State Department: Palestinians "don't go as far as we'd like"

IMRA ^ | 3-18-05

[SJackson]

State Department: Palestinians "don't go as far as we'd like"

Daily Press Briefing
Adam Ereli, Deputy State Department Spokesman
Washington, DC
March 17, 2005
www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/dpb/2005/43603.htm
TRANSCRIPT:
12:55 p.m. EST

QUESTION: A number of Palestinian militant groups say that they have agreed to an open-ended halt to attacks on Israel provided that certain conditions are met. There are a bunch of conditions. They include -- I'm sure you've seen the reports -- things like prisoner releases and so on. Is it a good thing, even this conditional temporary cessation of such attacks or a commitment to do so?

MR. ERELI: What we're really looking for and what we think is important is an end to all violence. And at the end of the day, that's what's going to make a difference, is a renunciation of violence, a dismantling of terrorist capabilities and a full and complete embrace of the notion of peaceful engagement and peaceful dialogue.

The steps we're seeing today, the steps that have been underway for some time are, I guess, incremental progress toward that ultimate goal. But I would stress the word "incremental" and I would call them very provisional and therefore not -- while certainly not negative, they don't go as far as we'd like. And they don't -- you know, what's important is to get at the root causes of all this, which is the acceptance of violence as a means to solve a problem, terrorist violence as a means to solve a problem and the ability to wage -- to conduct terrorist activities.

[SJackson]

I would stress the word "incremental" and I would call them very provisional and therefore not -- while certainly not negative, they don't go as far as we'd like. And they don't -- you know, what's important is to get at the root causes of all this, which is the acceptance of violence as a means to solve a problem, terrorist violence as a means to solve a problem and the ability to wage -- to conduct terrorist activities.

Likely followed by, but they did their best, poor babies. The check is in the mail. Wonder if it's occured to anyone but Tom DeLay that, while naive, it still might be a good idea to pretend we expect the palestinians to fufill their commitments.

[SJackson]

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