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 What a Secretary of State Does - White House Press Briefing by Dana Perino 1/14/09 — Wednesday, January 14, 2009 —  Q Okay. On Gaza, I'm assuming that the President is not trying to wrap or push for a resolution before he leaves office, but, I mean, is he okay with this conflict continuing as he leaves office or is there any kind of sense within the White House that he'd like to wrap things up or at least achieve a resolution before -- MS. PERINO: This is not -- President Bush didn't want the situation to arise in the first place. But given where we are I think that he has exercised the appropriate authority that he can over what the United States can do. And the United States is not there pulling any triggers. But what we have done, the United States has done is tried to work with the Israelis to provide more aid for the humanitarian crisis that's occurring. And we'd like to see a durable cease-fire established as soon as possible, but we're not -- I know there's a lot of countdowns that are going on around here, but when it comes to protecting innocent people and caring about the people of the Palestinian Territories, especially those in Gaza, the President has no time limit on that. Q Dana, on that, the President has said numerous times that he's sprinting to the finish in these final days and weeks. On that point, then, when's the last time he was working the phones on this situation? MS. PERINO: President Bush every morning is working with his intel advisors, and obviously works with Steve Hadley every morning at 7:00 a.m., and Secretary Rice and he talk several times a day. And we keep you updated when appropriate on phone calls; we don't read all of them out to you. Q But when is the last time he had direct conversations with people brokering the Egyptian-French cease-fire -- MS. PERINO: The President isn't doing that; he has a Secretary of State who he has working on that and that's who should be -- that's absolutely appropriate, is to have his Secretary of State working on that. Condeleezza Rice | Dana Perino | Gaza | Israel | Middle East | President Bush |Press Briefing | White House Press Corps Labels: Condeleezza Rice, Dana Perino, Gaza, Israel, Middle East, President Bush, Press Briefing, White House Press Corps >> Full Story
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 6:39:00 PM  A Full Panoply of Tactics - White House Press Briefing by Scott Stanzel 1/9/09 — Friday, January 09, 2009 —  Q The administration has been boasting about the success of the President's war on terror, yet data compiled by the RAND Corporation show that the global rate of terrorism, as measured by the number of people killed per year, increased by almost fivefold during the Bush presidency. And according to the government's own terrorism statistics, 2007 was the worst year ever, with over 22,000 people killed worldwide. Does the President consider that record a success? MR. STANZEL: The President considers it very much a success that we have kept this nation safe since the devastating attacks of 9/11. The magnitude of the attacks on 9/11 were unprecedented, unseen, when 19 individuals armed with box cutters flew airplanes into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and were fought and died in a field in Pennsylvania. We have taken the fight to the terrorists. It has been this President's sole mission throughout his presidency to confront those threats where they are. He has a much talked about Bush Doctrine. The President has made it very clear that if you aid, abet, house, feed, fund a terrorist, you are just as guilty as the terrorist, and that we will also confront the challenges where they emerge so we don't have to face them here at home. And we will work to spread an ideology of hope and freedom, which will be the ultimate tool in combating terrorism around the world. So I'll move on. Yes, go ahead -- Q But shouldn't the anti-terrorism efforts reduce terrorism rather than increase it? MR. STANZEL: Well, I guess you should ask the question, have terrorists -- do terrorists continue to try to kill innocent civilians around the world? Yes, they do. Should we then just take a step back and decide, no, we shouldn't confront those challenges? Q But you can try a -- MR. STANZEL: I'm done, I'm going to move on. Q -- you can try a different tactic. MR. STANZEL: Which is -- we have a full tactic, full panoply of tactics that we use, on the diplomatic side, on the defense side, on the homeland security side, and terrorist financing side. So the President is very proud of his record in defending this country and taking the fight to terrorists for the past two terms. Yes, sir. Q Back to Gaza and the U.N. resolution yesterday, can you expand on why the White House opted for abstention rather than voting with the rest of the Security Council? MR. STANZEL: Sure. Did you have an opportunity to see Secretary Rice's