A cease-fire? I don’t believe it will hold a single day.
Israel accepted a Palestinian cease-fire to go in effect Sunday morning, and will stop military operations in Gaza in return for an end to all Palestinian violence, including rocket fire, tunneling, and suicide bombers, the Prime Minister’s Office announced Saturday night.
The dramatic announcement followed a telephone conversation between Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas.
According to the Prime Minister’s Office, Abbas phoned Olmert and told him that he had received an agreement from all the different Palestinian factions to the cease fire, and in response “requested that Israel would stop all military operations in the Gaza Strip, and withdraw all its forces from there.”
What about Gilad Shalit, who has been a hostage since the summer?
No mention was made in the statement about kidnapped soldier Crpl. Gilad Shalit, whose abduction on June 25th led to the IDF’s stepped-up actions in Gaza.
The agreement, according to Israeli officials, did not apply to military actions in the West Bank. The key now, the officials said, would be to see whether indeed all the different Palestinian factions have signed on – and would honor – the cease-fire agreement.
How is the AP spinning this? By once again blaming the victim, of course. The Israeli offense was in response to the firing of rockets and the murder and kidnap of her soldiers, but you’d never know that if you only read this:
JERUSALEM Nov 25, 2006 (AP)— Israel and the Palestinians agreed to a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip on Saturday to end a five-month Israeli military offensive and the firing of rockets by Palestinian militants into the Jewish state, a spokeswoman for Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Saturday.
A spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas confirmed the cease-fire, saying it would take effect at 6 a.m. Sunday.
Abbas telephoned Olmert late Saturday to tell him he had arrived at an agreement with all Palestinian factions to stop firing rockets into Israel from the coastal strip, Olmert spokeswoman Miri Eisin said.
That would be this rocket fire:
Meanwhile Qassam attacks against Israeli towns in the western Negev continued on Saturday. A Qassam rocket fired by gunmen from the northern Gaza Strip landed in greenhouses in Netiv Hasara on Saturday evening.
Hours later two rockets landed in open fields in the western Negev. No one was injured and no damage was reported.
Two rockets fired into Israel Saturday afternoon landed in open fields in the Eshkol community.
Here’s the thing: The terrorists never ask for a cease-fire unless they’re suffering heavy losses. That’s only one of the reasons I don’t believe Israel should stop operations in Gaza. They also never ask for one unless they know that Israel is planning a major offensive. But then, the Israelis constantly give ground on ultimatums. From a press conference today. Yes, today:
The same Egyptian source added that the Hamas delegation asked to Egyptians to contact Israel and find out what is the maximal price it is willing to pay for Shalit.
“The Israelis were very clear and said that the siege would not be lifted before Shalit is released,” the source said.
Either the source is wrong—which is entirely possible—or the Israelis gave ground. I’m thinking it’s probably the latter. And yet, Hamas gets to blame Israel for the impasse in negotiations on the kidnap victim:
Mashaal added that “once must not make a connection between the issue of the establishment of a national unity government and a truce with Israel or Shalit’s release. In terms of the establishment of a unity government there is progress, but Israel is the one opposing the release of prisoners.”
I think the IDF should just go back to the targeted assassination schedule, and start with the Hamas leadership—in Damascus and in Gaza. That stopped them the last time.
Come on Meryl, you’re showing signs of mixed thinking…. this is an Islamic truce. It proves they think they’re weak and need time to recover. It’s not that its “The Terrorists” that are offering a truce, its Muslims following the example of Muhammad.
Until the world sees the clear link between Muhammad and the behaviour of these animals, they won’t see the link between the Gaza Jihad, the Iraq Jihad, the Iran Jihad, the Chechen Jihad, the Afghan Jihad, the London Jihad, the New York Jihad ….. etc
Exactly. I think it’s a reaction to strong hints that the IDF is pushing for a major incursion. The terrorrists know that would set back their rearmament program.
On the other hand, it would send quite a few of them to Paradise, so that should be an incentive not to go with the cease-fire!
Meryl does the phrase “playing for time” have a familiar ring to it ? That is exactly what the terrorists are doing.
With my mystical powers of prophecy I am going to tell you what will happen within the next couple of weeks:
The Palestinian authorities will continue to say that by golly they’re doing their best to keep the cease fire but there are rogue elements they can’t control. These rogue elements will continue to fire missiles into Israel.
Israel will then take action to stop the missiles and the world will as one condemn Israel for breaking the cease-fire and contributing to the cycle of violence.
Meryl predicted: I don’t believe it will hold a single day.
It held for an hour. But don’t worry. This is just a “small dissident group” trying to “sabotage” the agreement. Nothing to worry about. No response necessary.
Deja vu.