Gov. Bill Richardson unabashedly backed Israel in its latest conflict with Hezbollah during a Larry King Live interview on Saturday.
He joins the Congress and White House in blaming the terrorist organization for the latest conflict.
“… we all want Israel to defend itself. We back her. She has been right,” Richardson told King. “…Israel here is not to blame. Israel has to defend itself.”
Richardson said he was glad that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is in the Middle East, but wishes she had gone sooner.
He urged Rice to pressure Europe to take action against Hezbollah’s operations there. He suggested she boost the Lebanese government with a visit, which Rice is doing today. And he urged the United States to “reaffirm our strong support for Israel, find out more about the humanitarian situation there.”
Richardson made no mention of the humanitarian crisis in Lebanon created by the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.
The governor noted that, though he believes the United States should back Israel, the current incursion into Lebanon will “fuel more Arab anger at Israel,” and the United States must work to keep Iran and Syria out of the conflict, or risk a larger war.
He said a permanent Middle East envoy from the United States would help keep those nations out of the conflict, and an international peacekeeping force made up of Muslims from European nations could calm the situation.
In speaking later about the United States’ support for Israel, Richardson cautioned that there’s a delicate balance between backing that nation and keeping the peace.
The Middle East “has enormous political interest, energy interests to us,” Richardson said. “We don’t want instability, and you don’t want the Israeli people and the Arab people to continue these killings.”