Reporter asks White House, 'Why don't you want the fighting to stop?'

RAW STORY
Published: Tuesday July 18, 2006

A reporter at the White House press briefing today accused the administration of "giving Israel some breathing room" in order to "take out" more terrorist targets, RAW STORY has learned.

White House press secretary Tony Snow rejected the theory.

A transcript of the exchange follows:

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QUESTION: If the president is truly concerned about Israel, you know, restraining -- you know, restraining themselves, why hasn't he talked to Olmert on the phone? And it appears that the United States is giving Israel some breathing room so they can take out -- weaken Hezbollah as much as possible.

SNOW: How is it -- how -- I'm -- how does it seem that the United States is giving breathing room?

I'm -- you and I have talked -- I'm just curious about the characterization. How would you draw that conclusion?

QUESTION: Well, I don't think that he's even had a conversation with Olmert.

SNOW: Well, okay, so you're assuming because the president hasn't called Olmert that that creates breathing room? I'm just -- I'm trying to get the context of the question.

Let me proceed, and if it doesn't do well enough, you can follow up.

The State Department, the Department of Defense and the White House have been in contact with key leaders in the Israeli government, including the prime minister, on a daily basis. It is not as if we're not having active and ongoing discussions. And one should not read too much or too little into the fact that the president hasn't had a direct conversation. As I pointed out on the road, the people he has talked to are those who have more direct influence over Lebanon -- I mean over Syria and Iran. He's talked with the Saudis, he's talked with the Jordanians, he's talked with the Egyptians.

But at this point, again, I would caution against -- I know a lot of people want to hear about this -- I would caution against reading too much into the fact that the president hasn't talked to Olmert -- Prime Minister Olmert. Secretary Rice has talked to him, I think now on multiple occasions. Steve Hadley has been speaking to his opposite number. I know that there have been conversations with the Department of Defense as well.

QUESTION: Why don't you want the fighting to stop?

So the idea that the United States is holding back in doing any more criticizing of Israel --

SNOW: I -- what the United --

QUESTION: -- is to give them a chance to take out as many targets as they want?

SNOW: No. No, because, Deb, the insinuation there is that there is either active military planning, collusion or collaboration between the United States and Israel, and there just isn't. Israel is proceeding in the manner it sees fit to defend itself and its territory.

The United States actually has been in the lead of the diplomatic efforts, issuing repeated calls for restraint, but at the same time, putting together an international consensus that -- we've got to remember who's responsible for this -- Hezbollah. Hezbollah started this. And Iran and Syria, its backers, ought to be using their influence to get Hezbollah to stop firing rockets and to return the soldiers. So that has been the consistent position. It is shared not only by our colleagues in the G-8, but the aforementioned governments -- Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt.

So I think it would be misleading to say that the United States hasn't been engaged. We've been deeply engaged and actively engaged, and really from the start.

And one of the key achievements at the G-8 Summit was putting everybody there on record as being with the U.S. on it.