saturday, November 24, 2012

A similar MOU signed after Cast Lead was not honoured by the US

Ted Belman

Just prior to the inauguration of Barack Obama, he demanded that Israel agree to a ceasefire and end Cast Lead. The ceasefire agreement was negotiated and signed by Condeleeza Rice and PM Livni. The issues then were identical to the issues today. LiveLeak reported:
    Some of the clauses in the memorandum, that would bind the incoming US administration as well, included measures against Iran, Hamas’s main backer as regards funding and armament.

    During an interview to Channel 10 shortly after concluding her meeting with Rice, Livni hinted that some US forces, as well as NATO and other regional countries, will work directly with Israel “in land and at sea” to combat weapons smuggling. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s preference was to conclude a ceasefire “over Hamas’s head” regardless of the terror group’s position, working with Egypt and the US, the station reported.

    “The MOU that Foreign Minister Livni and I will sign should be thought of as one of the elements of trying to bring into being a durable cease-fire, a cease-fire that can actually hold,” Rice told reporters.
    “As you know, there are a number of conditions that need to be obtained if a cease-fire is to be durable. … And among them is to do something about the weapons smuggling and the potential for resupply of Hamas from other places, including from Iran,” she added.
    “This we see as part of a broader international effort on the information sharing” on how to deal with weapons shipments,” she said.
    [..]
    McCormack added: “This is an enabling condition to get to a cease-fire.”
    Diplomats said earlier that the text calls for enhanced intelligence cooperation and US technical and logistical support for border monitors.
    Livni cautioned that a halt to Israel’s campaign must be based on enforceable guarantees that the situation on the ground must change and “will not come from a simple call for a ceasefire.”
    US diplomats said the hope was that the agreement would satisfy Israeli concerns about reopening Gaza border crossings and will be an important piece of an Egyptian cease-fire initiative being negotiated in Cairo to end the fighting…
This is one more example that guarantees no matter how specific cannot be relied upon. Hopefully since the deal was made by Obama, he will honour it.

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