remarks last night? So I would just refer you to those. The discussions between Israel and Egypt we believe hold great promise of providing a way to a durable and sustainable cease-fire. And as Secretary Rice said, that is a resolution -- that resolution that passed last night, we believed it should have just been postponed to allow those discussions between Egypt and Israel to go forward so it could be more informed by those discussions. However, I would note in the resolution and in Secretary Rice's remarks, she talked about we agreed with the text, we agreed with the objectives, and we agreed with the goals of that resolution. We just happen to believe that there should have been a different timing for it. Yes, sir. Q With Israel as our ally, how influential is the United States in pushing Israel towards a cease-fire? And have there been any more conversations about sending additional aid to Palestinians? MR. STANZEL: Well, we have I believe earlier in the week, or maybe even last week, we talked about the $85 million that we have provided through the U.N. in terms of aid to the Palestinians. But the cease-fire will come when terrorists stop lobbing rockets at innocent civilians for the desire to kill to advance their ideology. When Hamas attacks Israel they're not only hurting the Israeli people, but they are hurting the Palestinian people because they are also attacking the two-state solution, which is the ultimate solution for the Palestinians and the Israelis living side by side in peace. Q As the humanitarian crisis grows there, will the United States send more aid? I know the -- MR. STANZEL: I don't have anything to announce for you, but obviously we've indicated our deep concern about the humanitarian situation, and that's something that the State Department and the leaders there have talked about at length, as well. Steve. Q The French and the Egyptians have tried to broker a peace deal. Has the U.S. lost its leadership role in any kind of negotiations in this regard? MR. STANZEL: I wouldn't say that. I think that the United States has a unique role around the world and a unique relationship with Israel. We have a very strong bond with Israel. This is a challenge that has unfortunately gone back many years and many decades and -- but, no, we are working with our international partners at length. The resolution that was passed, Secretary Rice had a very much -- a very strong involvement in that resolution, and she's been in New York working round-the-clock to try to bring a solution to this problem that, again, is durable and sustainable. Al Qaeda | Bush Administration | Gaza | Israel | Press Briefing | Scott Stanzel | War on Terror | White House Press Corps Labels: Al Qaeda, Bush Administration, Gaza, Israel, Press Briefing, Scott Stanzel, War on Terror, White House Press Corps >> Full Story
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 4:56:00 PM Two to Tango - White House Press Briefing by Dana Perino 1/7/09 — Wednesday, January 07, 2009 —  Q A follow-up to the Mideast question. Is there anything more that the U.S. can do to achieve a cease-fire in Gaza? MS. PERINO: What we are looking -- the United States is deeply concerned about the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza. And that's one of the reasons that Secretary Rice has been working around the clock, and especially last night, literally around the clock, to work with the Israelis and also her counterparts around the world. We need urgently to conclude some sort of a cease-fire agreement that will be lasting, that would endure, and that would make sure that we can identify the three things that we wanted to do yesterday, that I mentioned yesterday, which is stop the rocket attacks, stop the smuggling, and also figure out a way to reopen that border in a way that's consistent with the 2005 access agreement. Q Do you have a timeline at all in mind? MS. PERINO: Look, she worked around the clock. We're working to do it as fast as we possibly can, but there's a lot of other actors here, as well. The easiest thing to stop the situation would be for Hamas to stop sending rockets into Israel. I think there were 35 that were sent from Gaza into Israel yesterday, and if that was to halt, I think a cease-fire would be something that would be achieved much more quickly than if they don't. Q -- stop the bombarding of the innocent Palestinians. The U.S. has not called for anything and the President gave the green light for this slaughter. MS. PERINO: First and foremost, the Israelis did not ask the United States' permission. I do not believe that the -- Q They didn't ask permission, but they got the backing. MS. PERINO: I do not believe the that Israelis are targeting innocent civilians. But we do know that innocent civilians have been caught up in this fighting, and that's why we are concerned about it. And they have halted -- Q They're not caught up, they're being bombarded. MS. PERINO: I think they are caught up in it. And I -- it's a terrible situation. You have one -- I think over a million people living in a very small area. The best thing that they could do for themselves is to have their leaders make a decision to renounce terror and violence, and at least, at the very least, to stop sending the rockets right now so that a cease-fire could be put in place that could be lasting. Q How about the U.S. vetoing any attempt for a cease-fire? MS. PERINO: What we are seeking is a cease-fire that would actually last. I think the worst thing that we could have is to have this vicious cycle continue. Q Why? Stop the killing. MS. PERINO: Well, would you say the same, that Hamas should stop the killing of innocent Israelis? Q Of course. MS. PERINO: Okay. Well, it's going to take two to tango here. And we need Hamas to make a decision -- Q But you won't even to talk to Hamas. MS. PERINO: Well, as you know, the Egyptians have been and we've been working with them, and Secretary Rice is talking with all of her counterparts. We do have, right now, a lull in the fighting, a halt to the fighting, so that more humanitarian aid can get to the people -- because it's not just the United States that's concerned about the humanitarian situation. Clearly the Arab world is -- but so are the Israelis. And that's why they're allowing humanitarian aid to get there. I think one of the things that they've been concerned about is that Hamas has been known to commandeer this aid and send it directly to their forces and not to the people who actually need it. Q They're the elected government there. MS. PERINO: They are neglecting to govern there. Q They are elected, but the Israelis continue to occupy all the checkpoints. MS. PERINO: But they -- they can be elected to govern, but they are neglecting to do so. And that is why the Gazans have been held hostage for the past year and a half, ever since Hamas decided to take over Gaza in the coup in 2007. And the humanitarian situation there was not great before this. Q And the U.S. broke off all relations once they won an election. MS. PERINO: No, we didn't talk to -- well, we didn't break off relations then, we have never had a relationship with Hamas. Q All aid, all aid. MS. PERINO: That is not true. The United States does provide aid through the United Nations for the people of Gaza, a lot of it. Dana Perino | Gaza | Hamas | Israel | Middle East | Press Briefing | War on Terror | White House Press Corps Labels: Dana Perino, Gaza, Hamas, Israel, Middle East, Press Briefing, War on Terror, White House Press Corps >> Full Story
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 6:10:00 PM 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 Hamas as a Humanitarian Organization - White House Press Briefing by Gordon Johndroe 1/2/09 — Friday, January 02, 2009 —  MR. JOHNDROE: Jeremy. Q A couple questions. One, is there any progress to report, incremental or otherwise, of reaching a cease-fire at this stage? MR. JOHNDROE: Well, we're not seeing Hamas stop its rocket attacks. And that's something that we're going to need to see them do. And I know that we've been engaged in a lot of diplomacy. I know that Foreign Minister Livni is traveling in Europe right now, and they've signaled that this is not an operation that they're going to stop right now because they have to protect their people. Israel has a right to defend itself from these rocket attacks. And so we'll see. We want a cease-fire as soon as possible, but we want one that is durable and lasting and won't be broken right away again by Hamas, one -- a cease-fire that Hamas respects. Q Secondly, has the U.S. fielded any requests from Israel for additional arms or munitions? MR. JOHNDROE: None that I'm aware of. Q Gordon, recently Foreign Minister Livni told the French Foreign Minister Kouchner that there is no humanitarian crisis. Is that a characterization that the administration agrees with? MR. JOHNDROE: Well, we want to make sure that there isn't a humanitarian crisis. Israel has allowed -- I think yesterday's count was 93; before that there were dozens of truckloads of humanitarian supplies that entered into Gaza. We want to make sure that flow continues. And we want to make sure that that, the food and medical supplies, reach the people of Gaza. The Israelis are reporting that Hamas hoards the humanitarian supplies and doesn't allow them to reach the people of Gaza, to create the idea of a humanitarian crisis. I can't speak to the exact situation on the ground. I can't speak to their allegation. I can't speak to Hamas's allegation that humanitarian supplies are not flowing in fast enough. We've seen humanitarian supplies flow into Gaza. We want to see them continue to flow into Gaza. Q But, Gordon, on that point, the official evidence coming from Gaza would indicate that there is already a crisis in terms of hospital treatment, doctors, civilian casualties. So how can you