Operation Cast Lead Continues

Go here for updates.

UPDATE 408. IDF back in Gaza: The government authorized the IDF to send ground troops back into central Gaza Tuesday, following an early morning roadside bomb explosion and a rocket-propelled grenade attack that killed one soldier and wounded three others, one seriously.

UPDATE 407. January 27. Hamas uses roadside IED at border – Kills one IDF, wounds two. Israel responds with tank shelling and helicopter patrols. J’Post reports: An IDF non-commissioned officer was killed on Tuesday morning when a roadside bomb planted by Gaza operatives along Israel’s border with the Strip detonated under the army vehicle he was traveling in. …/… Following the incident, the IDF fired at several targets inside Gaza and IAF helicopters were spotted hovering over the Strip. Palestinians reported that several people were wounded when IDF tank shells hit residential buildings in the Strip. / Defense Minister Ehud Barak called the incident “severe” and promised an Israeli response. Barak, who was touring the Ze’elim base in the South, would not say what the nature or extent of the response to the attack would be.

Arutz Sheva has more details: Terrorists detonated the explosive device around 8:00 a.m. after they had planted along the security fence as an IDF soldiers’ vehicle patrolled near the Kissufim crossing. The terrorists also fired a number of rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) at Israel.

Debka suggests: According to our sources, Hamas initiated the clash for the benefit of US president Barack Obama’s Middle East envoy George Mitchell the day before he arrives for his first visit to the region. It was a reminder to Washington that hostilities in Gaza would not end as long as Washington ignores Hamas. The Palestinian Islamist terrorists may therefore be expected to continue their attacks including resumed missile fire against Israel and elicit IDF reprisals.

UPDATE 406. January 21. Observations. The obvious noise-level stuff is happening. Hamas is using some tunnels again. The US is hunting down an Iranian ship with tons of military supplies on it. Hamas is stealing humanitarian aid by the truckloads. Israel is bombing sites from where rockets are still being launched … all stuff we could script.

The major issue is going to be the lead-up to the February 10 elections. I am going to do a major post on that. Bibi looks good. Lieberman seems to be the most important power broker.

Here’s some articles I have begun to gather on the election: One and two and three and four.

If events on the military front begin to intensify or change, I’ll start posting multiple times a day to track it. Otherwise, I am going to focus on the election. I’ll do a post in the next few days, and then at least immediately before and after.

I strongly suspect that Bibi is the next PM. I do not see him absorbing much from Hamas or Hizbullah. My concern is how quickly Obama will run to Putin for a solution.

NOTE – I will continue to update this post as events warrant. I am not going to bump the post up to the front page of the blog unless a significant event occurs … so save the URL for easy access!

UPDATE 405. Falling apart: The Israel Air Force on Tuesday evening bombed a target in the Gaza Strip used earlier in the day Palestinian militants to fire eight mortar shells at Israel. / Militants on Tuesday also opened fire at Israel Defense Forces soldiers in Gaza in two separate incidents, in the first violation of a shaky cease-fire in the coastal strip that ended Israel’s 3-week offensive against Hamas.

UPDATE 404. Where is the UN’s voice in all this? US and Egyptian warships were scouring the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea Tuesday, Jan. 20 to waylay an Iranian freighter carrying scores of heavy rockets for delivery to Hamas. DEBKAfile’s exclusive sources report they were acting on intelligence that a ship loaded with an estimated 60 tons of arms to replenish Hamas’ depleted war stocks had set out from the Iranian Persian Gulf port of Bandar Abbas on Jan. 17. / Our sources reveal that the arms-smuggling vessel started its voyage as the Iran-Hedayat and changed its name in mid sea to Famagustus registered to Panama. The captain was ordered by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards to unload its cargo at a smugglers cove on the southeastern coast of Sinai opposite the Gulf of Suez, to be picked up by armed Bedouin gangs and moved to El Arish in northern Sinai. From there the contraband rockets were to be slipped gradually into the Gaza Strip.

January 19 (US)
UPDATE 403. Look’s like Obama needs to talk with someone: Iran has renewed efforts to supply advanced weaponry to Hamas and the IDF is concerned that the terror group will try to smuggle long-range Fajr missiles into the Gaza Strip.

UPDATE 402. The assessments begin: The Israel air force demolished two key Hamas war systems in the first 4 minutes of its massive offensive on Gaza Saturday morning, Dec. 27, DEBKAfile’s military sources report. The bombers destroyed six mosques in Gaza City which held the terrorists’ biggest weapons arsenals and scores of “beehives” containing launchers primed for the simultaneous, automatic release of hundreds of powerful rockets against Israeli cities. / These launchers were rigged for precision-targeting in Israeli town centers. They were operated by a unit of 300 special Hamas operatives trained for their mission at a Syrian military bases under the instruction of Hizballah rocket specialists. / The aerial offensive knocked out 80 percent of the rockets Hamas had prepared to launch and saved Israel’s southern cities. The Palestinian Islamists were left only with inferior projectiles. Therefore, 98 percent of the hundreds of missiles they managed to fire in the 22-day war missed their targets and exploded in open ground.

UPDATE 401. How different is this than the aftermath when Bush the Elder pulled out of Iraq? Hamas rounding up, torturing Fatah activists in Gaza Strip.

Drunk with power. “Hamas: We won’t lower our demands in return for Schalit following the war.” Hope they can focus beyond their rhetoric – they just elected their worst nightmare: Bibi. Ehud was fighting for pride – Bibi fights like Genghis Khan.

UPDATE 400. And another problem on the horizon: If Arab countries do not begin to tackle agricultural deterioration, they will face a major food crisis, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organizations’s (FAO) Director-General Jacques Diouf. / Speaking at a seminar about “Arab Food Security and Agriculture Policies,” experts noted that Arab agricultural lands are declining, due to drought, desertification, and water shortage, according to the Kuwait News Agency. Diouf said that over 40 percent of those suffering from hunger throughout the world live in Arab countries – 31 million out of 75 million.

With hundreds of billions of dollars from oil shipments, you think they’d take care of their own. Nope. Gonna be one big North Korea. Great.

UPDATE 399. Here we go – the lies begin: Arab nations accused Israel on Monday of blasting Gaza with ammunition containing depleted uranium and urged the International Atomic Energy Agency to investigate reports that traces of it had been found in victims of the shelling.

Hey, bubbies, better hope it doesn’t trace back to Iran: [S]cientists can identify the origin of uranium, for example, because every sample varies in isotopic composition depending on where it was mined or processed

Reminds me of an old war adage: Do not presume your enemy is completely stupid, even if they act that way.

UPDATE 398. These people are really something … silent during the war, all sorts of threatening words now. How predictable: Saudi Arabian King Abdullah warned on Monday that a 2002 Arab initiative offering peace with Israel would not remain on the table forever. / Israel must understand that the choice between war and peace would not always stay open, Abdullah told delegates in Kuwait City at a summit focused on boosting economic growth and development in the Arab world.

The tough-but-useless talk continues: A senior European Union official said Monday that she expected humanitarian aid to Gaza to flow quickly, but signaled that reconstruction of buildings and infrastructure would only begin when the EU has an acceptable Palestinian partner.

Read the article before yours, EU – Saudi Arabia has pledged $1B already. Your words have no import. You and the other politicians screwed up the only chance we had to rid the ME of Hamas. you blew it. Deal with it.

UPDATE 397. Commentary. Nothing of substance. Hamas yapping away about victory and rearming. Israel doing an orderly withdrawal, talk of being done quickly. The operation needs to be looked at in the cold light of day. Hamas clearly was all talk and no capability. In order to support their claim of victory, the threshold has to be reduced to mere survival. I suspect a lot of intra-Gaza retribution. May get very ugly.

January 18
UPDATE 396. A piece from 7 years ago – as true now as then. How suicide bombers are made: Wherever one looks, from Cairo and Gaza to Damascus and Baghdad, from political and religious figures to writers and educators, from lawyers to pop stars, and in every organ of the media, the very people with whom the state of Israel is expected to live in peace have devoted themselves with ever-greater ingenuity to slandering and demonizing the Jewish state, the Jewish people, and Judaism itself-and calling openly for their annihilation. Only by turning a determinedly blind eye to this river of hatred is it possible to be persuaded that, after all, “everybody” in the Middle East really wants the same thing.

UPDATE 395. One can only hope: Saudi FM Sa’ud Al-Faisal and Arab League Secretary-General ‘Amr Moussa said that the Arab world was on the verge of collapse and anarchy due to the rift within it, the intra-Palestinian conflict and the Israeli aggression and occupation.

And if they are this close, a little thing like a ceasefire won’t mend them. Good.

UPDATE 394. Interesting video on Hamas.

And our government is going to try to talk to these people? How naive.

Where is Gilad Shalit, Ehud 1, Tzipi, and Ehud 2?

UPDATE 393. American media insults Israel with coverage: The Palestinian doctor provided Israeli TV viewers with regular updates on Gaza fighting’s human toll. But Friday’s report was different — with sobs he told how three daughters and a niece were killed by an Israeli shell. / “I want to know why my daughters were harmed,” Ezzeldeen Abu al-Aish said on Channel 10. “This should haunt (Israeli Ehud Prime Minister) Olmert his entire life.” Insults? Yes. Answer already given: Not so innocent? The daughters of a Gaza doctor were killed by the IDF after sniper fire from the family’s home targeted Israeli soldiers, the army said Saturday.

Lesson? Don’t endanger your children by allowing your home to be a base for offensive military contact, and you won’t have to face the gravity of your decision. End of story.

UPDATE 392. Interesting: The French president also said that IDF soldier Gilad Shalit, who has been held captive by Gaza militants since a cross-border raid in 2006, must be released, adding that he was certain Israel would be willing to free Palestinian prisoners in exchange.

Must suck taking so much US aid and yet being so afraid of your Arab neighbors: An Egyptian Foreign Ministry official expressed his country’s disappointment with Israel on Sunday for adopting a unilateral cease-fire that bypassed Egyptian mediation efforts to end Israel’s 23-day offensive against Hamas leaders in the Gaza Strip.

