The truce is broken for the third time. The first was Hamas’ refusal to end smuggling. The second was a mortar fired early this morning. And now rockets are being fired at Sderot.
Ceasefire shattered? Residents of Israel’s south were rattled to hear the ‘Color Red’ rocket alert sirens blare throughout their towns twice on Tuesday evening as two Qassam rockets crashed in near Sderot.
No injuries or damage were reported.
Will Olmert declare the truce over?
I don’t think he will. That’s how low things have sunk. However, Hamas has achieved its goals. Its allies are trying to get the world to grant legitimacy to the terrorist group.
Top diplomats skirmished on Tuesday over whether to engage the Palestinian Islamist Hamas group now that it has arranged a truce with Israel in Gaza.
At an international donors conference called to strengthen Palestinian police, Arab League secretary-general Amr Moussa said he believed the ceasefire in Gaza would hold, and voiced support for more negotiations between Palestinians and Israel .
But he said reconciling the Palestinians in Hamas-run Gaza and the Western-backed government of Mahmoud Abbas was critical for peace and the international “veto” on this had to be lifted.
To her credit, Condi Rice said no.
“You cannot have peace if there is not a partner who respects the right of the other partner to exist,” she said, in an apparent reference to Hamas.
On the other hand, there’s still time for her to change her tune. She is, after all, one of the people who forced Israel to allow Hamas to run in the elections that brought Gaza to where it is now.