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 The Definition of a Cease-Fire - White House Press Briefing by Dana Perino 1/5/09 — Monday, January 05, 2009 —  MS. PERINO: Well, as I just said, Secretary Rice has been on the phone working with her allies and her partners around the world to try to establish this. She's been working with the United Nations. I'll leave it to them to detail all of them out. But you also know who the President has called, because we've let you know. It's going to take a commitment on behalf of Hamas to reject terrorism and violence and to accept that they could try to find a political way forward. That way we can get to a point where we can establish a two-state solution. Q There can't be a cease-fire unless Hamas agrees. MS. PERINO: Well, wouldn't that be the definition of a cease-fire? Q Yes, but agrees to stop firing rockets. MS. PERINO: Well, yes, I just don't understand why it would be okay that we say it's okay to have a cease-fire but they can -- they're allowed to continue to fire rockets into Israel. I mean, that's the very definition of a cease-fire. Hamas is the one who brought this situation on themselves. Q Some would say to stop the killing that is occurring. There are a lot of civilian casualties. MS. PERINO: Well, I just wonder where all the voices were, being -- voicing concern about the Israelis who are being terrorized. And I just think it's a double standard to say it's okay for Hamas to be able to send rockets into Israel. One of the biggest problems is that Hamas, which is a terrorist organization, hides amongst innocent civilians. And I do think that all due care should be taken to make sure that innocent civilians are properly protected. Q Yes, but let's be real, it's a question of scale. Everybody agrees that it's bad for Hamas to send rockets into Israel, but they have generally killed relatively fewer people than this invasion is killing. MS. PERINO: Just think -- put yourself in that situation. If rockets were coming into the United States from Canada, do you think that we would just say, well, it's okay, because they really haven't hurt or killed that many people this week? We would never stand for it. And we have an ally in Israel, and we're trying to work with the international community to establish a durable cease-fire so that this vicious cycle can end. Q But you're not talking to the Hamas at all. MS. PERINO: We are -- but the people that we -- Q You could call anyone a terrorist organization -- MS. PERINO: Egypt has been working with Hamas -- or talking with Hamas, and that's -- we have obviously very good relations with Egypt, as well. Q Egypt is not the United States. MS. PERINO: I'm not -- we're not going to change policy here, under this administration, to all of a sudden start to talk to terrorist organizations. Dana Perino | Gaza | Hamas | Israel | Press Briefing | War on Terror | White House Press Corps Labels: Dana Perino, Gaza, Hamas, Israel, Press Briefing, War on Terror, White House Press Corps >> Full Story
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 4:59:00 PM
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