UPDATE 391. He’s right – and also the new PM: Likud head MK Binyamin Netanyahu, who is considered likely to lead Israel after the coming elections, said Sunday afternoon that “the IDF has dealt Hamas some very hard blows on the head, but regrettably the job has not been finished.”

UPDATE 390. An opportunity to help the people in southern Israel.

UPDATE 389. Likud leading election polls with 29 seats, in wake of Gaza operation.

This is the most stupid ceasefire on record: DEBKAfile’s military sources report that Israel relayed a warning to Hamas through Egypt that any more Iranian or Syrian attempts to smuggle rockets or other heavy weapons into Gaza by land or by sea would be deemed a breach of the ceasefire and generate Israeli military action to stop them.

UPDATE 388. Now Hamas is dictating to Israel. Thanks, Politicians: Hamas announced an immediate ceasefire by its militants and allied groups in Gaza on Sunday, giving Israel a week to pull out its troops from the coastal territory.

More from Khalid the Khalown.

UPDATE 387. The politicians that ruined a good war: Sunday, a large group of European leaders from the UK, France, Germany, Spain and the Czech Republic descends on Jerusalem. DEBKAfile’s sources report they are coming ostensibly to show the flag for Israel, but they will also be on hand to ascertain that the Israeli military quits the Gaza Strip – even without the operation’s goals being met – and also lean hard on Israel to open the six Gaza crossings as demanded by Hamas. They will also meet Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak at Sharm e-Sheikh. / The plan the European leaders have developed with Egypt provides a $1.6 billion aid package for the Gaza Strip’s reconstruction. / The millions of tons of cement and supplies will be shipped to Israeli ports and delivered through the Gaza crossings over a period of years. Israel, they believe, will not be able to refuse to reopen the crossings, thereby bringing its embargo of the Gaza Strip to an end.

UPDATE 386. A rather interesting spot of news: The Houston-based Noble Energy company, drilling for Israel’s Delek fuel company, announced that it has discovered a huge deposit of natural gas under the Mediterranean Sea near Haifa. / Infrastructures Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer (Labor) said that the find was of “historic proportions,” and that it could change the face of Israel’s economy. / Eighty-seven billion cubic meters, or nearly 3.1 trillion cubic feet, of high-quality gas are estimated to be in three deposits in the Tamar Drilling site, which is named for Delek owner Yitzchak Teshuva’s granddaughter. Teshuva said that the find marks a “historic milestone and a great holiday for Israel,” and that he has no doubt it will “supply Israel’s energy needs for many decades to come.”

UPDATE 385. This is not going to work. Gaza terrorists resumed firing rocket and mortar attacks at southern Israel on Sunday, ignoring the unilateral ceasefire declared by the Jewish State hours earlier, at 2:00 a.m. / Twelve hours after the start of the ceasefire, some 15 rockets and mortars had been fired at Israeli civilians in the south and Israeli military forces had attacked the terror cells that launched them.

The picture: Hamas in Gaza. Embarrassed to show their face. Believe that wearing a mask instills fear in others. Get some inner strength out of dressing up. These people are pathetic. At least they’re never at a loss to spontaneously picnic.

January 17 (US)
UPDATE 384. Some details coming. Not a full retreat: The cabinet on Saturday night voted in favor of an Egyptian-backed, unilateral 10-day cease-fire deal, ending Operation Cast Lead three weeks after it began. / If Hamas continues to fire on the South, however, Israel will reserve the right to return fire, the prime minister said. “If [Hamas] return to their unruly attacks they will be surprised again by the hand of Israel – I don’t advise them to try it,” he said.

UPDATE 383. Israel punts: Cabinet approves cease-fire agreement; two ministers object, one abstains (Haaretz). Translation: Gilad is toast. Hamas declares victory.

The cabinet has voted to accept a unilateral ceasefire in Gaza. Two ministers voted against the proposal and one abstained from voting. / The final draft of the resolution has not yet been released. Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defense Minister Ehud Barak will appear in public at approximately 11 p.m. to explain the decision.

The Israeli security cabinet in a special meeting Saturday night, Jan. 17, approved by a majority of 11 to 3 a unilateral ceasefire in the Gaza Strip – but not quite an end to Operation Cast Lead just yet.

DEBKAfile: Israeli forces will hold to their positions in the Gaza Strip for a trial period counted in days to test Hamas’ response. Meanwhile, Hamas promises to keep on fighting and shooting rockets, while neither Washington nor Cairo guarantee action to end the flow of weapons to Gaza. / As the cabinet voted, Hamas fired rockets against Ashdod and Ashkelon. / Sunday, a large group of European leaders from the UK, France, Germany, Spain and the Czech Republic descends on Jerusalem. DEBKAfile’s sources report they are coming ostensibly to show the flag for Israel, but they will also be on hand to ascertain that the Israeli military quits the Gaza Strip – even without the operation’s goals being met – and also that Israel opens the six Gaza crossings as demanded by Hamas. / The plan the European leaders have developed with Egypt provides a $1.6 billion aid package for the Gaza Strip’s reconstruction. / The millions of tons of cement and supplies will be shipped to Israeli ports and delivered through the Gaza crossings over a period of years. Israel, they believe, will not be able to refuse to reopen the crossings, thereby bringing its embargo of the Gaza Strip to an end.

UPDATE 382. I read somewhere that the Cabinet meeting convened at 700PM local. Been 3 hours. Must be contentious. Better be.

UPDATE 381. Bibi’s party takes a public stand before ceasefire vote. Smart. The Feb 10 election battlelines are drawn. Livni is presently on the wrong side.

UPDATE 380. Israeli TV has fun with the BBC in the video below.

They’ve also put together pro and anti news clips here.

UPDATE 379. Pick an update: 1. Israel Declares Unilateral Ceasefire. No word on Gilad. Hamas declares victory. / The politicians have just signed Gilad’s and perhaps Israel’s death warrants. -or- 2. Israel votes to carry on with Cast Lead. Phase 3 coming. Hamas will now be destroyed utterly.

The middle ground is also there – some scaling back and orderly withdrawal. That is indistinguishable from Option 1. Any backing down will be declared a victory by Hamas.

I am not impressed that these options are even on the table.

UPDATE 378. Egypt bailing on Israel. How utterly inconsistent of them: Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said on Saturday his country was not committed to the US-Israeli pact to halt arms smuggling into the Gaza Strip. / “We have no commitment towards this memo whatsoever,” Aboul Gheit told reporters. “We do not know anything about this memo and it does not concern us in anything,” he said. / He added that Israel was the main obstacle to the “Egyptian efforts” to end an agreement by the war in Gaza. Questioned by the press on the main obstacle to the Egyptian mediation underway, Aboul Gheit said: “Israeli intransigence”.

UPDATE 377. Brown offers British naval help to prevent arms smuggling into Gaza. Translation: Be a good chap and dodge the rocket fire for another few months until they run out. We’ll try and stop them from getting more.

Politicians running wars. Always a disaster.

UPDATE 376. ‘IDF kills Palestinian W. Bank rioter’: Witnesses said demonstrators hurled rocks at troops who stopped them from marching into the Israeli-controlled sector of Hebron following Friday prayers. / They said the soldiers fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the protesters, but a medic said that Daana was killed by a live round to the head.

I have no sympathy for these people. None. One less agitator.

UPDATE 375. The politics are getting ugly: Olmert and Barak detest each other and both of them have only contempt for Livni, whom they view as inexperienced. Olmert supposedly respects Barak’s security record but is actually using it against him. In the prime minister’s narrative, Barak was hesitant, did not want to launch the operation, placed obstacles before each stage and was ready to stop it a while ago. Before every decision, Barak and the Israel Defense Forces’ top brass presented lengthy timetables and warned of heavy losses among the soldiers, on the home front and among Palestinian civilians. In Olmert’s view, all their assessments were wrong.

Let’s change Ehud 1′s vote to NO on the ceasefire – which is also an endorsement of Bibi. Getting closer and closer. My gut? Fighting continues. There’s been enough compromise in the past. No way we can let Hamas declare victory, which they will under the current circumstances.

The world is going to have to step in with peacekeeping troops.

UPDATE 374. One question before you vote, Cabinet: When is Gilad Shalit coming home?

UDATE 373. Hamas setting themselves up to declare victory: Hamdan said Hamas has a clear vision that includes ending the “aggression,” a withdrawal of Israeli forces, an end to the siege and opening of the crossings. / “If any vision does not achieve these things, then we will continue in the battle on the ground,” he said.

The Cabinet is going stop unilaterally in light of this? Palestinians fired 10 rockets from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel on Saturday with one hitting a synagogue in a community near Netivot in the morning. / On Friday, Palestinians fired 23 projectiles into the western Negev, wounding at least five people.

If the Cabinet votes to stop fighting, it will assure Bibi’s election on Feb 10.

This is what the Security Cabinet will see: DEBKAfile’s sources reveal the outline of an evolving ceasefire accord, dismissed as farcical by a furious Israeli military command: Israel has promised the US and Egypt to start pulling its troops out of the Gaza Strip within days and, at some point, open the six border crossings. Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert, defense minister Ehud Barak and foreign minister Tzipi Livni, the group running the Gaza war, have approved this arrangement and will put it before the security cabinet Saturday night, Jan. 17.

G-d help us if the politicians screw this one up.

January 16, 2009 (US)
This picture is from my personal collection. Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion, Franklin Delano Roosevent, Jr., and Senator John Kennedy. It was taken in Ben-Gurion’s Jerusalem home in early October 1951. Bobby Kennedy was also there, but is not in the pic.

UPDATE 372. Will the Israeli Cabinet vote for a unilateral truce? The initial vote will be with just the Security Cabinet, but the full Cabinet will have its say. This post looks at the full cabinet. There’s two answers. The table below gives some detail on each of the Cabinet members. The Expected Vote is how they should vote given their backgrounds. The vote with be a rejection of the unilateral truce on a vote of 11 for and 15 against.

But now we need to layer in politics. Livni will vote for it. How many of the 6 Kadima no votes will that switch? Since she may pull out the election, at least 2 will cave – that’s a tie vote. It’s ot to say that it WILL be a tie, but it is that close.

Next, with Likud favored to get back into power – and them needed a coalition, Shas is a good place to look to pick up a vote – 12 yes, 14 no.

