>> when the general was here a couple of weeks ago he said specifically that the ukrainian separatists were receiving training on russian territory using vehicle borne antiaircraft systems -- a vehicle borne antiaircraft systems. can you elaborate? >> i do not know what system he was referring to. we would agree with his assessment of the some separatists have received some training, in these vehicle borne systems. there's no question about that. i do not have an estimate of how many or who is doing it. i just don't know right now. >> it would raise particular alarms, would it not? that is pretty serious. >> it is pretty serious.

we have been monitoring the as closely as we can. nobody in the pentagon has been shy about talking about the continued threat posed by these separatist elements in the ukraine. >> is the pentagon or the u.s. government surveillance along increasing the border in the wake of the disaster? >> we are continuing to monitor, i do not have anything to add. >> were there any warnings given to commercial airline companies, or any civilian airline authorities about these assist -- about the existence or the level of training for these systems? >> there were warnings put out to civilian aircraft to take

care over ukrainian airspace and to fly at higher altitudes. you would have to talk to the faa and other agencies that handle that. obviously, if you're going to issue a warning like that, it is based on concerns that you have about surface to air missile capability activities. >> were there any indications that there were any other military planes in the sky at that time? and is there any concern that perhaps this is a situation that is spiraling out of control and perhaps russia does not have the control of the separatists?

>> on your first question, i do if so, how are you preparing? not know. this is ukrainian airspace controlled by ukrainian authorities, and i defer to them to speak about what was lying in the air at the time. -- was flying in we would not have that capability here. on your second question, i think the president has been very clear about the responsibilities of president putin and moscow. we do not know of any sign that it is stopping. >> there had been previous to yesterday's tragedy, two or three ukrainian transport planes

shot down. does your intelligence and knowledge indicate that the system that shot down the plane yesterday was a more powerful or more sophisticated system requiring more training, or was it one similar to the system that was used to shoot down the ukrainian transport plane? >> again, we are investigating this right now. it is unclear exactly what brought down the other aircraft you are talking about. we know they were shot down, but those incidents are still being looked into. i do not have any great visibility on what brought them down. i would like to bring you back back -- back to the larger point here, which is that the aircraft are being shot down.

despite who is pulling the trigger, and is doing nothing to de-escalate the tension inside ukraine and to bring a peaceful resolution. now innocent people simply flying from one city to another have been killed and been brought into this. let's not lose sight of the big picture here. it matters a lot less exactly what system that was in more -- and a lot more that it has happened and that it needs to stop. >> do you believe that whoever shot this plane down could have mistaken it for a ukrainian transport? >> i'm not going to get into the motivations, the intent, the reasoning that went into this. that is for the investigators to figure out. we do not level of detail at this point. >> if in fact it was an accident, would that reveal a lack of training?

>> we do not know. i am not an expert on that system. i would not begin to try to get up here and analyze it for you. >> who are these investigators? >> an international investigation -- >> does this include the dod? >> there is no place for a dod representative on this, i will not speak for the other agencies, but i think there may be some entities from the federal government that will go over and participate. i do not have the makeup of the team, it will be an international team. >> no role for europe's military in responding to this. whatever happened to that list of requests for equipment that the ukrainians sent at the beginning of this?

>> we continue to review request for ukrainian -- ukrainian requests for military assistance. the focus of that remains on the law nonlethal side right now. some $33 million that the president has authorized of material has been getting to the ukrainian armed forces and border services shared the support continues to flow, we continue to take a look at their needs and address each in turn. >> is there any -- do you have a more complete list? >> there has been more.

radios, body armor, individual first aid kit and wesley being -- sleeping mats, uniform items. over the next few months additional items will start to move through the process, to include night vision goggles, thermal imager's, kevlar helmets, disposal robots, and some radios. barbed wire, alarms systems, at excavators, trucks, generators, that kind of thing. communications gear. all of this is a package of more than $33 million now that the president has approved. that continues to flow. >> has it gotten there yet and it is still a long time since they have requested that.? >> it has been a longtime since they requested that. >> it is working through the procurement process, i do not have any idea when enter the

process, but it will enter soon. >> could this be a proxy war between u.s. and russian if they were to provide this? >> the security of ukraine continues to be violated by its neighbor in russia, and that is -- that needs to stop. >> to your knowledge, who has the black box? >> i do not know. >> is there concern that they may be tampered with? >> we set up the outset that we want safe and unimpeded access to the site so they can do the kind of work you need to do to include recovery of the black box, so we can find out all the circumstances surrounding the crash. >> have the ukrainians asked for lethal assistance? >> i'm not going to get into the details of their request.

we continue to evaluate their request. it was a request that included lethal and nonlethal. the focus of our assistance to date has been and remains on the nonlethal side. >> when general breed well talked about the training, are you guys seeing this training and support for separatists taking place on the russian side of the border he acted easy some -- is that we see some of it happening, and then they're coming back into ukraine? >> i do not have a specific zip code for you for where this is going on. we continue to see support for the separatists which does include a measure of training,

and i do not have the details on exactly who is doing it, wind, -- when and on exactly what systems. we do believe that this support, and it is not just training and advice, it is actually resourcing and equipment. i wanted to give exit the larger point, that that has to cease. >> i know you may not be able to say how you know this, but in some fashion, russian military equipment crossing the border into ukraine? that is what the intelligence shows you? >> i will not speak about intelligence matters from the podium. we continue to see support for the separatists that includes the things that the general talked about, and we continue to see that support, and continues to be a skilled trade dangerous. -- escalatory. it needs to stop. i will not talk about the measures in which we believe -- i will not talk about specific intelligence. we see some equipment going across the border.

>> you said you were not aware of any mobile vehicle systems going across. >> that is correct. >> the sanctions list included some, but excluded the largest arms at the border. was that at the request of this department? >> i'm not aware of a specific request from the department to keep the company off the list. >> i think samantha powers of the u.n. laid out the there's no evidence that any ukrainian air defense system -- that would be the one alternative. would that alternative be viable? >> it is a possibility and i

don't have any indication that that particular surface-to-air system or a particular surface-to-air system was moved across the border. i don't have any specific indication of that. >> was there any belief that the separatist possesses kind of weaponry? >> we don't have perfect visibility into every kid that the separatist have. we certainly knew this was a capability that they aspired to have access to.

