Clinton called for an end to rocket attacks and expressed hope for a 'broader calm.' Clinton scores Gaza cease fire success

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton got a Gaza cease-fire right at the moment hope seemed dead for a rapid end to the violence — and next time, President Barack Obama will probably have to do it without her.

But Clinton won’t be around much longer to build on that progress. She’s made clear her intention to leave the State Department soon — and while that won’t leave Obama and his administration starting from scratch, it will mean they’ll have to continue without a woman who has built strong working relationships with many of the key players over years. And coming off of a salvaged truce at a critical moment, the impact of that looms large over the White House’s next four years of dealings with the Middle East.


That’s not just about the continuing reverberations from the Arab Spring and violence in Syria, Libya and beyond. The administration has also struggled in its relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, tangling over both the peace process and how to end Tehran’s nuclear program.

The first bus bombing in years struck Tel Aviv just as she arrived for a round of shuttle negotiations that helped produce the deal Wednesday. Clinton, along with White House press secretary Jay Carney, condemned the attack — withering the optimism for stopping the Hamas rocket attacks and the threat of an Israeli ground operation.

Her trip came after days of Obama’s calls with Netanyahu and the Egyptian government — which was negotiating on behalf of Hamas — that had not produced a speedy result. There’s still a long distance between the cease-fire and any kind of lasting peace, but Clinton scored a major victory in a difficult region — one where, despite the list of local Obama priorities, the administration hasn’t seen much progress.

It was a rare bright spot for the Obama administration in a region that is in the midst of a profound transformation from authoritarian rule to popular democracy — and where the United States is seen in a mostly unfavorable light. And it was done by finding the kind of workable ground with the Egyptian government that’s proven difficult for the administration since Hosni Mubarak was toppled and Mohamed Morsi, an Islamist, was elected the new president.

Clinton even announced the agreement standing next to Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr. She hailed the agreement as an important step to bringing stability and peace to a region that has seen major upheaval and transformation in the past two years.

“The people of this region deserve the chance to be free of fear and violence and today’s agreement is a step in the right direction that we should build on,” Clinton said.

The agreement, brokered by Clinton and top Egyptian officials, called for an end to the Hamas rocket attacks and expressed hope for a “broader calm.”

“Every step must move us toward a comprehensive peace for all the people of the region,” she said, calling on Arab and Israeli leaders to concentrate on the broader goal of lasting, permanent peace throughout the region. “There is no substitute for a just and lasting peace.”

They’ll have to continue that journey without her. Though Clinton might have one eye on her legacy as secretary of state with the latest agreement, she has also said publicly that she’s looking forward to spending more time with her television set, even as pundits scrutinize her every word for any clues about whether she plans another presidential run in 2016 — when she would be a favorite for the Democratic nomination.

Beltway speculation has already reached a fever pitch over whether U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice or Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) will replace her, and whether either can get through the Senate confirmation process. Neither would come into dealings with the region with the same background Clinton has.

And as the events of the past week showed, the situation remains difficult, with Hamas firing rockets into Israeli population centers and Israel firing back hard with air strikes and the threat of sending in ground forces.

Israeli leaders have viewed Egypt’s transition from authoritarian government to Islamist democracy warily — fearing renewed tensions or hostilities with a country they’ve been at peace with since 1979. But Egypt’s latest attempt to broker peace between the Palestinian militants and the Israeli government is evidence that the Muslim Brotherhood-led country is committed to preserving regional stability, Clinton said.

“Egypt’s new government is assuming the responsibility and leadership that has long made this country a cornerstone of regional stability,” Clinton said about the agreement.

Obama called Netanyahu on Wednesday to commend him for agreeing to the Egyptian proposal and reiterated the administration’s long-held talking point that Israel had a right to defend itself against rocket and mortar attacks.

“The president expressed his appreciation for the prime minister’s efforts to work with the new Egyptian government to achieve a sustainable cease-fire and a more durable solution to this problem,” the White House said in a readout of the conversation.

Obama “made clear that no country can be expected to tolerate rocket attacks against civilians,” the White House said in a readout.

The White House also made clear that Obama had strongly encouraged Netanyahu to accept the cease-fire proposal, commending him for taking the advice.

Obama also spoke with Morsi to thank him for his work toward a “sustainable cease-fire,” according to the White House readout of the call.

“President Obama reaffirmed the close partnership between the United States and Egypt, and welcomed President Morsi’s commitment to regional security,” the readout said.