Last night, Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice delivered the keynote address to the  American Task Force on Palestine Inaugural Gala. In her remarks, she spoke out that,

Palestinians deserve to live better than they do and be "free of the humiliation of occupation" in a state of their own," said US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice on Wednesday night.

"I promise you my personal commitment to that goal," Rice said at a dinner marking the third anniversary of the American Task Force on Palestine.

"There could be no greater legacy for America," Rice told the group, which describes itself as nonpartisan and supportive of a Palestinian state living side by side with Israel.

"The Palestinian people deserve a better life ... free of the humiliation of occupation," she said.

While America struggles with Iraq and tries to deal with assembling a coalition of Arab and European nations to deal with the Iran nuclear threat, is this a gesture to solidify support for sanctions against Iran. Perhaps this might be a quid pro quo.

Regardless, it seems that these very remarks might also be directed toward the Arab nations regarding their treatment of Palestinians.These nations that publicly declare their unending support for the "inalienable rights of the Palestinian people" have been in the forefront of nations that have abused them.

Most Arab nations have rejected as "aliens" the refugees that they have found themselves dealing with after their wars against Israel . They have (with the exception of Jordan) denied them citizenship and all the opportunities that flow from that status, and instead have kept them penned up in camps. This approach contrasts sharply with Israel, which warmly received the 600,000 Jews "ethnically" cleansed from the Arab world).

Arab nations have used Palestinians as a form of cheap, compliant labor and have not hesitated to expel them willy—nilly (as Kuwait did after the first Gulf War); they have used them as propaganda pawns to de—legitimize the state of Israel; and  finally, and most shamefully, radicalized them and used them as cannon fodder in their attempt to terrorize Israelis and the rest of the Western World.

Do we think the State Department would ever be so bold to address the Arab world along these lines?

Take note, Senator Carl Levine — a Democrat from Michigan — was proudly in attendance at the gala for the Palestine Task Force. Nice to know that Israel has such a strong friend in Congress. Not.

Ed Lasky 10 12 06