say there is not a humanitarian crisis? MR. JOHNDROE: No, I -- Gaza has been under the rule of Hamas now for 18 months or so. And Hamas has done nothing particularly good for its own people. That is why the United States has pledged nearly $200 million over the last year and a half for humanitarian assistance in to the people of the Palestinian Territories. The United States is the largest donor through the U.N. Relief and Works Agency, as well as the ICRC. We are very concerned about the people of Gaza. We are concerned about the humanitarian situation on the ground there now. I also know that Israel is permitting humanitarian shipments to go into Gaza. I also know that Israel alleges that Hamas is hoarding the humanitarian shipments, the food and medical supplies, to make the humanitarian situation worse and to blame the Israelis. I cannot speak to the specific facts on the ground. There is obviously a problem with the ability of the citizens of Gaza to be able to access everything as quickly and easily as they want, whether it's medical supplies or food. And we want to make sure that they do have access to it. Gaza | Gordon Johndroe | Hamas | Israel | Middle East | Press Briefing | White House Press Corps Labels: Gaza, Gordon Johndroe, Hamas, Israel, Middle East, Press Briefing, White House Press Corps >> Full Story
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 3:23:00 PM HamasIranSyria Solutions - Western White House Press Briefing by Gordon Johndroe 12/31/08 — Wednesday, December 31, 2008 —  Q Have you seen any ramped up activities from Iran towards Israel? President Ahmadinejad today said the Arab world was not doing enough related to the Gaza strikes. MR. JOHNDROE: Have I seen any ramped up activity from Iran towards Israel. I've seen no change in their position in their desire to wipe Israel off the face of the earth, which they have stated a couple of times before. So I haven't seen anything new on that front. I think Hamas is pretty well-supplied by Iran, and to a certain extent, Syria. I mean, these two countries, Iran and Syria, supply Hamas and Hezbollah. I mean, they're basically their proxies in the region and in other parts of the world. And so I don't think Iran or Syria -- neither Iran nor Syria have been playing a helpful role, they are not playing a constructive role in this current crisis, which is pretty typical for their actions with regards to Hamas and Hezbollah. They continue to supply them. Q When you say "supply," what are you talking about -- supply them with what? MR. JOHNDROE: Weapons. Weapons. So we'd like to see -- there are some Arab states that are stepping forward and saying, we want peace in the Middle East. You have Egypt playing a positive role; Jordan; Saudi Arabia is very concerned. And then you have countries on the other end -- Iran and Syria -- who seem to want to continue to foment violence. And we'll see. Laurent. Q Have you seen supplies increasing to Hamas during the current crisis? MR. JOHNDROE: I'm not going to get into any specifics on supplies from Iran and Syria that we've seen over the last few days, but there is no doubt that Iran and Syria are the ones who have assisted Hamas with their weapons acquisition, and that's a problem. Q Hamas today said that they were prepared to study proposals for a cease-fire. Basically, the United States and Israel are not taking that seriously or -- MR. JOHNDROE: I don't know what Hamas needs to study. I mean, I'm not sure -- I don't get what Hamas needs to study. Hamas needs to stop firing rockets into Israel. It's very clear. Ahmadinejad | Gaza | Gordon Johndroe | Hamas | Iran | Israel | Middle East | Press Briefing | Syria | White House Press Corps Labels: Ahmadinejad, Gaza, Gordon Johndroe, Hamas, Iran, Israel, Middle East, Press Briefing, Syria, White House Press Corps >> Full Story
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 10:31:00 PM Hamas Leadership by Rockets - Western White House Press Briefing by Gordon Johndroe 12/30/08 — Tuesday, December 30, 2008 —  MR. JOHNDROE: Patty. Q There are reports out today that the Israeli cabinet is considering a 48-hour ceasefire truce to allow humanitarian aid in. Has the Bush administration been told that they are considering that, and what would be the U.S. position on that? Would you urge Israel to allow the humanitarian aid in? MR. JOHNDROE: I would say that both Secretary Rice and National Security Advisor Steve Hadley have been in touch with Prime Minister Olmert and his staff. But beyond that, I'm not going to get into those discussions. As you said, the Israeli cabinet is supposed to meet tomorrow. Let's let the cabinet meet, and then go from there. Q Would you be in favor, though, of a truce to allow -- what is the humanitarian situation? What is the U.S. intelligence on the humanitarian situation? We've all seen the pictures. Would you be in favor of that? MR. JOHNDROE: Well, as I've said, as President Bush