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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/01/13/clinton-sympathizes-with_n_157487.html?view=print
Clinton Sympathizes With Palestinians In Confirmation Hearing
by Ryan Grim ryan at huffingtonpost.com | HuffPost Reporting From DC January 13, 2009 10:36 AM
Hillary Clinton sent a message to Israel Tuesday during her Secretary of State confirmation hearing testimony, telling the Foreign Relations Committee that because of the conflict in Gaza "we have ...been reminded of the tragic humanitarian costs of conflict in the Middle East, and pained by the suffering of Palestinian and Israeli civilians."
Mainstream American politicians are famously reluctant to utter the words "suffering" and "Palestinian" in the same sentence. By breaking from that tradition, Clinton appeared to send a signal to Israel that that it would not have a free hand to operate in the Middle East. [...]
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http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2009/01/113698.htm
Remarks at the UN Security Council Session on the Situation in the Middle East Secretary Condoleezza Rice UN Headquarters New York City January 8, 2009
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As we strive for a sustainable cease-fire, the United States remains deeply concerned about the innocent Palestinians who are suffering in Gaza, and the United States will undertake, maintain, and continue the humanitarian efforts that we are taking to support UNRWA and the other nongovernmental organizations that are working there.