>> to be clear, have you seen any antiaircraft weapons across the border to the ukraine? >> i have no information about the specific antiaircraft systems crossing the border. missing tanks go across armored vehicles go across. we have seen major equipment move across the border into the ukraine from russia. i don't have any specific indications. >> these kinds of systems could have crossed the border potentially covered up, could they not? >> it is not out of the realm of possibility but i don't have any information on that. >> there was a lot of shifting of u.s. forces to that region and nato sent me an e-mail that

they are previewing the defense posture. i was wondering if you have some sort of list or if you can give me an idea of how many forces are still there and how many do you plan on shifting? how much extra could you allocate to that region? >> we have to get to a list and they are a better place to go. more broadly, we are going to constantly review the posture in europe and look for opportunities to make our interaction with our nato allies more robust. with any number of exercises and operations to include in the

black sea. the secretary has been clear that he wants to staff and he wants to continue to look for ways to bolster that effort. i think you will see consistency. >> he described what we are providing. is that something also being reconsidered in light of this? >> there may not be a military solution to the crisis in the ukraine.

what we have been doing is efforts to bolster and support our nato allies to improve our interoperability and capability to demonstrate that commitment article five of the nato treaty. there is no effort and there has been no intention to have a u.s. military solution. the ukrainians have asked for military assistance. some of it is nonlethal. that is where the focus remains right now. we continue to review those requests. and right now, the focus remains on nonlethal. >> we are constantly reviewing it and the focus remains on

nonlethal. >> and operated from a tougher location in the ukraine. it was the question of whether russians would be with the separatist that fired, that is the only question outstanding at this time? >> i am not an aircraft investigator so i don't know all the things they are going to look at what we have very strong evidence that it was a surface-to-air missile fired from a location controlled by russian separatists. most likely on the ukraine side of the border. that is were the strong evidence leads us to now.

exactly who, whether it was a russian military unit that did it or a separatist unit, we don't know. if it was a system that was driven across the border, we don't know. answering some of those questions will be what the investigators get at. >> next, united nations discuss the palestinian conflict. the legacy of afghanistan and president karzai, remarks on malaysia airlines flight 17. -- >> 40 years ago, the watergate scandal led to the only resignation of an american

president. american history tv revisits that era. opening statements from the house just -- judiciary committee. >> selection of a president holds a unique position in our political system. occupant of that office stands as a symbol of international unity. if that symbol is to be replaced through the it -- action of elected representative thomas and must be for substantial and offenses.l >> watergate, 40 years later. c-span3. >> in addition to the downing of

the malaysian airliner, marissa be un security council met to discuss the escalating violence between israel and palestine. the palestinian representative war andael is waging the conflict is not out of self-defense. the israeli ambassador responded, saying israel has a right to defend itself and is facing an enemy that lives by violence. this one-hour portion from the meeting also includes remarks by sam and the power. -- samantha power. >> good afternoon. the 7200 and 20 meeting of the security council will come to order.

the agenda is the middle east including the palestinians. the agenda is adopted. on the council's provision, we provide the representative of israel to participate in this meeting. it is so decided. i follows that the observer state of palestine and the provisional rules and procedure. it is decided. >> in accordance with the council's provisional rules, under-secretary general for political affairs, it is so decided.

security council will now begin its consideration on item two of the agenda. >> mr. president, as we meet today, intensification of violence and the united nations was trying so hard to head off has become the reality in and around gaza. this is all the more dismaying as it comes so soon after signs of hope had emerged. specifically, attempts by egypt to broker a cease-fire followed by the united nations brokering a humanitarian pause. for five hours, a temporary

cease-fire mostly respected by our parties allowed civilians in gaza to resume some vital activities to sustain their daily lives. it allowed workers to start repairs on essential electrical and water infrastructure. in israel, civilians were largely spared rocket wire for the same time. they were therefore alarmed when militants resumed throughout the gaza strip, frustrating our hopes that the humanitarian pause would be the beginning of de-escalation. it pains us that the much-needed reprieve was so short. shortly after the rockets fired into israel marked the end of the humanitarian pause, prime minister netanyahu announced the

launch of a ground operation. they have so far conducted four ground incursions and 90 airstrikes. mostly inside the access restricted area which has been extended to three kilometers. at the barrier, they fired 357 tank shells while the israeli navy -- approximately 20 palestinian houses were hit. 26 palestinians were killed and another 116 injured. one idf soldier was killed. they are truly concerned that this escalation will further increase the appalling death

toll among gaza civilians. israel has legitimate security concerns we are alarmed by israel's every response. we were shocked by the terrible killing on a beach in gaza city. three more children were killed yesterday, no further in illustration is needed, the -- the violence must end. since a july when hostilities intensified, over 2000 rockets were fired into israel, hundreds intercepted by the iron dome. two israelis were killed including one civilian.

a majority of the palestinians, civilians, including 48 women and 50 children have been killed and over 1600 have been injured. as a result of 1900 strikes on gaza from land, air, and sea. israeli bombardment inflicted damage to schools, health facilities, water and sanitation infrastructure. 1800 palestinian families have had their homes destroyed or severely damaged. since the beginning of this crisis, the secretary-general has urged regional and international partners to exert all possible influence to bring about an immediate end to the suffering and bloodshed.

since the last briefing of this council, secretary-general has been in touch around the clock with world leaders to facilitate united and effective action to stop the violence in and around gaza and the unbearable stress from continued rocket attacks. we had hoped that the successful brokering of a humanitarian pause would help efforts led by egypt on the basis of the understanding. we appreciate that israel excepted egyptian proposals for a cease-fire. however, hamann stabled counterproposals that were, in turn, not acceptable to israel. president abbas has been

appealing for an end to this crisis. they met in cairo yesterday to discuss the egyptian proposal. both presidents reportedly agreed on the necessity of an immediate use fire and on the urgency of holding a conference to start rebuilding the gaza strip. the president is scheduled to arrive in turkey today to discuss the situation. he has also reportedly indicated that in the event of a cease-fire, he would be willing to redeployed palestinian authority forces along the corridor or. to enable a reopening of the

border crossing. this would be a key component of bringing gaza back under one legitimate palestinian government and delivering tangible improvements to the lives of gazans. the president has written to the inspector general claiming that they be placed under the protection system administered by the united nations. mr. president, the international community has issued numerous calls for an end to violence and the protection of civilians. we begin a call for the immediate and, all parties must respect international humanitarian and human rights laws. and must be held accountable for any breaches of these obligations.