told Prime Minister Fayyad and President Abbas, the United States is concerned about the humanitarian situation. That's why we released $85 million today, although this money has been in the pipeline as part of our 2009 commitment -- but just a reminder of the U.S. commitment to helping the people of Gaza. The President is concerned about the citizens of Gaza, but not the Hamas terrorist leaders who are doing this to the people of Gaza. It's my understanding that dozens of truckloads have come in into Gaza in the last 24 hours to 48 hours to bring relief supplies, medical supplies and food. But we remain concerned about it. And we're going to keep on working with the U.N. agency and the ICRC to make sure that the innocent people of Gaza are able to get food and medical supplies. Q But will that concern translate into you pushing Israel toward the 48-hour ceasefire? MR. JOHNDROE: I'm not going to get into any private discussions, but our message to Israel has been the same that I've said here, our message to everyone, and that is that the only way this is going to stop is if Hamas stops firing rockets and everyone agrees to a sustainable ceasefire. Nelson. Q Given that Israel yesterday declared all out war on Hamas, would the administration object to the crippling of that organization? MR. JOHNDROE: I think that a Hamas that is unable to rain terror down on the people of Israel is probably a Hamas that is better, even for the people of Gaza. If Hamas is not able to carry out terrorist activities, hopefully they would see the light and start to serve the people of Gaza better. Instead, they have -- they bring them nothing but continued poverty. Gaza | Gordon Johndroe | Hamas | Israel | President Bush | Press Briefing | War on Terror | White House Press Corps Labels: Gaza, Gordon Johndroe, Hamas, Israel, President Bush, Press Briefing, War on Terror, White House Press Corps >> Full Story
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 3:23:00 PM Israeli Response to Hamas Rockets - Western White House Press Briefing by Gordon Johndroe 12/29/08 — Monday, December 29, 2008 —  MR. JOHNDROE: Deb. Q What does Israel hope to achieve by this? I mean, what's the end game? MR. JOHNDROE: Israel is responding to a barrage of rocket and mortar attacks that increased substantially last week, following Hamas's refusal to renew the ceasefire. Israel has made clear that they do not want to retake Gaza, that they simply want the people of southern Israel to be able to live in peace, free from this barrage of rocket attacks. And that's what we expect. We also want to see, as I've said, the ceasefire restored in a sustainable and durable fashion, so that we can get back on the road map, work towards the goals of the Annapolis process, which, again, is two states living side by side in peace. Q -- I mean, is just going to rekindle radicalism, isn't it? MR. JOHNDROE: You know, it's hard for me to speak to specific casualty numbers. We have urged the Israelis to avoid civilian casualties. But they are working on decreasing the number of Israeli citizens that are vulnerable. And we know -- I believe someone died this morning, a couple of people a couple of days ago. The Israelis are working to reduce the threat against their own people. So they're going to continue, it appears at this time, to deal with this Hamas terrorist threat. But ultimately, we want a sustainable and durable ceasefire. [...] MR. JOHNDROE: John. Q Israel is amassing tanks and troops along that border. Is the President urging them not to launch a ground invasion? Is he urging restraint already now, in his diplomatic efforts? MR. JOHNDROE: The discussions that we've had with the Israelis are ones that everyone needs to recognize that the ultimate goal here is to get to a ceasefire. I can't speak to any potential ground operation. I think that any ground operation, according to the Israelis, would be part and parcel of the overall operation, given their statements saying that they don't want to retake Gaza, that they simply want to protect their people. So we'll just have to see how this unfolds. Obviously, as I've said, we don't want them -- we want civilian casualties to be avoided. But it's is unfortunate as Hamas, as we've seen in the past, tends to base its people and some of its rockets in civilian areas. So we'll see. Go ahead. Q Is it fair to say that the U.S. would prefer not to see a ground operation, but defends Israel's right to do that? What exactly is the U.S. position? MR. JOHNDROE: I'm not going to speculate on a ground operation. Let's just take this one day at a time, all right. Gaza | Gordon Johndroe | Hamas | Israel | Middle East | Press Briefing | White House Press Corps Labels: Gaza, Gordon Johndroe, Hamas, Israel, Middle East, Press Briefing, White House Press Corps >> Full Story
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 9:17:00 PM
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