Sen. Kerry's trip to the Middle East

This has been a fascinating trip. It has been all over the world press and garnered stories in China, New Zealand, Europe and the Middle East press. (However, it has not yet made the news in Massachusetts, alas.)

http://uk.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUKTRE51I2IU20090219">Reuters UK has a story up today about Senator Kerry visiting the Gaza Strip:



The article quotes Kerry on his views on Hamas:



http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1233304828993&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull">The Jerusalem Post reports that the Israeli Air Force bombed the Philadelphi Corridor in Gaza today to close tunnels being used to smuggle in equipment and goods:



More world press accounts: IRAN http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=86117§ionid=351020202
Israel: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3674311,00.html
China: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-02/19/content_10851774.htm
New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/20/world/middleeast/20mideast.html?ref=world
AFP (France): http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gOF0n_LTErkVvM4jse6ELJUOEMig
Australia: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/02/20/2496483.htm?section=world
Jerusalem Post: http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1233304828611&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
Italy: http://www.agi.it/world/news/200902191502-pol-ren0025-art.html
Turkey: http://www.worldbulletin.net/news_detail.php?id=36888
CNN International: http://edition.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/02/19/gaza.us.visit/

Lebanon: http://www.iloubnan.info/politics/actualite/id/32209 (This is short and is an article PROTESTING the visit Sen. Kerry made to Lebanon because it was not a standard trip made according to diplomatic protocol. Ah, I am not the sharpest card in the deck but methinks this is more than just a diplomatic protest. More than diplmatic feathers are being ruffled here.)

Oh and one more http://www.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_11734913">looky-looky story to ponder:



Senator Kerry was in Egypt earlier this week.
Are we paying attention to this? And will any MA media notice this any time soon? (NY media did.)

One thing that might be interesting is that Israel allowed the trip to the Gaza.

From the article from Turkey,

"Israel barred U.S. diplomats from entering the impoverished coastal enclave since 2003.

Former US Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney attempted to travel to Gaza by sea in December, but the ship was rammed by an Israeli gunboat and diverted to Lebanon.

In 2008, former US President Jimmy Carter was denied permission to enter Gaza by the Israeli government. Carter did meet Hamas officials in Syria and Egypt."



This may well reflect some willingness on the part of Israel to work with the new Democratic administration. (I thought though that Kerry did visit Gaza in the past - but maybe he only went to the West Bank.)

PS It is appalling that the MA papers are not covering this.

I think that Senator Kerry has perfectly good standing as Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to visit the Middle East and observe conditions there. Congress is charged with oversight on the Executive and this sounds like due diligence on that oversight.

That said (and it is important that that be said, btw) I wonder if we aren't seeing a sort of signature move of the Obama Administration. There are a lot of chess pieces moving on the board at this moment in time. This is so unlike the previous Bush Administration which drew up lines of black and white in terms of who it considered friend or foe of America and then solidified the lines. No diplomacy was attempted. The Congress and the Obama Admin is all over this with diplomacy and with trying to triangulate the factions and get some movement. Any one of the stories coming out is big news, all of them together is a sea change from the last 8 years of non-diplomacy.

In just the first month of the Obama Admin, we have these really fascinating moves in the Middle East. George Mitchell is the sort of Tsar of the diplomatic effort. Richard Holbrooke is the new "special representative" of the Obama Admin for Afghanistan and Pakistan and Senator Kerry is in Egypt, Lebanon, the Gaza Strip, Israel and Syria. This is more like a benign "team of rivals" to help boost diplomacy for that region. There is risk as well as opportunity in this. (Can such high level people do all this work and not step on each other's egos?) Pres. Obama seems to like to put a lot of ante on the table and likes playing high stakes games of poker strategy, doesn't he?

It looks like Netanyahu is going to be the new Israeli PM. The coalition government is going to be formed with the support of the RW party formed by the Russian emigre who is very anti-Arab. I wonder if we aren't seeing very diplomatic warning shots being fired at Israel by the US. (How fascinating that Jimmy Carter, former US Pres and Noble Peace Prize winner can't get into Gaza, but John Kerry could. Times have changed, methinks.)

It is too bad that Netanyahu is going to be PM again and that to do so he needs to keep Lieberman happy. (Their Lieberman, not ours. )

But even that might be part of this multi-layered chess game. IF the US "squeezes" the rest of the countries in that area and forces an opening to peace, then what does that do to the internals in Israel?