we ask them to do their utmost to ensure humanitarian assistance continues to reach all those in need. ensure the protection of civilians and the integrity of u.n. premises and staff. in this regard, the united nations relief and works agency has strongly condemned those responsible for placing approximately 20 rockets in a vacant school on the gaza strip as of flagrant violation of international law. a cease-fire is indispensable and urgent. until efforts succeed, further humanitarian causes will remain necessary. we urge the party to consider

such windows so civilians can move freely and undertake vital activities. the united nations has been a crucial provider. and has been playing a lead role providing shelter to around 47,000 gazans. ones that have nowhere else to flee. this capacity is stretched to the limit, raising fears that further civilians cannot be accommodated in terms of supplies. unless we address the root causes of the current escalation, this dreadful violence will recur again and again. we cannot return to the status quo empty. a concern that palestinians and israelis share. core elements remain

unimplemented. once calm is restored, it is imperative to immediately tackle the underlying causes. this includes an end to weapons smuggling. and bringing gaza back under one legitimate palestinian government adhering to commitments. tens of thousands of employees hired after 2007 are not getting paid while 60,000 employees continue to receive salaries without performing the essential government functions that gaza so urgently needs. this is simply not sustainable. united nations remains prepared to facilitate important nation and consultation with concerned parties.

the parties must seize this opportunity to not only renew a cease-fire, but also political security with institutional and socioeconomic progress. as the secretary-general noted, the impact of the crisis is starting to be felt within the region. we woudl also note the implementation of resolution 1701, at least 11 rockets were launched in the area of operations in five separate incidents. according to information available so far, five rocket at israel, four fell inside lebanon and two into the sea. in addition, the lebanese armed forces down and dismantled two

rockets set to launch toward israel. the israeli defense forces retaliated on all occasions with several rounds for artillery fire across the blue line. no casualties were reported from either side so far. in each instance, they immediately engaged with the idf and the laf to urge them to exercise maximum restraint and cooperate in order to prevent other escalation and restore the cessation of hostilities. the lebanese security forces announced the arrest of three people in connection with the 11, 13, and 14 july attacks. they have maintained and enhanced operational presence on the ground and has intensified patrols across the area of operations to prevent further incidents. the armed forces has increased its presence in the area.

recent violations of the 1974 disengagement of forces agreement between israel and syria have shown the grave danger that the security situation continues to pose. on three occasions, explosions and rockets impacting on the alpha side led the idf to respond with fire to the bravo side. and a very recent development, armed forces units with heavy weapons floyd in proximity to u.n. observation 56. the exchange in fire resulted in mortar rounds impacting in the vicinity of the position. subsequently, members of the opposition approached u.n. observation position 68

demanding that you and peacekeepers with armed forces to move away -- a threat was repeated today. when a nun dock patrol escorting a convoy from 60 to 68 was intercepted and members of the opposition handed a written notice threatening to attack operation 56. if the armed forces did not vacate. as we speak, they remain 30 meters to the north and 200 meters to the south. the cease-fire between israel and syria. >> including east jerusalem, clashes have occurred between

those demonstrating in support of gaza and israeli security forces. since this morning, restrictions have been placed on access to the holy places and security forces are heavily deployed. it led to several palestinians being injured. in addition, tensions persist including a strain on the much-needed security coordination between the israeli and palestinian security forces. our appeal stands on israeli and palestinian leadership to defuse tensions and act responsibly.

the situation on the ground is ultimately the result of a collect the failure to advance a political solution. temporary fixes will no longer do. international community must urgently help restore a serious prospect or a two state solution that brings an end to the conflict and occupation. this is the only way to make a cease-fire last. us the only way to break the seemingly endless cycle of attack and retaliation. this is the only way to ensure a durable peace. secretary-general is prepared to do his part. he will leave for the region tomorrow to express solidarity

and help them in court nation and international actors and find a way forward. >> i thank you for the briefing and give the floor to the observer. >> thank you, mr. president. we have called for this emergency meeting of the security council. due to the existential crisis being faced by the palestinian people and under israeli occupation. the life of a mother or father is taken by the occupying forces and the murderous rampage of artillery bombardment and now a massive ground invasion in the

gaza strip threatening the safety and survival of the entire palestinians billion -- palestinian civilian population. children were killed and i have their names and their ages that range between the age of two years old to the age of 13. mr. president, despite regional and international efforts to bring an end to the violence and bloodshed as well as an end to the siege, isolation and punishment of all people and despite the broad consensus that there is no military solution to this crisis or to the conflict

in its entirety has intensified its military operations with full intention and knowledge that civilian casualties will mount. in less than 24 hours, this assault has killed more than 40 palestinians. while the president has been continuously engaged in efforts to secure a comprehensive cease-fire including efforts by egypt and turkey among other concerned countries in the region and beyond, israel has insisted, continue waging war on our people. upon the direct command, the occupying forces are killing and injuring hundreds of palestinian civilians.

the majority of children and women destroying homes and infrastructure and displacing thousands of families. yet another disaster is being inflicted, traumatizing the entire population and worsening the humanitarian crisis with repeated aggression and leaving an eight year blockade showing widespread distress and rage among our people. this savage aggression cannot be justified by any means. it is not self-defense. it is intentionally planned and perpetrated by the occupying power against the civilian population. among the goals of this military are the destruction of palestinian unity and the collapse of the consensus government. declarations made by officials from the prime minister on down

are clear evidence of this including the specific aims of that aggression. here we are reminded that the israeli government shows the killing of israeli settlers, a crime for which has not been an independent transparent investigation, but has been used as the basis for its barbaric attack upon which officials and extremists continue to incite and harmed our people. moreover, the crisis manufactured by israel over the years. and justify the root causes, mainly israel ease denial as a violation of the human rights of

the palestinian people and the occupation and colonization. it is not by coincidence that deliberate stabilization on the ground diverts attention from obstruction of peace efforts, particularly the malicious element campaign throughout the west bank and including jerusalem. crimes against humanity, there are systematic human rights violations being committed against the palestinian people. this is not simply the palestinian narrative. this is fact. before the eyes of the world, they wage war against the defense was civilian population traveling human rights, creating

reaches of humanitarian law and destroying the pillars of the international system as it forces a repugnant double standard on the international community including destroying the credibility of the security council at health which continues to stand aside as israel figure early -- sacredly violates these institutions. the fact is much louder and made repeatedly by this council by the israeli representative, the government kills innocent men and women. the death toll stands at 274. at to at the children to make it 278 people killed and more than 2065 people injured. an overwhelming majority of

those killed and injured are civilians, including 66 children. 48 women and 17 elderly persons. more than 47,000 people have been displaced. these disturbing facts are corroborated by reports. the images of the palestinian children killed by israeli occupying forces, i am compelled to share the names of some of the families and disabled people killed by the onslaught since our last appeal to the council. our children and women and all the victims have names.

[reading names] all of the same family, they were obliterated. [reading names] they both suffered from severe mental and physical handicaps killed.

