- Jan 18, 2001
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Is Colin Powell anti-gun or am I reading this quote too generally? It was spoken on tonight's episode of the News Hour with Jim Lehrer, a United States public television news outlet. I know he we referencing Prime Minister Abbas' as the originator of the idea, but it looks like he's affirming the idea as well.
JIM LEHRER: Now the Israelis pretty much dismissed this cease-fire from these militant organizations, but you're not dismissing it, are you?
COLIN POWELL: I wouldn't dismiss it out of hand, but I understand the Israeli position. What they say is, what good is a cease-fire if the capability for terror exists within those organizations? Does not a cease-fire just give them the opportunity to regain strength? The Palestinians' point of view: let's take over Gaza and let's not get into a civil war with Hamas right away over removing that capability.
And so I think it's a step forward, but it is not the end of the game. We are committed to seeing those organizations completely eliminate all capacity for terrorist acts against Israel. And as Prime Minister Abbas has said, the Palestinian prime minister has said, you can't have a democratic state if anyone other than the government has guns. So he is committed to making sure that these kinds of organizations do not continue to destroy the dreams of the Palestinian people for their own state. [emphasis mine]
Is Colin Powell anti-gun or am I reading this quote too generally? It was spoken on tonight's episode of the News Hour with Jim Lehrer, a United States public television news outlet. I know he we referencing Prime Minister Abbas' as the originator of the idea, but it looks like he's affirming the idea as well.