You may not think it's occupied, and I'd agree with you, but ask the people in the AZTLAN and LA RAZA groups if they consider the Southwest occupied and you'd get a different answer.
What would Rice say if someone blew themselves up on a bus in San Diego or Phoenix demaning an end to the occupation of Aztlan?
What would Rice say if some Indian blew himself up in a mall in Pierre or Albequerqe demanding an end to the US occupation of Indian land?
It just goes to show that everyone has double standards and is hypocritical to some extent.
The bottom line is that this has nothing to do with occupation. It has to do with the fact that the arabs/muslims will not be satisfied until Israel is no more. They see it as a temporary abberation, a la the Crusader kingdoms of the middle ages, and it may well be. But all this talk of occupation just masks the real issue, which Rice is either blind to or willfully ignores.
I vote willfully ignores. She's as educated as anyone on earth. She studies cultures; she reads the highest level security reports on what the Palestinians are actually saying and doing. No, I think she is willfully choosing a side and I think part of the reason has to do with oil.
Bush tried to open ANWR as one step toward lowering our dependence on the Arabs. The citizens of this country want no part of drilling on our land. So what does a President have to do to protect our future? Kiss up to the Arabs. Now, it is kind of sickening when you see the President doing it with all his heart. But I'm sure he thinks he's being practical.
Bingo.
Occupation is the surface argument against coexistence with Jews.
The Pali/Arab/Persian view is either ship them back to Europe or exterminate them. Occupation is the euphemism - the ginned up causis belli