[Compare Condi Rice’s statement below with info I got directly from the Middle East… which totally invalidates what she said.

There is more to this interview, but I felt it more important to take this one, very crucial point, which reflects “US Optimism”… and to show how completely and utterly *WRONG* the US Govt is.

Condi Rice believe erroneously, that the Palestinians will sort out terrorism in their own ranks. Where has this woman been? Has she learned nothing? Here in Africa… we went through exactly the same settlement process… and its all a fake. The terrorists will keep on attacking right until the day *THEY* are put 100% in power. It does not work any other way. There is no such thing as terrorists stopping their terror and then everyone goes and peacefully resolves things. On the contrary, it is terror, and the expansion and worsening of terror which continues until the terrorists have all the reigns of power in their hands. Only when total victory has been accomplished, do they stop. Hence… the Palestinians, Hamas, etc, etc… can be expected to continue and to increase their acts of terror while at the same time engaging in dragged-out negotiations… Until… eventually… Israel is completely under their control. Condi Rice is living in a dream world. Jan]

Interview With David Hawkins of CBS News
Secretary Condoleezza Rice
Jerusalem
February 7, 2005
www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2005/41935.htm

QUESTION: I want to talk about one of the major themes in the President’s
State of the Union speech – freedom and democracy. What happens if Hamas
wins a large number of seats or wins big in a free and fair Palestinian
election? Can the United States deal with a group like Hamas if they come
into power democratically?

SECRETARY RICE: …I think that you will find that the Palestinian people
are not prepared to have a government that is going to sustain the violence that is at the root of the sorrows and the troubles that they have had since the starting of the second intifada. All of the evidence is that the Palestinians want peace; they want to live in peace. Of course they want a just settlement. Of course they want a viable and democratic state. But if you look at what will in fact address the aspirations of the Palestinian people, it is not to declare that Israel should not exist, and it is certainly not to declare that violence is the way to the future.
….

[The following comments from my Middle East contact regarding the above:
“Unfortunately, the Palestinians already DID elect Hamas last week in Gaza,
making Dr. Rice’s comments below utterly ridiculous… In fact, Hamas won
by a landslide victory among the Palestinians.”]