Finally, Labour’s vote is about split – so who do they favor to win next month?

The safe vote is “no.” A yes vote relies on Hamas to play well, to not rearm, to not do all the things that are anathema to it.

I expect the vote to turn on just a few heads. President Bush would like a truce before he leaves office, but the hawks also are unimpressed with him lately on Iran – too many words, not enough public action. Also, a ceasefire in place when Obama comes into office is harder to end than if the opposite were true – finding terms upon which to stop hostilities.

The problem is that the politicians are now screwing up a good war.

Portfolio	Minister	Party	Comments	Expected Vote
Prime Minister	Ehud Olmert	Kadima	Power struggle with Livni led to his not running in Feb 09 election	YES
Vice Prime Minister, Minister in the PM’s Office for State Policy	Haim Ramon	Kadima	Sexual harassment charges, IDF Captain, brought socialized medicine to Israel – heavily criticized	YES
Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs	Tzipi Livni	Kadima	Beat Olmert but couldn’t form a government. Thought of as an accommodationist but has been relatively strong during the war. Is presently calling for a ceasefire	YES
Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defence	Ehud Barak	Labour	Been surprisingly steadfast in pursuit of Hamas. Perhaps overreaching to make up for withdrawal from Lebanon when he was PM	NO
Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Industry, Trade and Labour	Eli Yishai	Shas	Head of the Shas party. No military background. Says “homosexuality is clearly a disease”, and wishes gays and lesbians a “speedy recovery”	YES
Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Transportation	Shaul Mofaz	Kadima	Lost by 431 votes to Livni to head the party. Wanted to “liquidate” Arafat and was willing to make no compromise in the war against militant groups such as Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades	NO
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development	Shalom Simhon	Labour	Compulsory military service only. Social worker and politician	YES
Minister of Communications	Ariel Atias	Shas	In 2008, said if Israel and Palestinians were holding secret negotiations on Jerusalem the Shas Party would leave the government	NO
Minister of Education	Yuli Tamir	Labour	Approved textbook condemning Israel Independence. Arab sympathizer	YES
Minister of Environmental Protection	Gideon Ezra	Kadima	American invasion of Iraq: “The more aggressive the attack is, the more it will help Israel against the Palestinians.” Military action against Iraq would “undoubtedly deal a psychological blow” to the Palestinians	NO
Minister of Finance	Roni Bar-On	Kadima	Has refused to allot money for Israeli Arabs to build public shelters and warning sirens to escape bombings and violence	NO
Minister of Health	Yaakov Ben-Yezri	Gil	A Health Minister that smokes cigarettes on television.	NO
Minister of Housing and Construction	Ze’ev Boim	Kadima	Former IDF commander, former Deputy Minister of Defense	NO
Minister of Immigrant Absorption	Eli Aflalo	Kadima	Always a finance guy	YES
Minister of the Interior	Meir Sheetrit	Kadima	Friend of Bibi	NO
Minister of Internal Security	Avi Dichter	Kadima	Former Sayeret Matkal and Shin Bet	NO
Minister of Justice	Daniel Friedmann	None	Strongly critical of the Israeli Judiciary	YES
Minister of National Infrastructure	Benjamin Ben-Eliezer	Labour	Career IDF, avid hawk	NO
Minister of Negev and Galilee Development	Yaakov Edri	Kadima	Typical bureaucrat	YES
Minister of Pensioner Affairs	Rafi Eitan	Gil	Was in charge of the Mossad operation that lead to the capture of Adolf Eichmann.	NO
Minister of Religious Services	Yitzhak Cohen	Shas	Criticized US saying Iran was ending nuke program: “someone who wants dialogue with Tehran”	NO
Minister Science, Culture and Sport	Raleb Majadele	Labour	Muslim. Refuses to assimilate into Israel	YES
Minister of Tourism	Ruhama Avraham	Kadima	In order to encourage the voters to vote for her, opened up a hot dog stand	YES
Minister of Welfare and Social Services, Minister of the Diaspora, Society and Fight Against Antisemitism	Isaac Herzog	Labour	Still serves in Military reserve	NO
Minister without Portfolio	Ami Ayalon	Labour	Former head of Shin Bet	NO
Minister in the Finance Ministry	Meshulam Nahari	Shas	Supports ultra-orthodox Jews	NO

UPDATE 371. [lost in editing]

UPDATE 370. Khaled the Khalown speaks again: Hamas will not accept Israeli conditions for a cease-fire in Gaza and would continue armed resistance until the offensive ends, Khaled Meshal, the leader of the Palestinian Islamist group, said on Friday.

Will be interesting to see what comes next. He isn’t as in charge as he thinks.

And Bambi just wants to make vomit: In essence, W had it all wrong – WE Understand How To Solve The Problem.

UPDATE 369. We don’t negotiate with terrorists: Hamas has offered to stop attacking Israel for one year if Israel will open its western Negev crossings to Gaza, Egyptian officials announced Thursday night. The group demands that Israel withdraw its troops from Gaza within one week and refrain from any and all operations in the area while the ceasefire lasts.

We destroy – you decide: ANALYSIS / Would Gaza be better with weak Hamas or no Hamas?

Welcome to Washington, Mr. Obama. Here’s you first deceptively large problem: Livni sets out to US to sign deal on preventing arms smuggling.

January 15, 2009 (US)
Readers requested pics of Israeli heroes. Here’s Moshe Dayan and Golda Meir …

UPDATE 368. Our men and women in action:

Can anyone say Russian troops? The Palestinian Authority’s representative to the UN said on Thursday during an emergency session of the General Assembly he intends to ask the Security Council to authorize an international military force to impose a cease-fire if Israel and Hamas cannot strike a deal to halt the fighting.

UPDATE 367. bibi, Bibi, BIBI!! A poll conducted by Shvakim-Panorama for the Voice of Israel government radio station shows the Yisrael Beiteinu (Israel is Our Home) party gaining popularity. A survey of 491 Israeli adults showed the party winning 15 seats, leaving it tied with Labor as the third-largest Knesset faction. The poll was conducted on Wednesday, January 14. / The poll also shows the Kadima party, led by Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, dropping to 21 seats while Likud remains strong with 28. The Shas party is expected to lose one seat for a total of 11, while the Knesset’s other hareidi-religious party, United Torah Judaism (UTJ) is up in the polls, with seven seats instead of its current six.

UDPATE 366. Reader Indy Mind points out an interesting set of statements by Ron Paul. The only way Israel “created” Hamas is if you go back to Abraham’s seed.

UPDATE 365. Siad Sayam done. More here.

UPDATE 364. Time to scorch the Earth. Wherever Hamas hides, we will get them: he Al-Quds hospital in Gaza City was engulfed in flames on Thursday after it was caught in the fighting between Israel Defense Forces troops and Hamas. / Just before, the IDF shelled the main United Nation aid compound in the city of Gaza.

This is not going to work: Emerging Gaza ceasefire allows Hamas to restock rockets – and fire them.

After all that has happened, this complete moron says this? UN Chief: Success of Gaza truce deal depends on Israel’s will.

January 14, 2009 (US)

Women of the IDF

Men of the IDF

UPDATE 363. Very interesting read. A memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Israel on security and intelligence cooperation aimed at countering the smuggling of arms into the Gaza Strip is being prepared and may be signed as early as Friday, Haaretz has learned.

Hamas will never agree. Without their underground economy in weapons, they are nothing but a political party – like Stalin without the NKVD.

And Bibi sits back and smiles: Olmert ignoring calls from Barak, Livni for immediate Gaza truce.

This is dumb on Livni’s part. She cannot control what Hamas will do. So her call for cessation is heeded – Hamas acts badly – and she looks like a dove. Bibi is smartly remaining quiet.

Correcting myself. I saw this article before, but didn’t register it as I wrote the above: Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that Israel must remove Gaza’s Hamas rulers from power to ensure victory over “terror.”

So the election battle lines are drawn – and I think Bibi is on the right side. Livni needs the cooperation of Hamas. Duh, eh?

UPDATE 362. Abbas won’t condemn Israel: Balad Chairman Jamal Zahalka, whose party was disqualified from the [Israeli] national elections earlier this week, slammed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for refraining from condemning Israeli leaders for the operation in Gaza.

Is this so hard to understand? Abbas is in deep talks with Egypt and Israel about running the show sans Hamas.

UPDATE 361. The world is fracturing along discernible lines. I am on the Israeli side. Bolivian President Evo Morales said on Wednesday that his country is breaking diplomatic ties with Israel over its 19-day-old campaign in Gaza, and said he will ask the International Criminal Court to bring genocide charges against top Israeli officials.

The Red Cross took a public stand when Israel did this (Update 355). Will they now that Hamas is, too, but in an illegal fashion? Or will they stay silent? A phosphorus mortar shell was among the 16 rockets and shells fired at Israel by early Wednesday afternoon. Gaza terrorists fired the shell at the Eshkol region. The shell hit an open area and did not cause injury.

UPDATE 360. You hear that? Sounded like a weasel! Hamas representatives held a press conference in Cairo Monday evening following talks with Egyptian officials, and announced that they have accepted in principle an Egyptian proposal for a cease-fire agreement …/… “We’re not talking about amending the proposal, since it was presented by Egyptian President [Hosni] Mubarak, but this is a proposal that includes many phrases, and each side has the right to present its opinion and interpretation of these phrases. We have voiced our stance and our interests within the framework of this general outline and the guidelines anchored in the Egyptian proposal,” al Bardawil said.

Here’s the drill – Israel has completed the 2d phase of Cast Iron. Before it kicks in the 3d phase – the complete and utter destruction of Hamas, they are giving Hamas one last breath. They blow it, they die.

UPDATE 359. These people are truly stupid: Hezbollah seeks to lay the foundation for a situation in the future in which the group can freely fire Katyushas at Israel, or use proxies to do so, without this constituting an all-out declaration of war, as occurred in the summer of 2006.

UPDATE 358. Ceasefire in Gaza imminent: During meetings of the Israel Defense Forces General Staff and of the heads of the state’s other security branches, officials have said that Israel achieved all it possibly could in Gaza a few days ago.