80 members of the family including six children and three women, one of them pregnant was massacred and 16 other civilians were wounded by the israeli occupying forces in a deliberately launched military airstrike at their home which is declared to be targeting. the dead include -- [reading names]

[reading names] the incident that was referred to by mr. feldman. age 70, all members of the same family killed in an airstrike at the mosque. his brother age 25 and there

sister age 27, a pregnant mother of three and their elderly grandmother. page 14, his sister age 13 and brother. [reading names] [reading names] we joined our grieving people in praying for their souls and asking for strength and

resilience for the mourning families and nations. the names of many of the dead are yet to be known as emergency personnel -- this is the unjust reality in which they are struggling to survive and suffering greatly under the occupation as their right to exist and their legitimate aspirations to realize their freedom continues to be shamefully perverted by the occupying power. this reality is worse and by the appeasement of israel and the international community to hold them accountable and to impose the rule of law. we call upon the security council once again to uphold his duties and react to implement resolutions regarding the

protection of civilians in armed conflict. should the security council failed to respond to our appeals to uphold the law, and should our peaceful diplomatic and political efforts in this regard fail home a will have no recourse but to turn to the judicial bodies of the united nations and international system. we have a duty to our people to leave no stone unturned as we strive to end the israeli occupation, oppression, and colonial domination. we call upon the security council to adopt a resolution that condemns the israel

military against the civilian population in the gaza strip and calling for the immediate secession and calls for protection of the palestinian people since israel, the occupying power, has made it clear that it is their obligation to do so. in this regard, we draw attention to the fact that such a resolution and the necessary action to implement as the full endorsement of the air group, the oic, and constituting the majority. mr. president, i wish to make an appeal to the international community to support the efforts to provide the humanitarian assistance to the palestinian population in gaza in order to alleviate their great suffering and devastation they are

enduring. in this regard, we appeal for donor support. recognizing the vital role being played by the agency along with other u.n. agent these and international organizations on the ground to address this crisis, and before i conclude, allow me just to say a few words. [foreign language] >> we returned to the security council once again after failing to respond to the aggression from this council, and we ask for your resistance over the

fallen martyrs. there is no woman, man, children, and none of the 800,000 people living in gaza. your right to be angry at this council. the council that has not stopped this act of aggression. you're right to be angry as you suffer and as you lose your children and members of your families. and this aggression, they are proud.

he spared no efforts to attain your freedom and put an end to this act of aggression. we know that you will succeed and you will succeed soon putting an end to this are derek act of aggression. >> the permanent observer of the state of palestine for his sentiments. and i will give the representative of israel, you have the floor. >> in the face of terrorists kidnapping our children, who were left with no choice. rockets raining down on our citizens, we were left with no choice. in the face of jihadists, tunneling under our borders, we we were left with no choice.

the israeli defense force entered to restore the quiet of the people of israel, and we did everything in our power to avoid this. he made the courageous decision to accept every cease-fire offered, even as the people of israel were under attack. they rejected every overture to restore the quiet. this is not what we wanted. we have sent our children, sons, and daughters to face an enemy that lives by violence and celebrates it. i want to make it clear that the forces are fighting in gaza but they are not fighting the people of gaza. her years, the citizens of israel have been the victims of unrelenting attacks perpetrated by a murderous terrorist group.

they have attacked us in our homes and schools and buses. stand now. the next kidnapping and the next suicide attempt, so that we may, once and for all, remove the threat of terrorism casting its dark shadow over the people of israel. mr. president, the past month alone offers a glimpse into the unrelenting threat that israel faces. rockets have been launched from syria, lebanon, and sinai. in over 1500 rockets have been fired by terrorists. great restraint is being met with unrestrained aggression. for six hours on tuesday, israel had cease-fire.

fires.ceases and hamas it sent 13 armed terrorists to a tunnel with the sole purpose of a massacre. this is the third time in the weeks that hamas has

used its stunners to infiltrate outel and try to carry attacks. all the while it is still hundreds of rockets. mr. president, for 10 days the of -- our largest cities are being bombarded on a daily basis. there's no country in the world, would tolerate such an assault on its citizens. and israel should not be expected to either. we're acting solely to defend from constant terror attacks. committed toen upholding international law. like no is a more army other in the world, it does not

harm any innocent people. we are operating only against generallytargets and regret any civilian loss. no red line there's that hamas will not cross. it will stop at nothing, and no depth to what they will not sink to, they are even filled withnces children to move their terrorists around gaza. there's no site that is off limits for hamas. weapons inng its family homes, launching rockets from mosques and establishing its headquarters in a basement hospital. yesterday, it found, mysteriously, 20 missiles in one of its schools. that if they take time to check their other facilities, it will discover that it is just tip of the iceberg. hamas is using u. n. facilities

commit a double war crime, by targeting israeli civilians hiding behind palestinian civilian. from the safety of the luxury leaders, qatar, hamas order room service with one hand and order hamas to use palestinians as human shields wither to. but you don't have to take my word for it. palestinian del gates to the u. n. human rights council, saying, andmuch in i quote, the missiles that are now being launched against each and every missile constitutes a crime against humanity whether it hits or misses, because it's directed at targets. i hope the palestinian delegate remember that during certain u. n. organizations. beenresident, israel has faced with a choice that no make. should have to

refrain from responding and subject its civilians to rocket engage with terrorists and risk injuring civilians. palestinian casualties to fuel its propaganda machine. hamas' strategy is clear. it's perpetuate the kill of its that thee in the hope international community will place pressure on israel to its demands. sadly, many people have fallen cynical campaign by destroying the fighting as the equivalency or, quote unquote, cycle of violence. that both sidee are eeblg actually to blame are playing into hamas' has been and sentencing the people of gaza and israel to further suffering. informed condemnations of israel strengthen the hands of terrorists. clear difference between israel and hamas. the jewish people believe in the

value of life, while hamas believes in the value of taking life. how many more palestinians must fall victim before president abbas finally breaks his hamas?ship with an bass is the president of the unity government that includes a murderous terrorist group. what exactly is this government for?d obviously not for peace. president, even if the alarm sounds throughout israel, some members of the international falseity are sounding alarms here in the united nations. they told us that as soon as israel retreated to 1967 lines, the settlementd there would be peace. insisting that the conflict was so-calledthe occupation. occupation? anything?e remember in 2005 when i headed israel's foreign service, israel turned every inch of gaza over to the

palestinians. process, the world watched as we uprooted thousands of families from their homes and dismantled their businesses. when we were done, there was not not a settler, not a single israeli left. all we leftbehind, behind were green houses and that wouldtures develop the gaza economy and allow the palestinian people to peaceful society. we opened border crossings and encouraged commerce because we wanted gaza to succeed. we hoped that this would serve a model for two societies to peace.de by side in but it didn't. pretense ofhe democracy to create a militant theocracy. a civil wared against fatah and executed its political opponent. then it destroyed the green houses and the businesses that we left behind, and instead of

