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Lately, the State Department has been…um…fumbling for the right words to describe Israel's illegal blockade of the occupied Gaza Strip.  Just look at this ludicrous exchange (to the right) between a reporter and State Department spokesperson Robert Wood at a press briefing last week.

Discussing whether pasta is a dual-use weapon might be funny were it not for the fact that Israel's illegal blockade of the occupied Gaza Strip is barely keeping 1.5 million people at survival levels.    

Meanwhile, earlier this week, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pledged $900 million in U.S. aid at the International Conference in Support of the Palestinian Economy for the Reconstruction of Gaza. 

At first glance, this pledge seems fair given that U.S. military aid to Israel was responsible for the destruction of an estimated $2 billion in Palestinian civilian infrastructure.

But, look closer at the pledge, and you'll find that not one dollar is devoted to the reconstruction of the occupied Gaza Strip.  Instead, the money, if approved by Congress, will go towards humanitarian aid ($300 million), budgetary support for the Palestinian Authority ($200 million), and economic and institutional reforms in the West Bank ($400 million).  For details on the pledge package, please click here.  

Worse yet, in her speech to the donor's conference, Clinton made no mention of ending Israel's illegal military occupation of the Gaza Strip or lifting Israel's illegal blockade of the Gaza Strip.  For the text of her remarks, please click here.   

From State Department Daily Press Briefing

February 25, 2009

For the complete transcript and video, please click here.

QUESTION: But can you imagine any circumstance under which pasta could be considered a dual-use item? Or is there some -- you know, is rigatoni somehow going to be used as a weapon? (Laughter.)

MR. WOOD: I'm not involved in those discussions, so I -

QUESTION: Well, I mean -- I mean, it just seems to be absurd on the face of it, if that's what happening.

MR. WOOD: Well, there are people on the ground who are dealing with these issues. And I think we should leave it --

QUESTION: Dealing with the pasta dual-use issue?

QUESTION: Yeah, can you take a question on the pasta, please?

MR. WOOD: I'm not going to take the question on the pasta --

QUESTION: Why?

MR. WOOD: -- because it's -

QUESTION: Well, the United States is obviously pushing it, so obviously it's something --

MR. WOOD: We're trying to get humanitarian supplies in - on the ground to the people in Gaza.

QUESTION: Do you think food is a humanitarian supply?

MR. WOOD: Food certainly is.

QUESTION: All kinds of food?

MR. WOOD: I - I'm not able to tell you from here whether it -

QUESTION: Can you get a - can you take the question of what kind of food that the U.S. thinks is a humanitarian supply?

MR. WOOD: I'm not going to take that question, because I don't think it's a legitimate question.

QUESTION: You don't think it's legitimate that the Palestinians need certain foods and is - should Israel decide what food the Palestinians need?

MR. WOOD: I'm sorry, Elise, I'm not going to - I've spoken on it.