Hamas is concerned with maintaining the peace with Israel, for whatever reason. If they are 'restocking', Israel makes more planning.

Just in case everyone doesn't realise it, Irael has:

Warships
Tanks
Aircraft
More missiles


Hamas doesn't.


The 'truce' is still holding for the most part. 

IamMe, I thank you for this comment. It's hardly unusual for anyone who criticizes ANY action taken by the Israeli government to be accused of anti-Semitism or worse being a "Jew hater" as one poster did on this thread as well as another, on an unrelated thread in a different section of this forum.   

I understand your lack of interest in the U.S. historical documents such as the Declaration of Independence or the U.S. Constitution along with specifically those first ten amendments , known as the Bill of Rights. That discussion on this thread yesterday actually had no relevant place on this thread any more than the comparison to the Hamas Covenant. I appropriately should not have brought it up as it was unquestionably OT. 

But today, as a U.S. citizen, this news reprinted in the NY Times from Reuters, reminds me that though Israel is often noted to be the only democracy in the Middle East as a basis for the long time support of the U.S., those in the U.S. consider both freedom of speech and the right to assembly some of those most precious rights we hold. It appears in Israel there are no corresponding rights, not even for those who are Israeli citizens.

IamMe, I have no doubt the posting of this article may attract the same kind of personal attacks as others of mine have incurred, but it is worth while IMHO to share to show an example of what I referred to in about the "oppression of peoples" even when attempting to peacefully protest an Israeli governmental action.  It is this kind of behavior that leads me to criticize and question the support of my government's interference in attempting to elect Fatah and certainly leads me to disagree there should be a re-invasion of Gaza by Israel to put Fatah back into control in Gaza which was the actual topic of this thread.

July 5, 2008
Israel Blocks West Bank Village Over Protests

By REUTERS
Filed at 5:34 p.m. ET

RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Israeli forces blockaded a Palestinian village on Saturday in what the army called an effort to curb protests against the construction of a West Bank barrier deemed illegal by the World Court.

Troops were encircling Ni'lin, near the Palestinian city of Ramallah, to prevent would-be foreign protesters from joining protests against the barrier, a network of razor-wire fences and concrete barricades that cuts into occupied West Bank land.

"The protests have been getting more violent, and that is what we're trying to stop," an Israeli army spokeswoman said.

The blockade involved declaring the construction site a "closed military zone," a sweeping measure that did not appear to provide access to the area for any peaceful demonstrators.

The military spokeswoman said soldiers stationed around Ni'lin could allow people through "in accordance with security considerations," though the closure was of indefinite duration.

Israel says the barrier is intended to keep out Palestinian suicide bombers. But it also loops around Jewish settlement blocs, cutting off some West Bank villages from swaths of farmland.

Construction sites are flashpoints for confrontations between Israeli security forces and Palestinians, who are often supported by left-wing protesters from Israel and abroad.

Ni'lin residents said the closure was imposed on Friday, which also saw a march against the barrier during which around 20 protesters were hurt by rubber bullets fired by Israeli security forces. Four protesters from an Israeli solidarity group were arrested, an organizer of the demonstration said.

Casualties and other patients were prevented from leaving the village for treatment, said Salah al-Khawaja, spokesman for the Ni'lin Committee for Resisting the Wall.

The military spokeswoman said security forces were attacked by hundreds of Palestinians who pelted them with rocks and rolled burning tires at them, injuring a border policeman. She denied that the closure was affecting the movement of patients.

A demonstration was held on Saturday in defiance of the closure, with Ni'lin youths blockading roads used by bulldozers to access the construction site, residents said.

Israeli security forces fired rubber bullets and tear gas, injuring at least seven people, residents said.

Security forces were "using means of riot dispersal" after coming under a hail of rocks, in which two policemen were injured, the military spokeswoman said.

Israel Radio said the closure would be reviewed by Tuesday.

(Writing by Dan Williams; Editing by Sami Aboudi)

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/world/international-palestinians-israel-barrier.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print

 

mdma, you created the poll and posted this thread including the question that is the title of it. Still it appears rather than discussing your topic, you prefer to attempt to continually damn me on a personal level including accusations I have had a number of different screen names in participation on this forum. Before the changes in the forum last year, my earlier screen name was Cassandra. This is easily verified by Terry Mathis, but following the changes in the forum the name and former posts were all missing so I returned as Cass, also verifiable by Ahkenaten, a forum moderator, who assisted in establishing the new account.

However, for the purpose of the topic of this this thread, such discussion is beside the point.