But now the north is getting riled again: Five Katyusha rockets were apparently fired early Wednesday, Jan. 14, from two places in S. Lebanon – 3 from Arqoub and two from Himariyeh near Hazbaya. The latter fell short and exploded inside the Lebanese border.

January 13, 2009 (US)
UPDATE 357. Video of weapons found inside mosque – another dual-use facility. Article has more. UN – you watching?

UPDATE 356. Time Magazine leads the charge of anti-Israeli filth:

There’s a special level of Hell for publishers and editors like this.

Some updates on the Egypt ceasefire talks. Seem to be working towards cessation of the Hamas bitch-slapping before Bambi enters office.

UPDATE 355. Bringing a rock to a gun fight. These people never learn.

The title: Red Cross: Israel’s use of white phosphorus not illegal. The text: The International Red Cross said Tuesday that Israel has fired white phosphorus shells in its offensive in the Gaza Strip, but has no evidence to suggest it is being used improperly or illegally.

So what’s your point? You’re actually taking Israel’s side? Thank you. Nice change of pace.

UPDATE 354. The good guys break things and kill people:

UPDATE 353. Russia inches its way forward: DEBKAfile’s military sources report that the arrival of the Russian flotilla in wartime is unusual and especially significant given Syria’s role as one of the staunchest backers of Hamas which is embroiled in a war against Israel further down the coast in Gaza.

Then tell Hamas to stop stealing the aid and selling it to the Palestinians: United Nations relief agency spokesman says Gazans are frustrated, despaired; tells of great need for additional humanitarian aid.

UPDATE 352. Seems Iran is taken all means necessary to re-arm Hamas: DEBKAfile’s military sources reveal a secret war waged by the US, Israel and Egypt to shut down Iran’s serpentine maritime routes through the Red Sea and Suez for refilling Hamas’ depleted arsenal by sea. After Hamas lost an estimated 60 percent of its weapons stocks to Israeli bombardments, Iran enlisted Somali pirates to step up the flow of smuggled hardware to Gaza. Tehran is rearming the Palestinian Islamists at top speed to persuade them to carry on the war against Israel and not surrender to Egypt’s ceasefire terms.

Hamas continues with this “save face” thing: Hamas is set to announce that it is willing to allow a Turkish force to deploy at Rafah crossing, despite earlier insistence that it would treat any international presence along Gaza’s border as an occupying force, according to a report Tuesday in the London-based Arabic daily Al Hayat. / Hamas would agree to a Turkish deployment of forces because it “harbors respect to Turkey as an Islamic nation,” a Hamas source told the paper.

Turkey’s been a little cranky with Israel in the news lately, so I doubt the Ehud Twins would go for it. Regardless – Hamas gets nothing. Nothing. Complete and unconditional surrender or Cast Lead Phase 3.

Reader Indy Mind has written a background piece on the Palestinian-Israeli history.

January 12, 2009 (US)
UPDATE 351. Check out the title of this article: “No room for more graves in Gaza cemeteries.” Sounds like the death toll is so high, the room is gone. Turns out the cemeteries are outside the city – where the IDF is. Because of Hamas. Tell it to Hamas, buddy. Not interested.

Reader Civis shared this video find with us. If this doesn’t frost your ass, nothing will. The men and boys in the action are Hamas.

Hey, UN – that’s one of your ambulances being used to ferry Hamas terrorists around. When you gonna say something about THAT? You have zero credibility. Just. Shut. Up.

UPDATE 350. An addition to “Famous Last Words”: Victory over Israel is near!

Meanwhile, back in reality: IDF destroys tunnel from Gaza into Israel.

Hamas steals UN aid and holds a bake sale. Hey, UN, getting the picture yet?

Egypt tells Arabs – “Then you guys solve it!” and tells Israel to try not to get hurt killing off Hamas: When Hamas-Damascus clamped a veto on his Gaza ceasefire ultimatum Monday, Jan. 12, Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak acted fast: He summoned an Arab summit for setting in motion a plan for an inter-Arab force to monitor the Philadelphi Corridor. Arab foreign ministers meet in Kuwait Friday, Jan. 16, to prepare the summit for next week. / This step shrinks to a few days the time left for Israel’s military progress to set the pace of events in the Gaza conflict. At the moment, Israel can still present the Arab rulers with a military fait accompli in the Gaza Strip, after flattening hundreds of Palestinian buildings separating the town of Rafah from the Philadelphi corridor. Those buildings, though tenanted, were false fronts for the openings to the Hamas arms smuggling tunnels running under the Gazan-Egyptian border. / Cairo quietly tipped Jerusalem that it was not against broadening its military operations in the Gaza Strip. Razing the populated area dividing Rafah from the Philadelphi border assures Israeli tanks of firing control of this key segment of the smuggling labyrinth and smoothes the way for it capture. No inter-Arab or other international monitoring force could have controlled the sector had the buildings remained in place.

Click to enlarge

UPDATE 349. Hamas in worse shape than thought. While Khalid the Khalown and Iran talk as if there is still a pulse in Hamas, Israel and Egypt know better: Hamas negotiators’ appeal for compromises and told them the deal on offer was take-it-or-leave-it: Accept or face an all-out Israeli assault on all fronts.

More – Suleiman informed the Palestinian delegation that Israel was holding out for Hamas to collect all its rocket and missile stocks and weapons in the hands of other Palestinian terrorist groups and turn them over to a third party. This party would also take charge of security in the Philadelphi Corridor. / Hamas would be given a month to implement the handover, but no longer. / Israel was also adamant about retaining its army on the battle lines held in the Gaza Strip when the ceasefire goes into effect until a new military mechanism is put in place on the Philadelphi Corridor and has proved capable of effectively stemming the arms traffic entering through tunnels from outside sources. / The Hamas negotiators also ran into a blank Egyptian wall when they proposed setting a six-month time cap on the proposed ceasefire and reopening the Rafah crossing from Gaza to Sinai as a face-saving gesture to mark the onset of a truce. Suleiman said firmly that Rafah would reopen only when all six Gaza crossings into Israel were reactivated by Palestinian Authority personnel and European military monitors.

No saving face on this one guys. You blew it. You own it.

Humorous: The newspaper quoted a senior Hamas source as saying: “There are still many details that need to be discussed before we can say that we have reached an agreement of principles.

And meanwhile, the battle goes and Hamas continues to fire rockets during humanitarian ceasefires.

January 11, 2009 (US)
UPDATE 348. The jackals begin to devour each other: A Fatah official in Ramallah on Sunday launched a scathing attack on Hamas and described its leaders as “criminals.” / Speaking to The Jerusalem Post on condition of anonymity, the Fatah official denounced Hamas as a “black and bloody militia” that was responsible for the “catastrophe” in the Gaza Strip. / The official warned that failure to crush Hamas completely would undermine Fatah and pave the way for the collapse of moderate Arab regimes. / He said that Hamas was fighting on behalf of Iran and Syria – the only two countries that have been supplying the movement with weapons and money.

UPDATE 347. This is beyond funny. Egypt says Hamas is understanding – progress is being made. Iran says – Hamas, do not accept Egyptian proposal. Hey, Khaled the Khalown – who’s your daddy?

Who’s you daddy, Hamas? Lest you think it’s Iran – let me remind you: It is Israel: Our sources report that, in addition to turn the heat on Hamas, the deployment of fresh Israeli reserve units Sunday had the additional goal of relieving the troops fighting in Gaza for more than two weeks – at a moment when the Israeli campaign appeared to have lost focus and traction. / Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert laid it on the line Sunday when he said Israel must press on with its offensive against Hamas and not throw away its gains at the last moment. / It became plain last week that, instead of going hard after two primary objectives – the capture of the Philadelphi Corridor and Rafah in the south and the missile and rocket-launching sites in the north – the Israeli high command had spread the troops out thin and relying on heavy aerial bombardment. This did not stop Hamas rocket fire – albeit at a declining rate, 23 Sunday, two of which hit schools that were luckily empty – and Hamas continued to smuggle arms.

Say “uncle.”

UPDATE 346. Early word – no details: IDF uncovers booby-trapped school next to zoo in Gaza. Hunh. Where’s the UN crying out “war crimes” now?

War Crimes Trial, In RE: Hamas. Exhibit A (thanks, civis!):

UPDATE 345. We’ve been discussing hacking Hamas websites on a different post. Reader Civis (that Queen of the Comments) shares this article – lots of good information on helping these guys. Thanks, Civis! Currently working site – is here.

UPDATE 344. Noise-level garbage. These people are just ants at the picnic: A number of Israel Defense Forces soldiers came under cross-border fire on Sunday while working on the fence between Israel and Syria. / There were no casualties in the incident, but the bullets struck a few vehicles on site. / “In the afternoon, there were a number of bullets fired from Syria at an Israeli army force doing engineering work near the fence,” an army spokesman said. “No one was hurt but a vehicle was damaged. Forces in the field are examining the incident and a complaint was sent to UNDOF which sent a team there. The circumstances of the incident are still unclear.”

Another report from J’Post.

UPDATE 343. Still a slow news day. Let’s assess the opposition:

Yeah, OK, English as a second language. Right.

UPDATE 342. Sunday, January 11 (US) Very little news this morning. Just one thing appearing in a few places – Now where did they get these? Hamas militants in Gaza have tried to down Israeli warplanes with various types of anti-aircraft missiles, defense sources have told the government. / The Palestinian Islamist group has not succeeded, however, in downing any Israel Air Force aircraft. This is despite having possession of the sophisticated weaponry, and the many sorties the IAF has flown during Israel’s ongoing offensive against Hamas in the coastal territory.

January 11, 2009
UPDATE 341. More on Khaled the Khalown: DEBKAfile’s sources report that the Hamas leader’s emotional tirade raised suspicions in Jerusalem that he may have obtained pledges from Tehran and Hizballah for a last-ditch operation to save Hamas from collapse. They also noted the widening rift between Hamas-Damascus and Hamas-Gaza, which is paying dearly for Palestinian “resistance.”

UPDATE 340. Islamic Jihad claims spoils of war: Pieces of ammunition and HOT DOGS (yeah, the things you eat – Kosher, no doubt):

These people are embarrassing.

