Once again, the world wants Israel to stop before the job is done.
Egypt said on Tuesday it was proposing an immediate ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinians in Gaza, to be followed by talks on long-term arrangements including an end to the blockade of Gaza.
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak presented the proposal in a brief statement after talks with French President Nicolas Sarkozy in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.
[…] Sarkozy then told Prime Minister Ehud Olmert: “You have to say that in these conditions you are ready to accept a ceasefire, which means a withdrawal from Gaza, and you have to do it now”, added the official, who asked not to be named.
“Olmert told Sarkozy: ‘If Mubarak does that then I will immediately announce a ceasefire and a withdrawal in principle, but I want to open talks with Egypt on the Philadelphi Route (along the border between Egypt and Gaza)’,” the official said.
So, Hamas gets to keep the rockets and weapons it stockpiled over the last three years since Israel gave up the Philadelphi corridor, and Israel gets—what, exactly?
The Egyptian initiative did meet Hamas’s main condition for a ceasefire – that Israel and Egypt should end the blockade they have imposed on Gaza since Hamas took control of the impoverished coastal strip in June 2007.
Ah. Israel gets to lose. Hamas gets to win. Yeah, that’s a perfect cease fire. And it appears that the Bush Administration is already behind it.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Tuesday gave US backing to a proposal by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
“We need urgently to conclude a ceasefire that can endure and that can bring real security,” Rice told the UN Security Council. “In this regard we are pleased by and wish to commend the statement of the president of Egypt and to follow up on that initiative,” she added.
Here’s where we see if Olmert really meant what he said.
“We will hold our fire under two conditions: One is an end to the arms smuggling from Sinai into Gaza, and the other is the cessation of all terror activity; not just the rocket fire,” Olmert declared.
And then there’s Tzipi Livni, who will look like an utter fool after, well, uttering this:
Livni stressed that “a necessary war on terror does not end with an agreement. We don’t sign agreements with terror; we fight terror.”
If we sign an agreement with terror we will not longer be able to advance a peace deal, she said.
That’s because signing an agreement with Hamas is advancing the cause of terror. Now. Will Israel deal?
What an utter disaster that would be.
Meantime, the Israeli public is standing behind the operation. Reservists are anxious to help stop the rockets raining down on Israel.
One reservist showed up a week after his wife gave birth to their firstborn son. Another is scheduled to get married next week and his friend took with him an orange flag which he hopes to be able to raise on the ruins of the Gush Katif settlement bloc.
On Monday, tens of thousands of reservists were at the Tze’elim training base in the Negev training ahead of possible deployment in the Gaza Strip.
“Everybody showed up for duty,” said Maj. Ido, deputy commander of a battalion in the Negev Brigade which is designated to be one of the first reservist units to be sent into Gaza if the IDF decides to send reservists into the Strip. “There are concerns, but it’s only natural and despite the concerns, everyone answered the emergency orders.”
Israelis know what’s at stake here. Will their politicians fail them again?
If there is an early cease fire, expect Bibi Netanyahu to win in a landslide.
Rather than help Netanyahu, an early ceasefire would probably strengthen the nationalist right
If they gain enough strength, we may finally be able to do away with the idiotic “peace process” and actually reach some semblance of peace albeit without all the photo ops the talking heads love so much.
If it weren’t for the fact that she’s being replaced by Hillary, I’d be glad that Condi’s about to go. Should’ve put John Bolton in there.
Yes, an early ceasefire will probably help the right (which is the main reason I am still hopeful an early ceasefire will not be called).
I saw reports today that Israel has accepted, in theory, the terms Egypt and the US have come up for a ceasefire – can anyone confirm/deny?
I reread what I had written earlier and I want to clarify – the reason I hopeful an early ceasefire will not be called is not because I don’t support the right. Since an early ceasefire will probably help the right (and harm Kadima/Labor), I am still hopeful that the current gov’t will not move towards an earlier ceasefire.
“Will their politicians fail them again?” Of course; don’t they always?
I would suggest that Israel publicly announce that they will cease fire when the Palestinians have stopped firing rockets and mortars for 7 days. Leave it to the Pals to decide when they want peace.