Continuing on topic, Terry, with the article from McClatchy posted yesterday, your recent addition to this thread appears to be confirmed.  It appears, for whatever reason, Hamas, very much wants this cease fire to continue,
but it is those militants, related to Fatah, who appear to want to sabotage the effort. As it is Fatah, if not
those militant groups that support Fatah and Abbas who are currently acting against the cease fire, who are the chosen representative of both the U.S. and Israeli governments, it is questionable, IMO, if the cease fire will hold
as Hamas obviously has no ability to control the actions of supporters of Fatah.

Hamas, long the peace spoiler, finds it hard to halt attacks

Dion Nissenbaum | McClatchy Newspapers

last updated: July 05, 2008 04:14:46 PM

BEIT HANOUN, Gaza Strip - Like a Gettysburg battlefield tour guide , Ali Kafarna pointed out the scars of war as he walked through the fields between his home and the Israeli border.

"Here's where the tanks used to stop," said Ali, 14, as he passed a dirt berm dug into dry grass littered with shrapnel and animal bones.

"Here's where they used to fire rockets," Ali said of the charred square of earth that Palestinians used as a launching pad to attack Israel.

Until last month, this area was a no-go zone for Ali and his family. Two weeks into a shaky cease-fire, Palestinian families are using the relative calm to visit bullet-scarred homes a few hundred yards from the Israeli border and replant orchards uprooted by the Israeli military.

But the Egyptian-brokered peace is slowly unraveling as Hamas leaders in Gaza struggle to keep militants — especially their Fatah rivals — from firing the occasional rocket at Israel.

It's an awkward situation for Hamas: After years of derailing Palestinian peace talks with Israel by staging suicide bombings, Hamas is now the one asking rivals to halt their attacks on Israel.

The complete article is available on the link as well as comments that may be of interest to others in the discussion on this thread.

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/world/story/43232.html

 

I've never seen Cass say anything hateful towards Jews in Israel. Perhaps you can provide some evidence?

MDMA, you are both a fool and a liar. Take your medicine and STFU.

Got it?


Good.


Cass is 100% right, and you're nothing but a pimple on my arse.




EDIT: That so called 'poll' was screwed up from the get go. And it looks like a sixth grader put it together. I laughed my arse off. 

LOL, Terry.  As you know, I'm going to find it hard to "be a man."  Interesting isn't it that we come from such different povs and can still be civil about our disagreements.
As I continue to hope for an end to what I choose to call asymetrical warfare between the various factions of Palestinians and the current choice of the people of Israel to lead their government, in the end what has disturbed me most is the interference of our government in the internal affairs and elections, as we both share that citizenship.

While I'm no classic pacifist, I continue to hope for a different path toward some resolution of the conflicts in the ME other than continued killing of innocents. While mdma may not realize it, nor will never accept it, I have deep concern not just for those Palestinians who were displaced by the partition now over sixty years ago, but the Israeli people who continue to suffer from the violence like the missiles that continue to as stated "rained on them," or other forms of terrorism, by those who continue to do so regardless of the political machinations that appear endless.  

Unfortunately, the interference, not just of the U.S., but of other nations in the ME continue as well, including those "allies," the Saudis so intwined with the Bush family and
Administrations.

Maybe it's time for me to personally go ahead and say "a pox on all" and simply ignore it all, but I find it impossible to do, as impossible as I find it to prove a factual basis when all that is continued to be discussed remains little, but opinion.

As a result, if nothing, but concern for the future of my American Jewish grandchildren, I will hold out hope that at some point in their lives, at least if only for the purpose of a visit in relative safety, they may be able to not only state at the end of each Passover seder, "Next year in Jerusalem,"  they may visit the historical land  of their ancestors prior to the diaspora.  

But even more, as I have stated from my life during the long "cold war," I hope, though no doubt we will continue to disagree , a new and hideous holocaust will not be result in an atomic war as the result of a lack of diplomacy between the sole atomic power in the ME and others who would also acquire it.

Cheers, but not to forget,"cowboy," we ancient former "cowgirls" from TX are not just "Southern Belles," but are instead "Steel Magnolias."  As a result I guess I'm strong enough to "take the blows" from those who use that method to discredit those who choose to post opinions that disagree. Cass

I note this follows, as I'm warned, another post related to the continued disagreements.  Guess Terry and IamMe, I'll continue my daily readings from a variety of sources as
I continue to share and/or disagree with "opinion."

Chill down Dad. Now tell me some retarded story of yours about some Australian birds?


So that's the level needed to make you participating ? Wow, i never expected FROM YOU to judge my discussion levels. You the least who can do that. Most important we have some 30+ years difference.