UPDATE 339. The tiny, little, itzy-bitzy, laughing-stock-of-the-Arab-world Iran speaks: Iranian officials on Saturday strongly disputed media reports that Iran’s top leader Ayatollah Ali Khameini has banned volunteers from leaving the country to carry out suicide bombings against Israel and stressed that the supreme leader meant only that practical obstacles remained for such attackers to get to Gaza.

So, it’s like a logistics thing? Train tickets, camels, hotel rooms – all such a bother! How about this – thinking out loud here – what you need is a tour manager. The Stones aren’t on the road right now. Maybe one of their roadies can help you resolve the “practical obstacles” you face. Well, of course, until your next excuse comes along.

UPDATE 338. From the safety of Damascus, Khaled mumbles strings of words: A top Hamas leader says the Gaza war has killed the last chance for settlement and negotiations with Israel. / Damascus-based Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal condemned Israel’s attack on the Gaza Strip as a “holocaust” in a fiery speech broadcast on the Arabic news channel Al-Jazeera

They call him “A top Hamas leader”? So funny. He’s the main dude! Hamas is revealing itself as no more than an act in some malignant circus. What a joke from rhetoric to action. Is this all you people got?

UPDATE 337. I want an MSM retraction. Stomping my feet – face turning blue. “An IDF investigation has found that it was not the army who fired on a UN truck at the Erez Crossing,” the Spokesperson’s office said. The IDF is not sure who fired on the truck, and is still investigating. “The army further wishes to point out that the Palestinian wounded were evacuated by the Red Cross to the Israeli border, where they were taken by Israeli medical personnel for treatment at Ashkelon’s Barzilai Hospital,” the IDF told The Jerusalem Post.

Iran always hated Egypt anyway: “Today it has been heard in some of the West’s political meetings that the Egyptian government is a partner in crimes in Gaza and they are after breaking Hamas as part of the resistance and bring it under their own influence,” the semi-official Mehr News Agency quoted Ahmadinejad as saying. …/… “I believe that in the current conditions, and with the crimes it is committing, the Zionist regime (Israel) is after finding a partner for its crimes,” Ahmadinejad said. / “Therefore I ask the Egyptian officials to announce their stance on the Palestinian nation, especially on the inhabitants of the Gaza Strip and the Zionist regime’s crimes, as soon as possible,” Mehr quoted him as saying.

UPDATE 336. So it is true: A senior Israeli military commander involved in Operation Cast Lead said on Saturday that Hamas militants are suffering from exhaustion and are deserting battle.

Civis discussed this in the comments: The commander, Amir Mansi, was in charge of Hamas’s rocket and mortar squads in the Gaza City area and was an expert on the use of medium range Grad rockets. Since his men’s motivation to fight was flagging, Mansi came out himself and tried to fire mortar shells at an IDF Golani Brigade force. The IDF fired at him, killing him and wounding two others. …/… “We know that entire Hamas companies have simply been erased,” the officer said. “We have identified cases of [Hamas terrorists] going AWOL and deserting the battlefield.”

Just goes to show you not to bring a rock to a gun fight. Wimps.

Yo, Omid, talk to me, brother. Waiting on you.

UPDATE 335. I have a companion post on the hacking issue here. I just got a comment I want to share. My response follows his comment. I hope he writes back. Could be an interesting dialogue. Funny that Gaza still has internet service – I’ll have to write Ehud about that.

Omid: “you r fucking israel. down with israel. stop killing kids and women in Gaza , you r fucking people and you people hate you in all over the world. u have no place in earth , you have to be extinct and u have to die and perish and soon it’ll happen!!!

thank you

im from Gaza”

Me: “omid, we usually omit comments with such vulgar language, but we let yours through because of your unique situation. please try to express yourself a bit differently in the future.

we encourage you to go here – http://patriotroom.com/article/operation-cast-lead-continues – and watch the video in Update 334. we would appreciate your view on it.

it seems to us that hamas has taken over your stretch of land. they rule with an iron fist. they kill or maim those that disagree with them – your people, the palestinians. they fire rockets into israel constantly. israel is only ending the constant threat.

write us your views. we will give them a full airing – without editing.”

I was heartened that he wrote “thank you.” Very polite of him after saying I should be tracked down and killed.

MORE – Alas, while Omid may be from Gaza as he claims, his IP traces to Karaj, Iran. I would still enjoy a conversation with him.

UPDATE 334. A video well worth your time to watch.

UPDATE 333. Israel tightening the screws. Leaflets dropped in Gaza: “The IDF will escalate the operation in the Gaza Strip,” the leaflets said in Arabic. “The IDF is not working against the people of Gaza but against Hamas and the terrorists only. Stay safe by following our orders.”

UPDATE 332. Now Obama won’t talk to Hamas. Claim story was unsourced. The incoming Obama administration will not abandon US President George W. Bush’s doctrine of isolating Hamas, the chief national security spokesperson of the Obama transition team has told The Jerusalem Post. / US President-elect Barack Obama “has repeatedly stated that he believes that Hamas is a terrorist organization dedicated to Israel’s destruction, and that we should not deal with them until they recognize Israel, renounce violence, and abide by past agreements,” said Brooke Anderson in a statement to the Post.

OK. I’ve read your logic. So tell me how Hamas and Iran differ. Or is this the “nuanced” foreign policy of Change & Hope? Oh, how I wish John Kerry were SOS-designate, at least then we could be expecting this stuff. Hillary must be in full-broom mode.

Signs that Hamas is Circling the Drain

UPDATE 331. Hamas is humiliated. Update 329 first noticed it – now this: DEBKAfile’s military sources report Jemal Abu Hashem, who rarely appears on public, Salah Bardaweel, leader of Hamas parliament faction, and Heiman Ta’a, member of the military wing’s command were allowed to exit Gaza, Friday, Jan 9 and make their way to the northern Sinai town of El Arish. From there, an Egyptian military flight flew them to Cairo. They were permitted to leave after consenting to an unconditional ceasefire, dropping their demand for open Gaza crossings and accepting that Israeli forces would hold their present lines.

Trust Hamas? Of course not. But this is a matter of “face,” of stature, of respect. They have agreed to attend a meeting before which they were require to an unconditional ceasrfire.

Another sign of Hamas circling the drain: ‘UN drafting ceasefire plan that would reinstate PA in Gaza’

And again: EU said readying plan to restore Fatah-led PA rule over Gaza crossings.

UPDATE 330. House and Senate fall in line. Tie Bambi’s hands for changing direction. House Majority Leader Boehner reiterated the US commitment to Israel, saying that it would stand by its ally of 60 years in the current conflict. The US, he said, cannot abide with Hamas decision to violate the ceasefire agreement and launch violent attacks on Israel. Congress, he concluded, unequivocally supports Israel’s right to self defense unequivocally.

Vote was unanimous in the Senate. Five no votes in House: Ron Paul (R-TX), Kucinich (D-OH), Gwen Moore (D-WI), Nick Rahall (D – WV), and Maxine Water (D-CA). 22 voted present.

UPDATE 329. If the UN fails, where to next? Iran asks Brazil to help obtain cease-fire in Gaza. The bigger question is why is Iran seeking a ceasefire? They started this mess. Is Hamas circling the drain?

Let’s all sing for the Red, White, & Blue! U.S. seeks to ship hundreds of tons of arms to Israel.

UPDATE 328. Love the proper use of Judea and Sumaria. Says two things – ain’t no such thing as the “West Bank,” and Jerusalem is one city – not two. Security forces are on high alert in Judea and Samaria due to warnings that terrorist groups hope to kidnap Jews. Terrorists are particularly interested in kidnapping Jews at the current time, in order to bargain for an end to IDF counterterrorism operations in Gaza.

Hamas claims it hit an Israel Air Force base 27km from Tel Aviv. Yeah, OK. They probably put on their kids dressed in an exploding vest into a cannon, and shot him off like a clown at the circus. These guys are pretty funny.

Condi is back in the fold: The United States on Friday expressed concern about the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza, but officials blamed Hamas for Palestinian suffering and said it was difficult for the Israeli military to avoid civilian casualties.

UPDATE 327. Israel makes it offical. And so does Hamas.

Fingers starting to point at Egypt’s refusal to use its own troops. Door open for Russia offer?

Operational details.

UPDATE 326. UNSC Ceasefire Resolution: Israel – No. Hamas – Nyet.

That daily three-hour humanitarian ceasefire? One sided. Hamas launching rockets during it.

Hamas needs to go in a rather complete fashion.

Hamas is worse that Hitler and Stalin: DEBKAfile’s intelligence sources report that Thursday, Hamas leaders and commanders emerged from their underground hideouts for their first look at the devastation wrought in 13 days of Israeli aerial bombardment. They took advantage of the pause in Israel’s military operations for supplies to reach the Gaza population to come out of their holes but soon headed back to safety. / IDF commanders hoped their lust for battle would be cooled by the sight of Gaza in ruins and they would be shocked enough to give up and stop fighting. This would settle the serious argument among Hamas leaders in both Damascus and Gaza over Egypt’s ceasefire proposals. / Politburo chief Khaled Meshaal flatly rejects them and favors breaking off contacts with Cairo altogether. Mussa Abu Marzouk would accept them. He is backed by Gaza prime minister Ismail Haniyeh who maintains that Egypt is Hamas’ only remaining lifeline which it dare not jeopardize. / However, the military arm in Gaza and its heads, Khalil al Haya, Said Sayam and Muhammad Jabry, are strongly in favor of severing ties with Egypt and fighting on. / Our sources disclose that the Hamas extremists are finding time for the brutal persecution of their rivals, the Palestinian Fatah. Under cover of the general mayhem, Hamas gangs are kidnapping Fatah operatives and executing them. Their bodies are tossed onto the mountains of uncollected garbage and their kinsmen informed where to find them. Hamas leaders are convinced their rivals are plotting to exploit the fighting to overthrow their regime.

Women of the IDF

… and by demand from our female readers, Men of the IDF

UPDATE 325. Text and discussion of UNSC Ceasefire Resolution. In Point 6 – The Hamas Hammer – they will never live up to it, and Israel will never leave until it is resolved – “to prevent illicit trafficking in arms and ammunition.”

8 January 2009

Security Council
SC/9567
Department of Public Information • News and Media Division • New York

NOTE: FOLLOWING ARE SUMMARIES OF STATEMENTS MADE TODAY TO THE SECURITY COUNCIL MEETING ON THE MIDDLE EAST. A COMPLETE SUMMARY OF THIS MEETING WILL BE AVAILABLE SHORTLY AS PRESS RELEASE SC/9567.

Background

The Security Council met this evening to take action on a draft resolution (document S/2009/23) sponsored by the United Kingdom, which reads as follows:

“The Security Council,

“Recalling all of its relevant resolutions, including resolutions 242 (1967), 338 (1973), 1397 (2002), 1515 (2003) and 1850 (2008),

“Stressing that the Gaza Strip constitutes an integral part of the territory occupied in 1967 and will be a part of the Palestinian state,

“Emphasising the importance of the safety and well-being of all civilians,

“Expressing grave concern at the escalation of violence and the deterioration of the situation, in particular the resulting heavy civilian casualties since the refusal to extend the period of calm; and emphasising that the Palestinian and Israeli civilian populations must be protected,

“Expressing grave concern also at the deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza,

“Emphasising the need to ensure sustained and regular flow of goods and people through the Gaza crossings,

“Recognising the vital role played by UNRWA in providing humanitarian and economic assistance within Gaza,

“Recalling that a lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict can only be achieved by peaceful means,

“Reaffirming the right of all States in the region to live in peace within secure and internationally recognized borders,

“1. Stresses the urgency of and calls for an immediate, durable and fully respected ceasefire, leading to the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza;

“2. Calls for the unimpeded provision and distribution throughout Gaza of humanitarian assistance, including of food, fuel and medical treatment;

“3. Welcomes the initiatives aimed at creating and opening humanitarian corridors and other mechanisms for the sustained delivery of humanitarian aid;

“4. Calls on Member States to support international efforts to alleviate the humanitarian and economic situation in Gaza, including through urgently needed additional contributions to UNRWA and through the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee;

“5. Condemns all violence and hostilities directed against civilians and all acts of terrorism;

“6. Calls upon Member States to intensify efforts to provide arrangements and guarantees in Gaza in order to sustain a durable ceasefire and calm, including to prevent illicit trafficking in arms and ammunition and to ensure the sustained re?opening of the crossing points on the basis of the 2005 Agreement on Movement and Access between the Palestinian Authority and Israel; and in this regard, welcomes the Egyptian initiative, and other regional and international efforts that are under way;

“7. Encourages tangible steps towards intra-Palestinian reconciliation including in support of mediation efforts of Egypt and the League of Arab States as expressed in the 26 November 2008 resolution, and consistent with Security Council resolution 1850 (2008) and other relevant resolutions;

“8. Calls for renewed and urgent efforts by the parties and the international community to achieve a comprehensive peace based on the vision of a region where two democratic States, Israel and Palestine, live side by side in peace with secure and recognised borders, as envisaged in Security Council resolution 1850 (2008), and recalls also the importance of the Arab Peace Initiative;

“9. Welcomes the Quartet’s consideration, in consultation with the parties, of an international meeting in Moscow in 2009;

“10. Decides to remain seized of the matter.”

Statements before Vote

BERNARD KOUCHNER, Minister for Foreign Affairs of France, speaking in his national capacity, said the Council was meeting in the common cause of achieving a ceasefire. In Gaza, there was an unprecedented humanitarian crisis. He said he was moved and distressed by the plight of the victims and families on both sides. The immediate end to hostilities was something the European Union and President Nicolas Sarkozy had been committed to.

He said the draft called for the end to the firing of rockets, the end to the Israeli operations, the opening of the border crossings and an end to arms smuggling. Those parameters were something the President of France had brought up with the leaders of the region and President Hosni Mubarak had drawn up a proposal. That plan was the only way to peace. He expressed regret that it had not been possible to give a little more time to reconcile different views or to endorse the results of negotiations now under way. The message of hope needed to be heeded without delay and negotiation under way needed to achieve prompt results.

Action

The Council then adopted resolution 1860 (2009) by a vote of 14 in favour, with and 1 abstention ( United States).

Statements after Vote

United Nations Secretary-General BAN KI-MOON said that for the past two weeks, people all over the world had witnessed the escalating violence and the suffering in Gaza and southern Israel. He was heartened and relieved at the adoption of a resolution to end the tragic situation. That decision signalled the will of the international community and must be fully respected by the parties. It called for a ceasefire and for humanitarian access. There was also a need for quickly rebuilding what had been destroyed. An immediate and durable ceasefire was only the first step. More would be needed, and a political way forward was required to deliver long?term security and peace. His visit to the region next week would focus on helping to ensure implementation of the ceasefire and that humanitarian aid reached those in need.

DAVID MILIBAND, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs of the United Kingdom, said the Council had been brought together by the gravity of the situation existing in Gaza. The word “crisis” was wholly appropriate. The Council was also brought together by the vision of security and dignity for Palestinians and Israelis both. There was a clear consensus on an immediate, durable and fully respected ceasefire and on the humanitarian need of the people in Gaza through aid and opening of the border crossings, as well as on security for Israel through an end to arms smuggling and on the need for a political process going forward. Tonight, the United Nations had served its purpose by speaking clearly and with authority. There were more responsibilities, for the States in the region, as well as the international community as a whole. The current responsibility was to chart a course back to resolution 1850 (2008). That could now be done with the just adopted resolution. The job now was to turn the words of the resolution into a reality.

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, Secretary of State of the United States, said that the situation in Gaza was very serious and the overall goal must be ensuring stabilization and normalization on the ground. The resolution just adopted showed that the Council and the United Nations were indeed seized of the matter. It was also a step towards the collective goals reflecting the desire of all for sustainable peace in the region. While much remained to be done, much work was under way, she said, stressing that the initiative proposed by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was not just to be applauded, but must be supported. Such work would lead to a durable ceasefire and sustainable peace.

Many tasks remained to be addressed, including rooting out the causes of the hostilities, tackling the smuggling and provision of weapons, securing crossing points in line with the 2005 Agreement on Movement and Access, and providing security for the Israeli people and a better life for the people of Gaza. “We must establish an international consensus that Gaza must never again be used as a launching pad for rockets against Israeli citizens, because it is important to remember how this crisis began”, she said, stressing that the violence in the Strip had been instigated by Hamas, “a terrorist group that called for the destruction of Israel”.

Continuing, she said that, some 18 months ago, Hamas had taken over the Gaza Strip in a coup and, since then, thousands of guns, rockets and mortars had been smuggled into the territory. Hamas had refused to extend the “period of calm” and its continued armament was a root cause of the current situation and had gravely endangered the residents of both Gaza and southern Israel. “Hamas’s commitment to violence is not only an attack on Israel, but also on the two-State solution,” she said.

The United States required the principled resolution of the situation in Gaza, and the Security Council resolution just adopted was a basis on which that could be done. At the same time, she stressed that it was not just a matter of resolving the situation on the ground. There would need to be a principled resolution also of the political challenges in Gaza that re-established the Palestinian Authority’s control, including over borders; facilitated the normal operation of Rafah and Kerem Shalom crossings; and, in time, the opening of other crossings. She said that the United States supported President Mahmoud Abbas as he carried out his responsibilities towards the establishment of a State of Palestine.

She went on to say that the United States remained deeply concerned about the innocent Palestinians suffering in Gaza, and would maintain and continue the humanitarian efforts it was taking to support United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and non-governmental organizations working on the ground. She said the United States recognized the right of Israel, like other States, to exercise its right of self-defence, and it had stressed to Israel that it was obligated to take feasible steps to minimize the impact of any actions on civilians. She reminded the Council that Hamas continued to hold Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who must be released.

Finally, she said that the United States thought it important to see the outcomes of the Egyptian mediation efforts in order to “see what this resolution might have been supporting”, and that was why her delegation had abstained in the vote. Still, after a great deal of consideration, the United States had decided that the resolution, the text, goals and objectives of which it supported, should be allowed to go forward. “I believe in doing so, the Council has provided a road map for a sustainable, durable peace in Gaza,” she said.

ABDURRAHMAN MOHAMED SHALGHAM, Secretary of the General People’s Committee for Foreign Liaison and International Cooperation of Libya, said on behalf of the hundreds that had been killed and the thousands that had been wounded, the objective had been to put an end to Israeli aggression, lift the siege on Gaza and provide humanitarian assistance to the suffering people there. To that end, Libya had previously submitted its own draft resolution to address the crisis. After several meetings, the United Kingdom, the United States and France had submitted a draft which, after several more rounds of negotiations, the Arab Group believed satisfied a minimum of its demands.

While the Group had voted in favour of that text, especially because it called for an immediate end to hostilities, he stressed that not all of the Group’s proposals and demands had been met, including the desire for a mechanism to ensure a quick resolution to the crisis. He said that the international community must continue to put pressure on Israel to end the violence and open borders to ensure that humanitarian assistance reached the population that was in dire need. At the same time, he said that the international community must ensure that Israel’s crimes in the region did not continue.

ALI BABACAN, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Turkey, said that, after three days of negotiations, the Council had been able to reach a decision on a resolution. While some delegations might not be satisfied with the outcome, the resolution was nevertheless a compromise decision that expressed the will of the Council, especially in that it called for an immediate ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. The call for unimpeded humanitarian access was also an important element of the text. Now, the Council must move forward with implementation. Indeed, full and effective implementation was crucial to ending the crisis. Turkey also believed that, as soon as possible, all Palestinian parties must move forward with national reconciliation efforts. Turkey would work with those parties to ensure progress going forward.

ALEXANDER YAKOVENKO, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, said the resolution favoured an immediate ceasefire by all parties, as well as finding a long?term and comprehensive solution to the problems of Gaza. It was a balanced and, hopefully, effective resolution. The situation in Gaza could not be solved by the use of force. The fact that all members of the Council had spoken in favour of a long and durable ceasefire did not mean that the work was finished. It was important to make even more efforts to overcome the crisis in Gaza. The developments in the last hours had underlined the need for a solution.

JORGE URBINA ( Costa Rica) said the just adopted resolution had a tremendous moral force. The resolution called on the parties to bring about an immediate cessation of hostilities and attested to the resolve of the international community. He underscored the legal, binding nature of the resolution. It was mandatory that it be complied with by all parties in the conflict. Failure to comply could and should entail serious consequences. He hoped the Council could be consistent with its decision taken today, and would use its authority to ensure respect for the decision.

YUKIO TAKASU ( Japan) said it was important that the Council had been able to take a decision on the grave and serious situation in Gaza, after several rounds of consultations over the past few days. The resolution, above all, stressed the urgency of action and called for an immediate ceasefire. At the same time, earlier in the day, the international community had been shocked to hear about the killing of a staff member of UNRWA. Japan expressed condolences to the family of the victim and stressed that the incident revealed the urgency of ensuring an immediate ceasefire. Indeed, calm, normalcy and safe living conditions in and around Gaza must return and must be the ultimate goal of the international community’s efforts. He added that the text must also ensure that the peace process got back on track in line with resolution 1850 (2008).

CLAUDE HELLER ( Mexico) said that in the face of the tragic events that had been occurring in Gaza since late December, causing death and destruction and deepening the humanitarian crisis there, the Council had the duty to end the violence and relieve human suffering. Finally tonight, the Council had shouldered its responsibility by calling for an immediate and durable ceasefire and the opening of crossings to provide humanitarian relief. Mexico had insisted on the broadest consensus during the negotiations and the balanced text just adopted met its requirements. What was needed now was to build a foundation for the future.

He stressed, however, that Mexico would have preferred that the text incorporate an explicit reference to respect for the provisions of international humanitarian law, as well as a more direct reference for establishing an international mechanism to monitor the implementation of all the measures to be adopted at the conclusion of diplomatic efforts currently under way. The Council and the wider international community must support those negotiations and ensure that the broader Middle East peace process continued apace.

ZHANG YESUI ( China) said, since the outbreak of the conflict, China had consistently supported swift Council action aimed at a ceasefire and opening the border crossings. While the resolution was not totally satisfactory, taking into account the gravity of the situation on the ground, China had voted in favour. The resolution reflected the will of the international community. He urged the parties to achieve an immediate ceasefire and to implement the resolution. He hoped the international community would help bring the parties together to a comprehensive and durable solution to the Palestinian question.

FRANCIS BUTAGIRA ( Uganda) had voted in favour to end the hostilities and the humanitarian tragedy. The resolution was balanced, providing for an immediate ceasefire, humanitarian access and protection of civilians. Today’s outcome reflected a consensus, which indicated that the Council was aware of its responsibility to maintain international peace and security. The Council should remain engaged in finding peace in the Middle East, with Israel and Palestine living in peace with each other. He urged the parties to implement the resolution.

LE LUONG MINH (Viet Nam), said his delegation would liked to have seen a resolution with more clear cut language on the implementation of an immediate ceasefire and early withdrawal of Israeli troops, which he considered a prerequisite for ending the crisis and providing relief to the suffering Palestinian people. However, in light of the continuing violence and deepening humanitarian crisis, Viet Nam had supported the current text, which it believed could, nevertheless, provide a basis for bringing an end to the current crisis and paving the way for the continuation of the peace process.

MICHEL KAFANDO ( Burkina Faso) welcomed the adoption of the resolution and said that the Council could not be indifferent to the tragedy under way in Gaza, especially in light of the serious and deteriorating humanitarian situation. Burkina Faso believed that the Council should have acted earlier, but “as they say, better late than never”. He said that the language of the text could have been clearer, but it nevertheless was an expression of the Council’s will and was, after all, the result of compromise. He applauded the efforts of the negotiating parties, particularly the Arab Group, which had made compromises to ensure the text was adopted. He hoped that adoption of the resolution would not only end the current conflict, but build a foundation for continued negotiations towards a sustainable peace in the region.

THOMAS MAYR-HARTING ( Austria) said it had been important to achieve the immediate need for a ceasefire and to preserve the unity of the Council. He was, therefore, grateful for the efforts that had made the consensus possible. There must be an unconditional halt to rocket attacks on southern Israel and an end to military operations in Gaza. Another priority was a lasting and sustained opening of the border crossings, so that the humanitarian situation of Gaza could be addressed. One point had not been explicitly mentioned in the resolution, namely the obligation of all parties to fully respect humanitarian and human rights law.

NEVEN JURICA ( Croatia) said an immediate, permanent and effective ceasefire implemented by all was a necessity and should end the suffering in Gaza, as well as the terrorist threat in southern Israel. A ceasefire could only be achieved on the ground through ensuring that there were no more rocket attacks and arms smuggling. Confidence in mechanisms on the ground was imperative. A political dialogue was the only way to achieve lasting peace, based on a two-State solution.

RIYAD AL-MALIKI, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Palestinian Authority, said that adoption of the resolution had been delayed several days, despite the deepening humanitarian crisis and heavy loss of lives of Palestinian civilians. Some 700 Palestinians had been killed and close to 3,000 had been wounded. Moreover, Israel had relentlessly pursued its goal of ruthlessly destroying

Palestinian property and infrastructure, including schools and mosques. Nevertheless, Israel must now end its war against the Palestinian people and withdraw its forces from the Gaza Strip. It must also lift the closure of borders and ensure humanitarian access to the people in need. Israel must immediately implement the resolution, he said, adding that: “The violence must cease so that […] we can rebuild what the brutal Israeli war machine had destroyed in Gaza.”

Prince SAUD Al-FAISAL, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia, said today had raised the hope for a new era in the work of the Security Council. It had assumed its responsibility to end the violence in Gaza. He hoped that all parties would look at the text as an affirmation of the Organization’s mandate to ensure international peace and security and alleviate human suffering. Indeed, the text should be seen as a model for addressing future crises.

He went on to say that the real joy was not in what had been achieved in New York, but what would be achieved in Gaza, where he hoped that many lives would now be saved. Adoption of the resolution would show that the Council worked for the well-being of all people and was not a tool to be manipulated by States. At the same time, that joy was tempered by the loss of so many lives during the negotiating process. It was said that success always had a price, but in this case, that price might have been too high. Still, he hoped that the resolution would bring an immediate end to the current conflict and serve as a basis to move forward with peace in the Middle East.

AHMED ABOUL GHEIT, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Egypt, said President Mubarak had, in the presence of President Sarkozy of France, tabled a road map to settle the situation in Gaza. The adopted resolution welcomed that initiative. President Mubarak welcomed the resolution as a crucial support for the Egyptian efforts. The Arab people hoped the Council would see to the immediate implementation of the resolution. Egypt would spare no efforts, together with the Palestinians, to restore calm and provide an atmosphere conducive to negotiations towards establishment of a Palestinian State, with East Jerusalem as its capital. He stressed that all Palestinians were part of one fabric and had one just cause. Egypt would make every effort to bridge the gap between them.

GABRIELA SHALEV ( Israel) said that Israel, when in left Gaza in 2005, had hoped it would never have to return. However, after eight years of continuous rocket attacks by the Hamas terrorist organization, Hamas’ refusal to extend the period of calm, and its smuggling of weapons during that period, had left Israel with no choice but to act in self-defence. Responsibility for the current hostilities lay squarely with Hamas. The international community must focus its attention on the cessation of Hamas’ terrorist activities. Any arrangement must be fully respected and secured, including the total cessation of rocket fire and smuggling, in order to be durable and to allow the possibility of lasting peace.

* *** *
For information media • not an official record

UPDATE 324. That UN dibble. Still looking for the actual text of the ceasefire, but this article has some details.

First impressions – its doesn’t mean anything. The US abstained – Explaining her abstention, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the US wanted to see the outcome of the Egyptian initiative first, but allowed the resolution to go forward because it was a step in the right direction. A negative vote by the US, one of the Council’s permanent members with veto powers, would have killed the measure.

So nothing is immediate.

How is this going to work if Hamas stays around: The resolution called for renewed efforts to achieve a comprehensive peace with two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace with secure and recognized borders. The West Bank-based Palestine Authority of President Mahmoud Abbas accepts the two-state solution, while Hamas, which seized control of Gaza in 2007, does not recognize Israel’s right to exist. The resolution “encourages tangible steps towards intra-Palestinian reconciliation.”

UPDATE 323. Can anyone say “War crimes through purposeful endangerment of civilians”? Chief intelligence officer displays color-coded map of al-Atatra neighborhood used by terrorists to record locations of explosive devices, sharpshooters.

UPDATE 322. Courtesy of Diversity Lane – and speaking of the UN:

Click to enlarge

UPDATE 321. I like her: Unlike Hamas, Foreign Minister Livni noted that “Israel makes a distinction between Hamas and the civilian population and believes in the need to allow humanitarian aid to reach the [Gaza] Strip. When we open the humanitarian channels – Hamas shoots.” The jihadist regime in Gaza “takes advantage of the desire to assist the Palestinian population and commits its terrorism from among that population. Israel attempts, in its operations, to avoid harming civilians, but in a war like this, unfortunately, there are those who pay the price for Hamas hiding behind the population.”

UPDATE 320. I hesitate to post this – because I really don’t care what the UN does. It is the most anti-Israeli entity out there, save for Iran and the Vatican. “Draft UN Security Council resolution doesn’t call for immediate Gaza truce.”

And Rome will turn its back on Israel: Jewish community leaders in Rome expressed outrage over a trades union proposal to “identify and boycott” Jewish-owned shops in the Italian capital in protest of Israel’s operation in Gaza, The Times reported Thursday.

This is a trial I would like to see. Cross-complaint Israel v. Hamas, RE: Using human shields. A Palestinian Authority-based organization appealed to the International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague Wednesday in an effort to have Israeli military and civilian leaders charged with war crimes.

UPDATE 319. Old news, but worth a comment: The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), the main food distribution group in Gaza, has suspended operations, claiming Israel killed a UN driver. UNRWA announced Thursday that it would suspend its operations in Gaza until further notice.

The truck took Hamas sniper fire. Investigate, then speak.

UPDATE 318. Best news of the day: Despite taking heavy losses in the Cast Lead operation in Gaza, Hamas announced Thursday that it rejects an Egyptian-French truce initiative. According to Al-Arabiyya, Hamas leaders in Damascus called the proposal “insufficient.”

UPDATE 317. Pope Benedict XVI on Thursday called for a cease-fire in Gaza and the resumption of peace talks, condemning violence in all its forms.

Sure, one day his minions says we’re running a Nazi Prison Camp (Update 308), and the next he calls for good-faith discussions. You have no credibility, Your Popeship. Apologize for yesterday’s crack, which with your German heritage and our Jewish background you know was uncalled for, and then maybe we’ll listen to you.

UPDATE 316. It is worth putting into a single place the empty threats of Iran. All they can do is use surrogates to cause harm. Their own ability to act crumbles at the smallest pushback. I can imagine Israel sent word to them about the supposed suicide-bomber volunteers: “Go for it.” Remember Farkus from The Christmas Story?

Iran hardliners register volunteers to fight Israel.
Hard-line student leaders claim over 10,000 people across Islamic Republic have registered for volunteer suicide attacks.
More than 70,000 Iranian students have volunteered to carry out suicide bombings against Israel.
Iran’s top leader has banned hard-line Iranian volunteers from leaving the country to carry out suicide bombings against Israel.

These people are a joke. They should be ashamed of themselves, but certainly lack the ability for critically reviewing their statements.

Send an e-mail to the IDF & they get pastries, too!

UPDATE 315. Debka is organizing this – support the troops!

UPDATE 314. Sarkozy: Halt to weapons smuggling is key to Gaza cease-fire. Singing the song. Now realize that Egypt has allowed this to occur, and we’ll be getting somewhere.
UPDATE 313. Hezbollah says a funny: Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on Wednesday warned that should Israel attack Lebanon, it would suffer an even greater defeat than the one he claimed it suffered in 2006. / “We are prepared for every possibility and are ready for all aggression… The Zionists will discover that the war they had in July was a walk in the park if we compare it to what we’ve prepared for every new aggression,” Nasrallah said, referring to the Second Lebanon War.

These people crack me up. They sit in the protective confines of Damascus, and spew the most amazing things. Girls from the hood. Each and every one of them.

UPDATE 312. Iran backs down. Iran’s state television on Thursday quoted Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as saying that Iran can’t allow volunteers to cross its border and take military action against Israel. But he said Iran won’t spare any efforts to assist Hamas in other ways.

AP continues its one-sided war against Israel: A U.N. official in the Gaza Strip says Israeli forces have fired on a truck on a U.N. aid mission and killed the driver. / U.N. spokesman Adnan Abu Hasna says the incident took place during a lull declared by Israel to allow humanitarian aid to enter the territory. / He says the U.N. coordinated the delivery with Israel, and the vehicle and was marked with a U.N. flag and insignia when it was shot in northern Gaza. / The Israeli army said it was investigating. / Earlier this week, an Israeli attack near a U.N. school killed more than 30 people. At the time, Israel said it opened fire after militants hiding in the crowd shot mortar shells at Israeli troops.

Israel has produced the videotape on the UN school. See Update 310. The AP should be dubbed “Always for Palestinians.”

2 to 5 rockets from Lebanon hit northern Israel

UPDATE 311. Two sources of info below – no big deal yet – moderate damage – Israel showing appropriate restraint – tossed it into Lebanon’s lap to solve. So much for the ceasefire. And this following Iran’s visit to Damascus (Update 309).

After five rockets from Lebanon exploded in the Nahariya-Kabri district, early Thursday, Jan. 8, West Galilee police ordered people to stay under cover, like citizens in the south for the past month. One rocket hit a home for retired citizens. Three were injured and 11 went into shock. Israeli aircraft and artillery shelled the source of fire. Schools were closed in the area and public shelters opened. Lebanese TV reported the rockets were fired from Wadi Hamoud south of the Litani River. Ashkelon and Ashdod also took rockets.

J’Post has more: The IDF’s Northern Command held consultations following the attack, saying that “Israel holds the government of Lebanon and the Lebanese armed forces responsible for preventing rocket fire into Israel.” The army also said that Palestinian elements were interested in “dragging Lebanon into a war.” / “Nothing happens in Lebanon without a green light from Hizbullah,” a defense official said. “Even if it was a Palestinian group who fired the rockets, Hizbullah would have to at least have turned a blind eye to allow the rocket fire.”

UPDATE 310. The pounding continues: Despite an announcement by the French President of a ceasefire agreement in Gaza on Wednesday, Israel Air Force aircraft pounded away at some 60 Hamas targets during the course of the night. A three-hour humanitarian ceasefire will be observed by the IDF in the afternoon.

But more interesting in the same article is this: The Arabs of Rafah were warned late Wednesday afternoon of the impending attack via leaflets dropped from Israeli planes. The residents in fact fled their homes, many of which concealed tunnel entrances, and dozens of buildings hiding the tunnels, and many tunnels themselves, were destroyed. Hundreds of tunnels still remain.

Tunnels. Everywhere tunnels. Hamas is running Gaza like a bunch of malignant rats. So why are the Palestinians supporting them? Is it fear? That would be understandable.

Supporting the fear consideration: “Hamas rules with an iron fist even now,” said one resident. A political activist who says he supports neither Hamas nor Fatah said that given the difficult conditions created by the ongoing shelling and ground invasion, Hamas is likely to try to prevent collaborators or those suspected to be from working with Israel.

Here’s a video of Hamas using civilian infrastructure as military bases. Why isn’t the UN all over this?

So why is it Israel’s job to correct this? If Iran is the bully, and Hamas and Hizbullah are merely extensions of it, why can’t the Arabs solve their own problems? Where’s the UN?

By popular demand – Men of the IDF

Women of the IDF

UPDATE 309. This meeting probably began with “Help me understand …”: A senior Iranian politician met Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal in Damascus on Wednesday as the Palestinian Islamist group considered an Egyptian proposal for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

Very interesting op-ed – Booyay!: Moderate, pro-Western Arab leaders are praying five times a day for Israel to deal Hamas a serious setback, if not a fatal blow, because they see it as a proxy of Iran, which they consider the real threat to their regimes. They haven’t the courage to say so publicly, but through the fog of denunciations, the message comes through.

Good. Defense sources: Even if Hamas agrees to truce, its armed wing may resist.

UPDATE 308. Good discussion of the intelligence side of this operation.

Smart. Those flyers dropped in Gaza read, “Because Hamas uses your houses to hide and smuggle military weapons, the IDF will attack the area, between the Egyptian border until the beach road.” They did not have to add “and you know it.”

And Rome will turn its back on Israel: Cardinal Renato Martino, the Vatican’s justice and peace minister, was quoted by the online Italian daily Il Sussidiario as saying the conditions in Gaza “increasingly resemble a big concentration camp.”

UPDATE 307. Hamas has 3 hours from now (until 11PM US ET): Wednesday, Jan. 7, Cairo presented Hamas with an ultimatum to reply to Egypt’s ceasefire proposals by 6 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 8. / For Hamas-Damascus and Hamas-Gaza alike, bowing to the Egyptian ultimatum and accepting the proposal intelligence minister Gen. Omar Suleiman put before its representatives in Cairo Tuesday would be seen as a surrender to the Israeli Defense Forces.

J’Post says “technical meeting”: Egypt says Israel, Hamas, Palestinians will meet on Thursday.

Israel, Egypt, and the Palestinians will ensure that any agreement makes Hamas look like they lost. Will Hamas ever agree?

UPDATE 306. IDF clearing the area. The IDF dropped flyers over the southern Gaza city of Rafiah on Wednesday warning civilians to leave the area by 8 p.m. / By 9 p.m. an intense anti-tunnel operation had began, and dozens of buildings that hid the entrances to tunnels had been destroyed. / Several thousand residents of Rafiah fled the area after being warned of the impending attack, United Nations officials in the area said. Witnesses reported exchanges of heavy fire between IDF soldiers and terrorists in the southern part of the city, where the anti-tunnel operation was in full swing.

UPDATE 305. Hamas still isn’t getting the message: After three hours of a ceasefire for humanitarian purposes, IDF’s military actions in Gaza resumed around 4:00 p.m. Wednesday, and Hamas fired rockets at Be’er Sheva.

UPDATE 304. Hamas Parenting 101: When Hamas leader Nizar Rayyan was assassinated in an IAF strike last week, his four wives and 11 of his children died with him. According to his surviving children, the death of the Rayyan family children was not an accident: Rayyan had trained his wives and children to die with him as “martyrs.” / Surviving family members spoke to local Arab media and said that in the days before his death, Rayyan has repeatedly asked his children, “Who wants to die with me as a martyr?” The children would respond, “Yes, daddy, we all want to be with you alive or dead.”

UPDATE 303. You can vote off J’Post’s homepage:

UPDATE 302. More action – ceasefire conversations be damned – we’re busy. Just hours after Jerusalem signaled it might give Franco-Egyptian diplomacy a chance on Wednesday, the Security Cabinet gave the IDF the green light to continue Operation Cast Lead in Gaza.

The Israeli Air Force dropped fliers over the southern Gaza town of Rafah on the Egyptian border Wednesday night, Jan. 7, advising dwellers of the districts connected to the Philadelphi smuggling tunnel system to leave their homes, indicating a major operation is coming.

Oh yeah – that UN School? After the terrorists fired mortar shells from the school in Jebaliya , the IDF retaliated, killing Hamas terrorists as well as civilian adults and children who were used as human shields.

UPDATE 301. CEASEFIRE IN THE OFFING. Different views.

Israel declares unilateral daily three-hour ceasefire for humanitarian corridor.

Or permanent? French President Nicolas Sarkozy has announced that Israel has agreed to a ceasefire with Hamas. Israel has not confirmed. / According to the plan, Egypt agrees, for the first time, with Israel’s demand to deploy international observers on the Egypt-Gaza border to help stop the wholesale arms-smuggling into Gaza. It insists, however, that Israel must cease its fire immediately and then discuss the details of a full-scale truce.

Israel: We’ll accept Gaza truce if it stops Hamas terror.

Despite mounting international pressure for an end to hostilities between Israel and Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip, Hamas declared on Wednesday that it would not accept any permanent cease-fire with Israel.

See previous updates.

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