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Amid Gaza Crisis, McCain Urges Cease-fire, Negotiations

by Josh Gerstein
Mon, 3 Mar 2008 at 1:54 PM
updated Mon, 3 Mar 2008 at 5:29 PM

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The all-but-certain Republican nominee for president, Senator McCain of Arizona, seemed to call this morning for negotiations to end the crisis caused by repeated missile attacks on Israel from Gaza and by retaliatory military strikes Israel has carried out in Gaza. However, his top foreign policy adviser Randy Scheunemann told The New York Sun this afternoon that the Arizona senator was referring only to a resumption of talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, which controls the West Bank, and not to any discussions with with Hamas, which controls Gaza.

"I believe that any nation has the right to respond to attacks. We obviously want a ceasefire. We want negotiations," Mr. McCain said at a press conference today in Phoenix, Ariz. " I continue to be disappointed in the United National Security Council and their failure to condemn the attacks from Gaza orchestrated by Hamas, a terrorist organization, into Israel. This weakens obviously the position of Mahmoud Abbas and Fatah and the situation becomes more and more dangerous as we speak. All countries in the world should do whatever is necessary to prevent an escalation of this violence and the needless loss of innocent civilians."

In his remarks, Mr. McCain did not specify precisely which parties he thought should enter into negotiations. "The negotiations that have broken down are negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. To even think and to imply that he is talking about negotiations with Hamas is absolutely wrong," Mr. Schuenemann said.

Asked if it was not logical to assume that Mr. McCain's call for a ceasefire and his mention immediately thereafter of negotiations meant that he was calling on the two warring parties, Israel and Hamas, to stop and then to negotiate, Mr. Scheunemann said, "I don't want to get into 'logical,' it's not accurate. I want to get into accuracy." Mr. Scheunemann said the candidate's call for a ceasefire was directed solely at Hamas and the call for talks was directed only at Israel and the Palestinian Authority. "He's suggesting Hamas ought to stop firing missiles," the veteran foreign policy aide said. "He's certainly not calling on Israel to stop defending itself."

Mr. Scheunemann described as "inaccurate" an earlier version of this post which said Mr. McCain was proposing negotiations to resolve the current round of violence in and around Gaza. As noted in the original post about his comments today, the Arizona senator also denounced Hamas for its role in the crisis. "I would condemn Hamas and call of them to stop their attacks on Israel which are killing and wounding innocent civilians," he said.

A full transcript of Mr. McCain's remarks, as provided by CNN's Web site, follows: "In the case of the attacks on Israel that continue from Gaza into the state of Israel, that have now increased, have increased tensions dramatically, we -- I believe that any nation has the right to respond to attacks. We obviously want a cease-fire, we want negotiations, but I continue to be disappointed in the United Nations Security Council and their failure to condemn the attacks from Gaza orchestrated by Hamas, a terrorist organization, into Israel. This weakens, obviously, the position of Mahmoud Abbas and Fatah, and the situation becomes more and more dangerous, as we speak.

All countries in the world should do whatever's necessary to prevent an escalation of this violence and the needless loss of innocent civilians. And first, I would condemn Hamas and call on them to stop their attacks on Israel which are killing and wounding innocent civilians."

Related Topics: General Election, GOP Primary

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