Sen. Kerry called Syria a "bad actor" on his Q&A with students after a speech he gave in Oct 2005 at Georgetown University. At that time, he agreed that Syria was meddling in the area and in Lebanon and he was not very pleased with them at all. This week, Kerry met with the son of the Lebanese PM who was murdered in early 2005, with suspected Syrian involvement:



Hmmmmmmm........

...has to always be looking "over the horizon to what is coming with the change." He seemed to be suggesting that we plan our solutions by looking ahead and working longterm with new leadership in places like Syria. Wise words, IMO.

This compliments what Senator Kerry is doing. As has been said many, many times, the key to better relations with the Muslim world is to get movement on the Palestinian issue.

...at long last.

You said, "Any one of the stories coming out is big news, all of them together is a sea change from the last 8 years of non-diplomacy."

I agree. It's a sea change...and it's what John Kery has advocated forever. I am THRILLED to see this approach...and, I am confident that the security of our nation will trump the egos (huge as they may be :) ). Obama has chosen well.

...California, either. I'll keep watching. ;)


My theory (totally devoid of factual evidence :) ) on Nour...maybe they were encouraged to 'unclinch their collective fists.' :7

And it is so refreshing to see a real diplomatic push being made. So different from the Bush years when roles calcified.

...particularly with the economy...I see a lot of people REALLY worried and losing their hope. I find myself in such a weird place right now. On the one hand, I'm concerned too about the economy, Afghanistan(I have a young family member headed there soon), and all the other critical issues the Obama Administration has been handed. (And then there is the California budget. :7 )

But, strangely, I feel SO much more hopeful. It's like a burden has been lifted because I at least know we have GOOD PEOPLE...competent people...in charge now. I am VERY confident that a good outcome is possible...whereas before I didn't think that.

But these good public servants need our support. That's why we can't just all fade away...even though sometimes we want to.(I want to especially when I turn on cable TV...they are SO awful right now I feel like unsubscribing.:grr:)

Here is his wikipedia bio:

"Fawzi Salloukh is the current Foreign Minister of Lebanon. He has been in this position since July 19, 2005.

Salloukh was born in 1931 in Qammatieh, Lebanon. Salloukh graduated from the American University of Beirut in 1954 with a Diploma in Political Science.

Salloukh is said by some to be closely allied with Hizbullah, despite little substance to these claims. Before taking up his ministerial position Salloukh was the Secretary General of the Islamic University in Lebanon from 1998 to 2005. Salloukh is a Lebanese career diplomat who served as Ambassador to Sierra Leone (1964-1971), Nigeria (1978-1985), Algeria (1985-1987), Austria (1990-1994), and Belgium (1994-1995). A minister never afraid of speaking his mind, he has had verbal tangles with the likes of George W. Bush and continues to be a well respected political figure in Lebanon."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fawzi_Salloukh

That sounds vague, but this chart shows Hezbollah as his party and he is clearly in the opposition to the current leadership. This may be out of date.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lebanese_government_of_July_2008

It also seems that his nose might have been out of joint because Kerry did include him and because he praised the March 14 coalition - who from the chart above are his political opponents.

"US Senator John Kerry, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, arrived yesterday in Beirut and met with President Sleiman, PM Siniora and MP Saad Hariri.

In his statements, Kerry emphasized the unwavering US “commitment to Lebanon’s sovereignty and independence and to the democratic process in it.” Kerry praised the March 14 coalition and stressed “the need for Syria to change its behavior.” http://www.nowlebanon.com/NewsArticleDetails.aspx?ID=80596

The people Kerry met with included the ones he praised in this excellent op-ed from January 2007.

http://www.johnkerry.com/news/entry/a_crucial_time_for_saving_lebanons_fragile_democracy/

But I am not sure they spoke about it later.

The Christian Monitor has it. I guess it is technically a paper from MA.

http://features.csmonitor.com/globalnews/2009/02/19/kerry-steps-cautionsly-into-hamas-territory/

I would not hold my breath for the Globe and the Herald to hear the news, or our local TVs.

...by name and two congressmen that also went to Gaza. I was pleasantly surprised. :)

...of JK in Gaza. KCAL9. :) Real news coverage...things are looking up.:patriot: