Israel rejects truce?
This morning, we read from Reuters that “Israel rejects truce, presses on with Gaza strikes“. It hints that the Palestinians offered a truce after losing more than 300 dead, doesn’t it? Here’s a screen shot of the headline;
But actually, we find out in the eighth paragraph, the truce appeal didn’t come from Hamas at all;
The United Nations has called for an immediate truce. But Israeli Interior Minister Meir Sheetrit said “there is no room for a ceasefire” with Hamas until the threat of rocket fire had been removed.
“The Israeli army must not stop the operation before breaking the will of the Palestinians, of Hamas, to continue to fire at Israel,” he told Israel Radio.
Oh, so it was the United Nations that asked Israel to unilaterally stop shooting. I wonder if the UN asked Hamas to stop shooting since they’ve been shooting for the last six weeks of the “ceasefire”. In fact, most of the news sources make it sound as if israel is the aggressor here. The Washington Post paints them as lunatic war mongers;
While previous Israeli assaults on Gaza have pinpointed crews of Hamas rocket launchers and stores of weapons, the attacks that began Saturday have had broader aims than any before. Israeli military officials said Monday that their target lists have expanded to include the vast support network that the Islamist movement relies on to stay in power in the strip. The choice of targets suggests that Israel intends to weaken all the various facets of Hamas rather than just its armed wing.
The Jerusalem Post reports that the strikes over the weekend were ill-considered acts of near-terrorism;
The announcement came as sources close to Hamas said that the movement’s armed wing had hardly been affected by the IDF operation that began on Saturday.
The sources told The Jerusalem Post that many of the casualties in the first two days of the operation were “ordinary” policemen who had been recently recruited to various branches of the security forces.
“These policemen were being enlisted to direct the traffic and fight crime,” the sources said. “These are not the militiamen who are responsible for the rocket attacks on Israel.”
This explains why Hamas did not rush to evacuate the headquarters of the “civilian” police force in Gaza City before the IDF offensive.
Reuters reports that a clerical group in Iran is enlisting volunteers to help Hamas in Gaza;
A group of Iranian hardline clerics is signing up volunteers to fight in the Gaza Strip in response to Israel’s airstrikes that have killed at least 300 Palestinians, a news agency reported on Monday.
“From Monday the Combatant Clergy Society has activated its website for a week to register volunteers to fight against the Zionist regime (Israel) in either the military, financial or propaganda fields,” the semi-official Fars news agency said.
Israel patrols the coastal waters around Gaza and has declared areas around the enclave a “closed military zone”.
The hardline Iranian group, which is headed by some leading clergy, says it has no affiliation with the government and was formed shortly after Iran’s 1979 Islamic revolution.
I guess the Iranians are afraid of an Israeli air strike because their head cleric issued a fatwa ordering all Muslims to defend Hamas according to Ynet;
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued a religious decree to Muslims around the world on Sunday, ordering them to defend Palestinians against Israel’s attacks on Gaza, state television said.
“All Palestinian combatants and all the Islamic world’s pious people are obliged to defend the defenseless women, children and people in Gaza in any way possible. Whoever is killed in this legitimate defense is considered a martyr,” state television quoted Khamenei as saying in a statement outlining the fatwa.
Yeah, so Israel accepting a truce from the UN would do a lot of good, huh?
Category: Foreign Policy, Media, Terror War
I think so. First of all- the killing (mostly by Israel at this point) would stop for the time being. Secondly- It de-escalates the growing tension in the region (which you site above) which could turn the conflict into an all-out war. Are these not desireable goals?
I don’t see how you draw the conclusion that WaPo painted Israel as a bunch of lunatic warmongers. It sounds like a summary of action.
Israel started this conflict on November 4th by bombing tunnels in Gaza that they claimed were being used to transport weapons. How anyone can honestly support Israel in this conflict is beyond me…and your attempt to merge Iran with Hamas is weak.
Israel should immediately accept the truce from the UN.
Jonn wrote: The only reason I approved this comment is because it makes you look so stupid.
Well wait a sec. Is this comment so stupid? Have we stopped to think why we all support Israel so unequivocally?
Jonn wrote: Illustrated stupidity for the reality impaired:
Ok so we can debate back and forth about who started what in this ongoing conflict but we shouldn’t get bogged down by it. Instead, we should examine what is the big picture? Why do we support Israel? Are they an ally?
Jonn wrote: Yeah, if we ignore everything that’s happened in the last fifty years and only focus on what’s happened since Sunday…since Israel began their counter attack. If we take no lessons from what we’ve learned about dealing with Palestinian extremists.
“Israel started this conflict on November 4th by bombing tunnels in Gaza that they claimed were being used to transport weapons”. Conveniently overlooking the 3000+ rockets fired into Israel by Hamas over the last few weeks. I think that BDS is morphing into JDS, Joooooo Derangement Syndrome. After all, it’ll be a far reach to blame Bush for anything after Jan. 20th, and the Jooooooos are easy to kick around. They have the nerve to defend themselves from attacks by people who refuse to recognize their right to exist, how dare they?
Jonn, I will send you the link if you are interested. I’m not denying the rocket attacks, I’m suggesting (at least) there’s equal parts blame in this matter.
Israel’s response, however, is excessive. It’s a bit like killing a fly with a shotgun, no?
Finally, UpNorth, claiming my criticism is rooted in anti-Semitism is foolish. Israel is a country, Judiasm is a religion. There’s a BIG difference, buddy.
“A group of Iranian hardline clerics is signing up volunteers to fight in the Gaza Strip in response to Israel’s airstrikes that have killed at least 300 Palestinians, a news agency reported on Monday.”
Anyone notice that the ‘hardline clerics’ always hide out in a cave behind their 25 wives when the actual shooting starts?
The leftie’s must be in a whirlwind since they’re new ‘chosen one’ has stated he would do exactly what Israel is doing if someone endangered his children.
“Gaza truce broken as Israeli raid kills six Hamas gunmen”
Rory McCarthy in Jerusalem
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 5 November 2008 14.32 GMT
A four-month ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza was in jeopardy today after Israeli troops killed six Hamas gunmen in a raid into the territory.
more here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/nov/05/israelandthepalestinians
Jonn wrote: Oh, I believe it. I just don’t believe that you’re so stupid that you don’t see a problem with Palestinians smuggling weapons through a tunnel to Israel during a ceasefire.
Israeli Interior Minister Meir Sheetrit said “there is no room for a ceasefire” with Hamas until the threat of rocket fire had been removed.
“The Israeli army must not stop the operation before breaking the will of the Palestinians, of Hamas, to continue to fire at Israel,” he told Israel Radio
Hamas is a terrorist organization that has repeatedly attacked the Israeli people. I agree with Sheetrit, that there’s no room for a ceasefire until the Israeli’s take out Hamas.
Go for it Israel!
Of course there is a problem, on both sides. And actually it wasn’t weapons mentioned in this article but a supposed planned kidnapping (Did you read it?). Anyways, the point is the finger pointing can go back and forth but we still haven’t addressed the root cause or why we support one side over the other (as demonstrated in your failure to address it in your earlier response above).
Jonn wrote: No I didn’t read it – I said I believed you that it happened. But your recounting that it was a planned kidnapping makes your position even more laughable. And like I said; if we ignore everything that happened throughout history until Sunday, you’re right. But everything that happened before Sunday is relevant. The “root cause” for all of this violence is a bunch of stone age thugs who don’t want compromise – isn’t compromise the whole basis for your side’s foreign policy? Well, except when it comes to the Jews?
I guess the Iranians are afraid of an Israeli air strike because their head cleric issued a fatwa ordering all Muslims to defend Hamas according to Ynet;
I guess the CCPM have got these marching orders as well. I wonder how many will still continue to show up at the WC rally?
RV, do you apply the same rule to the Palestinians – namely, do you acknowledge the Palestinians right to defend themselves against a nation that has blockaded their ports, deprived them of electricity, etc?
Thanks for the article, FNZ…the one you linked was a lot better than the one I found.
I wouldn’t expect you read it. Assumptions are more your speed. And I don’t know what is laughable about weapons vs kidnapping.. I didn’t have a position either way.. was just correcting you.
“The “root cause” for all of this violence is a bunch of stone age thugs who don’t want compromise” That is hardly an informed answer to a complex question. But I wouldn’t expect anything more from you.
“isn’t compromise the whole basis for your side’s foreign policy?” What is my side? What assumptions are you making now? Again- typical from you.
“Well, except when it comes to the Jews?” Who said anything about Jews? You are making the same mistake as UpNorth and since the fallacy of that reasoning was already pointed out I will leave it alone.
When are you going to answer the questions instead of resorting to your usual playbook of scripted answers?
Jonn wrote: What questions? You think it’s perfectly fine for Hamas to tunnel under the wall to kidnap Israeli soldiers, but if Israeli soldiers interdict the plot, they break the ceasefire. See, that’s the whole problem – you don’t think the Jews have a right to defend themselves. They should just lay back on their beds and wait for death. I have no “playbook of scripted answers”. Your defense of the indefensible is so naive, I can deflect your idiocy with simple answers. If an ally of the US used the same tactics that Hamas depends upon, you’d be screaming bloody murder for their heads. If you were any more transparent, you couldn’t type.
Eddie,
The Israeli’s have repeatedly given into Palestinian demands, only to have the Palestinians not hold their end of the bargain up.
Go ahead, it’s your choice to root for the terrorists. I’ll stand with our allies, the Israeli people.
Eddie, I wasn’t accusing you of anti-semitism. I don’t believe Israel has a separation of church & state article in their constitution, so it’s hard to separate the Joooooos from Israel. And as far as the response being disproportionate, I don’t think Israel has reached the 3000 number of bombs dropped or missiles fired yet. When it comes down to it, Hamas has said they refuse to recognize Israel’s right to exist. So, I take them at their word, they want to eliminate the State of Israel and it’s people. To fight someone who wants to kill you and quit before you’ve eliminated him or his ability to harm you is foolish at best.
“What questions?” How about these Jonn:
“what is the big picture? Why do we support Israel? Are they an ally?” Still you have no intelligent response.
“You think it’s perfectly fine for Hamas to tunnel under the wall to kidnap Israeli soldiers, but if Israeli soldiers interdict the plot, they break the ceasefire.” Again, your scripted playbook: making assumptions. Show me where I said it was ok. You can’t can you?
“See, that’s the whole problem – you don’t think the Jews have a right to defend themselves.” More of the same from your playbook… Again you have no basis for this simplistic assumption. Nice try though.
“I have no “playbook of scripted answers”” LOL! I think we have beat this one into the ground sufficiently so I’ll leave it at that. 🙂
“Your defense of the indefensible is so naive, I can deflect your idiocy with simple answers” Again show me where I defended them. And again… you can’t.
Jonn- you know what the real problem is? You are blindly tied to the Conservative/Republican agenda hook-line-and-sinker and it forces you into arguing points that are inconsistent. Until you divorce yourself from this blind faith and ignorance your judgment and independent
critical thinking ability will be handicapped. Throw away that crutch.. you don’t need it. Once you are free from that encumbrance you won’t suffer from it’s illogical dogma.
Jonn wrote: Thanks. The scales have fallen from my eyes. You’re a rocket scientist and I’m a dullard. I have a playbook and you have Ron Paul talking poin…I mean, a beautiful mind.
UpNorth, regardless of whether or not Israel has a separation of church and state, there are non-Jews living in Israel…so if you weren’t calling me anti-Semitic I don’t know what you were doing.
Your assessment of Israel’s response is misleading, too. Although Israel hasn’t lobbed 3000 bombs into Gaza, surely you don’t want to compare casualties? Israel’s response is similar to a police department’s endorsement of taking out the entire block because there was one murder.
It doesn’t add up, not by a long shot. I’d say the response is against International Law, but honestly, who are we to judge?
RV, I don’t know what to tell you other than to do some research beyond FOX news and this blog. Believe it or not, there’s a wealth of knowledge that exists outside the neocon sphere or influence.
I wish it were as easy for me to take mental vacations…
Let’s start this discussion with the absolute dact that Israel is the aggrieved party and is simply responding to a systematic and uncalled for war of aggression waged against the Jewish people by a terrorist organization.
That anyone with more than an ounce of usable brain matter could consider Hamas as worthy of anything but destruction is beyond me. There are NO Palestinians. Palestine was made up from whole cloth by the British, and the myth of Palestinians being a separate, identifiable people is maintained by the various Arab & Muslim nations as a means of waging a proxy war against Israel.
The “Palestinians” have brought this war upon their own heads by voting in Hamas as their government, and standing by and cheering as wave after wave of rockets were slammed into Israeli property. The “Palestinians” have cheered on the naked anti-semitic propaganda and actions of Muslims around the world.
There are NO innocent “Palestinians”, in the same manner as there were no innocent Germans in 1945. These “Palestinians” bear the same guilt as anyone who launches a rocket, pulls a trigger, or sends a homicide bomber to attack innocent civilians.
Israel is now now, and has never been an aggressor nation. It has done more than any other nation to try and bring peace to that area of the world, but the Islamists will have none of it. It’s way past time that Israel took whatever actions are required to ensure it’s survival as a nation, and the integrity of it’s people, religion, and culture.
If that means the absolute destruction of Gaza and the “Palestinian” people(s), then so be it.
Wahabism Delenda Est. Hamas Delenda Est.
AW1 Tim, you lost me in your first paragraph. Conjecture is NOT fact, nice try.
Try reading the linked article in FNZ’s post above for starters.
What’s the problem? Reached the end of your script? So you go with the last ditch play- the ‘hail mary’ Ron Paul reference. 🙂
Jonn wrote: Yep, that’s it. Normally I love having discussions with people who only allow certain, pre-approved facts into the discussion. I love being told that, no matter what fact I introduce into the discourse, it comes from an instruction manual and so not relevant. I love going around in circles with utterly ignorant buffoons who won’t deviate from their firmly held and intellectually tenuous beliefs like a dog on a tennis ball. But today my panties are wadded up around the sand in my crotch.
FNZ and Eddie,
You should go a tad farther back in history to learn about so-called Palestinian problem.
Reading the works written by the really neutral scholars and historians instead of the rabid anti-semites might help, too.
At this point in time, anybody who is declaring Israel an agressor and Hamas and so-called palestinians a victim, IS an anti-semite – sorry for calling a cat the cat.
Eddie & Zombie, You guys really need to get out more often and start actually READING the history books. You know, the ones that you don’t colour in? Seriously. The Palestinians are a made-up people, created by both the British after WWI when they divvied up the remains of the Ottoman Empire, and capitalized upon by the countries surrounding Israel for PR purposes, and as a buffer between them and Israel. The British delineated what were the physical borders of Palestine, and then called everyone living within them Palestinians. At one time, Jordan offered Arafat a chunk of land to create a new home for “his” people. Arafat refused, because he knew that if he had accepted, he could not keep his iron hold on the Palestinians, he wouldn’t be able to keep up his war of extermination against the Jews. Did you know that all of the countries around Israel refuse to grant citizenship to Palestinians who seek to emigrate there? Virtually anyone else in the world could emigrate to, say, Jordan or Egypt and apply for citizenship. The sole exceptions are Jews and Palestinians. Those countries WANT to keep using the Palestinians as meatsheilds for their aggressions, as a means of waging a proxy war against Israel. Go ahead, Eddie, deny it all you want to, but the fact remains that Hamas and the Palestinians, indeed, the majority of the Islamic world, are comitted to the destruction of Israel and of ALL the Jews, everywhere in the world. That’s demonstrable fact. And Eddie, when they are done killing all the Jews, they will come for you as well, because YOU aren’t a Muslim. It really is that simple. Israel is not, and never has been, the aggressor. She has always RESPONDED to attacks against her, turning her cheek to the horrors perpetrated by Islamists for decades, hoping against hope to enjoy the peace she and all the Jews deserve. As long as the bloody Islamists like Hamas, and their terror apologists and enablers like yourself exist, however, that is very unlikely to happen. Grow up a little, Eddie.… Read more »
Eddie Willers said:
I wish it were as easy for me to take mental vacations…
You do it everytime you post here, you pompous asswipe.
Olga, AW1 Tim and RV, you guys rock!!! FNZ and Eddie are trolls, pure and simple. They post to get a response, then call the responders names, clutch their hearts, scream they’ve been maligned.
Eddie, no you don’t know what I was doing. That’s quite evident. Still no response to the fact that Hamas wants to eradicate Israel and kill the occupants of said country? And Eddie, the residents of Gaza get their electricity and most supplies from Israel. If Hamas fires rockets at Israel, I think they have a right to close the borders, turn out the lights and even go after the ones firing the rockets and those that support them.
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#25 Goliaff:
Did you have something to add?
#26
I’m judging from the content of #25, that no, he really doesn’t. 😉
#27 Jocobite:
He’s thinking, he’s thinking….
I smell the smoke…………….