build economic institutions it built a terrorist regime complete with underground tunnels. and finally, it seized the funding that floats from the international community to flood gaza with weapons. month for theery past nine years, hamas has fired rockets towards israeli towns and cities. expanded its has arsenal from a few hundred to thousands of rockets. they have today are more sophisticated and can reach everer into israel than before. every few years, hamas escalates launching aby massive offense i. in 2008 over the course of three weeks, hamas fired 800 rocket would reach one million israelis living in the area near gaza. in 2012, hamas fired 1,200

thatts in a single week could reach 3.5 million israelis israel.ern and central and the last two weeks, hamas rockets that00 threaten five million israelis, our population living throughout the country. escalation, the international community broke the cease-fire and israel accepted it hoping it that will finally bring peace. of measuredrounds assaults and over 12,000 years, 12,000ne rockets in nine years, it has is notclear that hamas interested in being quite tote it is employing a strategy, when hamas fine itself of defeat, it agrees to a brief recess to and to resume aggression. mr. president, for years we told

you about the thousands of rockets that hamas was smuggle gaza. we talked and we repeated and we said that. with silence. time and again we called toernational community condemn the rocket fire and we were met with silence. the international community to face the consequences of its inaction. used its foot hold in gaza to trample on the palestinian the terror base yard.ael's back now it sees an opportunity to do it again. hamas is using the unity government to export its gaza toties from sumaria. is not stopped it are mean more terror for israel and more tragedy for the palestinians. >> the united states is deeply concerned by the rocket attacks

of the dangerous escalation hostilities in the region. in particular we're concerned about the devastating impact of on both israeli and palestinian civilians. withdent obama spoke program netanyahu this morning to reaffirm the united states' strong support for israel's defend itself. as president obama said today, no nation should accept rockets its borders oro terrorists tunneling into its territory. the last two weeks hamas and other armed groups in gaza than aunched more hundred rockets toward population centers in israel. are unacceptable and would be unacceptable to any member of the united nations. israel has the right to defend its citizens and prevent these attacks. president obama also said today that we are deeply concerned about the potential loss of more innocent lives. it is important that everything possible is done to prevent civilian casualties as well as mitigate the suffering of innocent men, women and

children. the consequences of the rising violence are plain for all of us to see. and they are heartwrenching. feel profound anguish upon seeing the images of suffering from gaza, including the deaths injuries of innocent palestinian civilians including theg children and displacement of thousands. israeli civilians including the elderly and children are fleeing shelters with little warnings to escape the barrage of rockets from gaza. anyone to way for live. not palestinians, not israelis. boysour palestinian playing on the beach in gaza city were like boys everywhere, restless for play. their deaths are heartbreaking, family membersr and neighbors must feel today, must be searing. israeli authorities have opened an investigation into their deaths. devastating consequences of this conflict make it all the more disturbing that hamas has squandered the efforts by egypt to broker a cease-fire.

a cessation of violence would have offered civilians on both side the chance for peace, but rocketontinue its attacks. as we have repeatedly stated, the united states is committed diplomatic solution to stop the ongoing violence. as president obama made clear today, we believe there should a return to the cease-fire that was reached in november, 2012. committed toe are supporting egypt's cease-fire proposal, that is why secretary withate kerry is working our regional partners to try to bring about a cessation of and is prepared to travel to the region. that cease-fire is reached, we need to do everything to assist the thestinians caught in middle of the violence. we're grateful for the pause, it provided a critically important window for the united nations, humanitarian and medical workers and others to reach the wounded, displaced and most vulnerable. it allowed time for crucial infrastructure repairs to improve access to basic services

a brief reprieve for some of the people most affected which this conflict. clear. be a humanitarian pause is just that, a pause. an otherwiseop in persist ten and often overwhelming stream of violence. which is inflicted suffering and terror on civilians. that pause is no substitute for isease-fire, which is what needed. indeed what was already a very troubling humanitarian situation rapidlyis deteriorating. there are widespread shortages of water, food, electricity and medicine. the united nations humanitarian organizations and regular palestinian citizens are all doing tremendous work to assist those in need from opening their homes to the displaced, to delivering awe emergency rations to those in the hard toast reach places. grave andtuation is getting worse. until a cease-fire is reached, parties to ensure the protection of civilians and to respect and protect humanitarian and medical facilities including those of the united nations. this week the u. n. and gaza

discovered 20 rockets that had been put in one of its schools. u. n. removed the rock get round through condemned the action. are indefensible. we condemn in the strongest dangerous unmoral and use of schools and hospitals for military purpose, which some of society's most vulnerable members, children and the sick. no family, palestinian or have to live in fear of being unsafe in their own homes. orchildren, israeli palestinian, should be kept awake at night by the sounds of bekets and gunfire or to prevented from going to school because it's too dangerous to venture outside. no people want to live like this. it is outrage us that they are being forced to. the only way to end this is an immediate cessation of rocket fire from ina and a deescalation hostilities, that's what we're calling for today. the recent surge in violence with the kidnapping and senseless murder of three israeli boys, which was followed

senselessnapping and murder of a palestinian boy. when news of the palestinian boy's killing reached the mother one of the israeli victims, she said, quote, no mother or through what we are going through now, end quote. right. too much innocent blood has been shed, the suffering of innocent an end.s must come to >> next, a discussion on the presidentafghanistan karzai. after that, remarks on the downing of malaysia airlines flight 17. first from the pentagon, then from members of the united secure council. today on "washington journal," thoburn examines u.s.-russia relations following the downing of the malaysia airlines flight. shannon watts, founder of moms sense intion for gun america, talks about efforts to combat gun violence and change

gun laws in the u.s. andrew loft discusses the opposition to the highway trust and their role in campaign 2014. as wades, we'll take your calls can join the conversation on facebook and twitter "washington journal" live at 7:00 a.m. eastern on c-span. s was theuincy adam toond adams to be elected the white house. second -- two.s only one of antislavery presidents to be to the white house. feared by the south. his vision ofhat a unified country in which the

and thegovernment states were partners in a relationship that enabled the federal government to play a leading role in binding the country together through projects, through supporting manufacture and so suspectede was deeply by the southern states who saw indeed that he wanted too much power for the federal government. >> fred kaplan, on the life of quincyth president, job adams, sunday night at 8:00 eastern and pacific on q and a. >> many of the crises in afghanistan could have been if the u.s. had listened to afghanistan president karzai. according to former afghanistan war commander john allen. lookingart of an event at karzai's legacy, along with reporter.ed president karzai leaves office in early august after 13 years

in power. just over two hours. gram is nou is it too premature to speak about karzai's legacy? began an audit of

these 8 million votes according to a deal that secretary kerry last week. it will be a complicated audit. i would not be surprised having through something similar myself with ambassador ida that longer than expected, and i imagine that to a certain degree the question that we're talk about today, president karzai's legacy licenser also be affected by how election comes to an end. nonetheless i think we all still deal to say. president karzai has been leading afghanistan in one way last 13ther for the years since december, 2001. thought it was an appropriate moment while at the takes being worked out to stock of what has been accomplished in that time. only theat i mean not state of the country that he'll leave for the next president, but also certain habits of governing that he has adopted the modelave become

to a certain extent for an entire generation of young who have grown up during that time. one of the questions i imagine we'll look at is was this the only way of gonching. -- governing, and the other issue is with international community the u.s., which will have a significant effect over afghanistan's development and the next five to 10 years if not longer. the other tricky thing about the is that it's karzai's legacy, not necessarily karzai himself. but i have a feeling it will be in the discussion to separate the man from the legacy. in my own thinking about this, it seems to me that from a point u.s. foreign policy, if not the international community in general, it's been an afghanistanve policy, and we've often more had a policy towards president karzai, which means that the tools and the terms in which we've discussed this policy have

sort of psychological almost than diplomatic. president karzai thinking, how can we convince tom do this or that. president karzai lost his mine. featuretheall been president over the last 13 years, and it's a testament in part to the fact that constitutionally the president has immense powers, which means mosthe is obviously the important person in the country to deal with. but it's also a testament to the of almost shakespearean complexity of his leadership and personality. so with that, our panelists i neither tohere praise nor to bury him, but to try to give us an accurate assessment of the country's leaving behind, what the challenges were what he has what he might have achieved, and how enduring is legacy. how much has the afghanistan that he has created in large

last 13 years, ofome a permanent part afghanistan's new d.n.a., or whether there will be as respects -- aspects of it that can be the nexty administration, who ever will emerge from this count. topic, but welex it. an excellent panel for mashal is a young afghan published who just two excellent articles on president karzai, that the topic of his legacy. here, thei have it men who ran afghanistan, which if you haven't read it, is definitely worth the read. general allen, who is a commander of nato, and forces in and 2013.n in 2011 a crucial time during the transition to the after began

lead for a combat operations in afghanistan. and has obviously dealt closely with president karzai across the issues relating to that military relationship and political the relationship. finally the ambassador who was special represent sif of the secretary june of the up. in in afghanistan between 2008 and 2010. during the 2009 election i earlier, while i will try to be an impartial moderator disclose thatould i also worked with him during that does notso mean that i will not challenge him on some points that he may raise. so i'll ask the panelists to speak in the following order. allen, mujib, to or 5 for about 10 34eu7b9s. i may have a few reactions, then we'll open it up to you for questions.

>> thank you. to the people who organized this. have been many events over the year i've spent in washington. them very, very much. with him, but i hope he be too -- statementsack to two made by karzai when i talked to year. may of this at 2002,ooking back when they just installed the interim of the authority, he said it was really a euphoric atmosphere. internationalthe community would come in and help clean the house. it over to the owner in good shape. thinking at the

time. thinking,ys about his i see a to-story house where the tenant upstairs with theinterfere owner, and how he organizees the house. the tenant is welcome to stay, the ten an is welcome to stay, the tenant here being the united states. but the owner has to organize and sometimes it's, the international community has of --d some as insects. you wonder what's happening in between this euphoric statement of 2012 and this bitterness that in 2014.ough

today karzai is seen as deeply critical of the united states. unfair, inhat's fact. i don't think he is critical of certain actions that have been under taken or certain policies that have been pursued. u.s. and itself, and i will come back to that. come to treate him the way we did? of a view, because profound misunderstanding of the andan society and bob gate his book says also that is yearsshing all the begins we've learned nothing about the outcome of society. then also a misunderstanding of as an afghan leader. him, he isn you meet not like the other traditional afghan leaders. but nor is he like the leaders decades awrod, to abroad their education

et cetera, he is somewhere in between. a western oriented leader dressed in afghan clothes. and is far from the truth. karzai is, he's in afghan political leader and he leaves in the old afghan political context with its culture and traditions, and he word ofn the new institutional established after taliban.of the and where does he feel most at he's? by far feels most at traditionalold afghan world because that's his world, that is the world in which he grew up. and we tend to not understand that, unfortunately.

discussing his legacy with him, asked him how, i do you see your legacy? he didn't want to respond. he pushed the question right back to me and said how do you legacy? can i answer, mr. president? see you as a i consensus builder, and he said builder.nsensus i very much canned -- the consensusbe builder. i said that's not the easiest country from a a to b. and he said how do you define democracy? my answer was democracy is ruled by majority. no, no, no. that's impossible. mustis country democracy by consensus. if you are ruled by majority this country will go through

conflict and fragmentation. ithink he is quite right, and must say there's no other afghan have met who understands his society, and its than he does.re when i was there in afghan leaders will spend much much their time to me, iame and said had admit now that he understood thanituation much better we d. he understood the reactions in the communities in cetera.h, et much better than we did. well there wasso one prominent minister who traveled with the president to and then he sent me an am message that said now i

in the real afghanistan. hi was awe person who had spent much much his life abroad and he discovered afghanistan. experiencealso has a he describes in his article, how eders andith the eders during friday after prayer for discusses so many things. it's a very relaxed discussion. you wonder sometimes, him,se i didn't understand i remember leaving the meetings was this been.at and it was about showing peck. showing respect. and enabling these leaders to go communities and say the president showed us respect n. masterntence he is a politician. the consensus builder, tremendously important , for keeping the country

together. toust say, from 2002 up 2014, the country has been through a tremendous transformation. sometimes we overdo it in little bits and we become a bit propagandistic in the way we use figures. but there has been tremendous progress, and you cannot say man excited over this is a prudent partner, he is. and suns we have more g.w., i'm going to ask him to go. the media, for instance, you are afghanistan in the situation because the meteor is vibrant, more open, more aggressions are being discussed over and over again. then in any other country in the region.

any other country in the wider , i remember one police with the pal in his palace. journalistsmale askings him a very row jobbing active question about corruption. happened anot have few years ago. is an important change. he is also the reformer, did become manage to become karzai's appease maker? not.tunately in spite of all his effort and so muchof wishing that your -- we come to what so far all the rumors we've change theanted to constitution to stay home. he wanted to put in a weak four years so he could return' he can wanted to create a chaotic situation so he could declare a of

emergency and hang onto the presidency. nothing of that has ever happened. i believe karzai is a person who to leave as intended to do throughout this process, and he can finish in thes and rawlt in confrontation. just one more minute if i may. >> take your time. >> there's a tendency to see him a very critical view. story.ll you one the009 just before inauguration of the president term, he gave a press conference and i iiticized the warlords, and criticized the corruption. i really believe that a future piece for suck sur of

the reason has to be that athanistan goes back to at some sorts in the neutral states. very angry ande re. knew, i had about six him.ngs with what -- most fundamental aspect of a future.s status and status. called me up and said i don't want this to be a neutral

country. this country to be a nonnato-u.s. ally. hisyou repeated that in inauguration speech. a few weeks later. mean?id it in spite of the humiliation he thegone through during obama administration, we tried confirmed of him, by -- hespoit of that feel that was an exhibitingive. in spite of the feel that he was not consult candidate. he said that relationship is critical to me. .his second term became right, becauses sovereignty and respect for a

country's sovereignty is a precondition for its return to normalcy. i think he has also done a trying to effort in restore that sovereignty. that we choose if they will that course or find another. i do believe that he has laid for movingork forward. seen that respect i do president karzai as a historic leader. managed to keep the country together, who managed to preside over a period of historic reform. insisted on rightly theect for his country and probe, albeit pretty and war torn country. thank you.

>> thanks very much for the invitation to be here this morning. it's always great to be in usip. sessions,important and i would say that important this wouldering like be probably at the beginning to moment to talk about why this gathering is important. just, this isn't about karzai per say in many believe, at is, i role of an institution like this, in floras like this, to fromabout how we can learn this kind of gathering. the challenges that leaders like karzai not on facing in his own country today, but his successor will face and in other countries similar to the situation that we find in afghanistan. i think it's also important, another outcome a session like us to hold the mirror

up and to look into that mirror as aas a people and country, and to decide whether we can stand the reflection that we see. then finally, a gathering like to inform to help us the policy processes of the united states in particular, for our current relationship with afghanistan and other states in contemporary weighingses like this, but our policy processes for the future. so, scott, thanks very much for convening this group and for putting this on much let me start by saying with the bottom line up front which is from they expect marine, i believe that the historical legacy of president be far kinderg to to him than many of the con fell primary opinions or that are expressed about him today. panel weren this selected to comment or to offer ir perspectives on what

believe to be an extraordinarily and very individual complex man. we're probably going to agree on some issues and disagree on but i don't think that means that any of us or all of us are wrong. because when one regards a and theai and his times complexity of the environment in which he's had to operate and had to face,s he's it defies a simple disstillation the circumstances. so i took my role on this panel providing the perspective of a military commander on president karzai, and i remember well our worrying my first meeting with them. spent a lot of time preparing meeting. it would define our relationship in many respects, and would been widelyat had considered to be a strained regulation relationship with

petraeus. in 2011 and iy fourth isaf commander in three years that president would have to deal with. in and of itself that was a inflictedself friction on the allied and western side. turned out the meeting was a pretty friendly meeting and it was an opportunity for us to believe to this day is a friendship. myledged him my support and full energy in our partnership future. but not surprisingly afterward i alarmed atand a bit the palace press release of our first meeting. that i hady things conceded to him in a meeting had i actually done that would probably have taken a couple days. but nonetheless we were able to

get some work done, it established a standard, i think, relationship in the future. when i called my dear friend, u.s. bam bass door ryan crocker to own out what i was a process foul on this first meeting and press release, he just laughed and welcomed me to afghanistan. so thus began a relationship my 18 months of command. frequently.him and sought to make this relationship something more than casual. thisght to make relationship productive. but i also considered the friendship, a because he's really a very charming, charismatic he's extraordinarily well re. me a book and said would you take a look at this it?give me your thoughts on

and a mob later, he ask me where his book was. and i brought him his book and a cup for me, which i asked him to inscribe and we had a wonderful conversation on the angelo afghan wars. than weus far better ain'ttood him. and the chent culture of the pass toons and the other tribes of afghanistan, in this we were at a distinct advantage, or put was at a distinct plank advantage the his leadership. i often told people that you could make a fundamental error relationship with president karzai by assuming a west is inherently failian president in the context of a cure peen here. is in fact a tribal leader. elite of thethe

tribes. as kai i think properly said, of those hard wired car lenseswere the first through which he would view the challenges that we faced and the cries these we would ultimately have to solve, and thun of that's wrong. alarming andn't be it shouldn't necessarily be surprising much it came from tin hernt response thaibility we all had to understand the environment in which we were military as professionals and ultimately to thisstand the nature of leader with hospital we would deal. when hes was happiest was letting the details of history. he was an afghan patriot in that regard. seeminglyhe would be rambling from one topic to boy sit there wondering where all this is going. bray it allly he'd

back to the president and would tie it altogether very to address whatever issue or crisis we faced, and then use a very clear vehicle of afghan history to that we needed to solve the problems we were facing today. are it me take you through a few of the challenges that we faced think it because i helps to define how he and i inlt on a day-to-day basis our interaction. and i'll go through these can certainlye come back to them in a q and a on any one in particular. first, the negotiation of the strategic partnership agreement. while while he sat at the table for most of the negotiating session, we dealt very closely issue and as you know was a direct result of the ultimately had to

go into the negotiating of the by lateral security agreement as well. conjunction with negotiation agreement, heship convened the loya jurga. this goes to a really important point about the nature a mid karzai as a leader is that he was masterful in managing and that ultimating, informal networks. when i say ma nip all thing, no monies intended in a perfect major active manner. he understood the people of afghanistan, he might not is usually.n of their ilk but he understood them and worked very well informally in networks as a tribeally leader would to seek this properly that i think talked about was his intention.

enormously frustrated policye u.s. over the toward pakistan and was convinced we were fighting in the wrong place. inned through a up in of themselves that we dealt with on basis, some of which painful, casualties, the cross border fires in 2012 and early 2013. part of which was a myth, and which was a reality. we also dealt closely on the issues of detention. again to this issue of president karzai seeking to expect and to reenforce the sense that offings with a country, and to rest from the united nations and kinds ofntries, the respect due to that country and do to its people. negotiated, that process

sovereigntyse of came home in a very real way for me. karzaifortunately when abrogated parts of the m.o.u., i turn over ofthe detainees until such time i was bee they weren't going to released, to according us or the afghan citizens. also had a person of time where we worked closely on night operation and we saw to move engagedng in laterally one where i've it the. there was a time of transition, as scott said. afghan forces the

from being in trail to being in the lead much we are moving isap force there's being in the lead to being advisory in nature. workedortantly for me, i hard and i know stan mcchrystal had before me and ultimately petraeus in succession to him, a miding to understand karzai's sense his ownership of the after began senate security forces as the commander in chief. the ener shoprtly of the secure forces in the face conflict that was being waged. it was never fully cheer to me what his cat tie was. we dealt carefully and often on the issue of corruption, me him towardst dealing with institutional -- him trying to get me to get our spending under control. the afghan local police and pretty certain

companies. classo faced some world rises, which were there in the crisis. real stress and we leveraged that friendship on a number of occasions to get to solution, to keep the crisis from spinning us off into space. of myrst was the downing c.h.47 with an entire seal strike force on board within a taking command. that was a very, a moment of great concern for him because he believed we were beginning to witness that moment on the battlefield which had been witnessed in afghanistan when the first stingers arrived during the soviet war, and it concern for of real him. we worked that very closely together. the u.s.fter that, embassy and my hours was by suicide bombers, and that was in an area we worked closely on the solution of

that. followed almost immediately, a week later, for the of president rabani, the chair of the high of theouncil, and all associated gullies with. that the event along the palestinian border where 24 pack tonight e troops were killed, ultimately resulting in pakistan closing. followed, you'll icall, by the you're nation -- urine nation video. oft created a sequence events in conjunction with the sad burning of the holy koran at bagram, which the process of the insider attacks, by really stressed the she between the west afghanral, nato, and the

government and president karzai, but also stressed the relationship within the coalition themselves, as these e rowing the consensus of the coalition. was followed by the afghansling of the 16 in kandahar. and each of these, whether it crisis,allenge or a permitted me to take the measure of the man. i found president karzai to be a worthy partner in most of these. didn't agrees necessarily on many of them, and often the outcome beant what either of us desired. but it was, these were moments opportunity toe work very closely. so against the back drop of factors, i think it's important to take stock of president karzai's legacy under these many strains. opinions, forrong

example, on the sources of corruption in afghanistan. influences,reign significantly and the united states in particular. was unable or unwilling to take credible and decisive to curb the corruption within the country much he remembers the u.s. role in the of the 2009 election, which caused a lot of animosity and antipathy towards the united states, i believe, while avoiding at the same time the matter of substantial ballot box stuffing. ofwas enormously critical the u.s. policy towards exertan, but did not every effort to reach out to pakistan to improve that relationship. and he would accuse the u.s. of arrogance and malfeasance. hisnstrating in the process mastery of something else called brinks manship. same time he was confronting this, we also had to americans, and i

heard this first from dave petraeus and i tested it myself ofn i was there, that many these crises that we had with president karzai could easily solved if we had listened closely to him one or three years before. when he'd raise the issue early process and we were either deaf to the issue that he raising, or we under resourced the solution and ultimately didn't really solve the problem. so issues about, for example, the private security companies, was a real issue to and it was a real issue to afghans. properly, heve it ultimately brought us to the brink, and the creation of the force public protection was the result. not the perfect solution, but it was a solution. elimination ultimately of provincial reconstruction teams. terms of rendering them as capacity building mechanisms rather than service provider

mechanisms, which compromise the governance toal develop and ultimately civilian contracting, civilian casualties corruption. these were all issues where if we listened to him earlier and of actions that he believed beshould have, he often provided excellent advice that regard, this could have reduced friction in many respects on many issues. a legacy takes many shapes and theriably are formed in eyes of the beholder. i'm going to take a crack st up bethis, and i want to careful because it's difficult to talk about his historic legacy. that's why a panel like this is valuable, i think, in terms of how we look at the future and for policy processes. but i think it's fraught with dangers in terms of the for criticizing a sitting president. to the afghans, and i suspect i'll hear in a moment from a very prom then afghan

journalist, how they view their president. afghans the many, many with whom i've dealt, and i've herr asked an afghan his or opinion of their president. because i believed out of respect to the president and the afghans, i didn't want to put them in that place. didn't offerthey their opinions. of i always had a sense their open but sometimes ground ground -- grudging respect for him. ofre was also a sense melancholy, i believe, on the absence much his presence and of his govern answer in their lives, and i'm talking about sub national governor answer, which -- governorance. they were very proud of him in many ways much they were proud that he stood up to the foreigners of which i was one. recently i think as regards

to the bilateral security agreement, which would en sloin a permanent presence for the horrified, many were that he seemed to be sacrificing their few and not signing an agreement and never fully explaining why. or clearly understanding why. respects inin some terms of a contemporary legacy, was lostat much ground by the president in that regard. regionally i believe pakistan will not view the karzai era, and the relationship between kabul with much nostalgia. views of pakistan were seldom positive, unfortunately openlyre frequently expressed, which made the relationship difficult to manage. tehran i think will not miss the president either. for many reasons. think this goes to kai's karzai'sout president

journey and personal goals of making afghanistan a sovereign enity to be reckoned with. iranianshat the ultimately were to determine even with a substantial presence they had much less influence over the president and than theyarliament had hoped. and the bilateral security agreement left a foreign press iran the country, which had consistently resisted. i think will view him in the short term as an partner.ative who over time became increasingly difficult to deal with. the president a mid karzai can say for sure, it viewedly that he always the enormity of the 350 nation as tood coalition intrusive on the sovereignty of afghanistan and ultimately on his own authority. but i think we may have missed the largerave missed

point that those 50 nations committed their blood and their and thuso afghanistan tied irrevocably the international community to the poor and this beleaguered country, in ways we have probably never seen the parallel before in history. afghanistan, this poor state, fromnation emerging conflict whose interests were the personal interests of 50 nations in the world. i think that was a true advantage to afghanistan. u.s., and he'se being judged harshly in the so, andrhaps unfairly will be likely for some time. his inflammatory and provocative disrespectful rhetoric aimed at this administration. sadly also aimed at the sacrifices of u.s. troops, was by a sense of his ungratefulness for the u.s. investment. again, perceptions. this perception ultimately

ire of much of the congress and administration and taken together this actually put the u.s. relationship and commitment to afghanistan in danger. when i was the commander, i did not seriously consider that likelihood possible of a zero option. outssence the u.s. pulling completely of afghanistan and taking with it nato and the international community. you, over thetell last probably six to eight months, and in particular with the rhetoric and the problems over the bilateral security we came perilously close to a zero option. signedstill don have a bilateral security agreement, although i suspect that the soon president willed do so quickly. unfortunately this has tainted oversaul,term legacy and i believe it will take it for a considerable period in the united states. truth is a immediate is a man with

extraordinary -- was placed in one of the most demanding positions on the planet and was forced to operate a largely incapable government emerging after a generation of conflict, where he found not only difficulty in managing a national government from the palace but also in creating the kind of sub national government necessary to thend the writ of kabul to people. of kabul to the people. >> he had to coexist. the largest wartime coalition in his countrynside while seeking to reconcile with foreign fighters and ultimately to bring peace to his people. few men in my mind ever faced larger challenges. for so long with so few real measures and