WELL... Who would have guessed  (??), but the ceasefire doesn't appear to be going so well....



As I previously said, only a few days ago... This "ceasefire" is an example of where history leads me to be skeptical... VERY skeptical... This is certainly not the first "ceasefire"... Hamas likes ceasefires because it generally allows their militant operatives to freely wonder the streets without fear of being arrested or targetting by Israel...Each time before, Hamas used the "quiet" to "quietly" re-arm, reorganize, and strengthen it's resolve to terrorize Israel...  Hamas has agreed to ceasefires in the past, but has yet to hint at ever being willing to recognize Israel's right to exist, or ever agreeing to permanent peace with Israel... "Ceasefires" by nature are temporary.   COULD this time, finally, be different?  SURE... But I also believe it would be very premature to believe so or to be more than simply "hopeful".

There's no need to be triumphalist.

In the interests of further documenting the "cease fire" for future review.


It's a safe bet to assume Hamas won't be proudly claiming responsibility... 2 of the other major terrorist groups have already taken their turns at claiming responsibility (as normally happens during cease fires)...

A Palestinian on a Bulldozer Rampage yesterday reportedly killed 3 and injured 40+ others in Jerusalem.  But so far this appear to have been an individual acting on his own, though I've seen reports indicated terrorist groups (Hezbollah being one, a group calling themselves the Imad Mughnieh unit of the Brigades of the Liberators of the Galilee" being another") having attempted to proudly claim responsibility... While Abbas of course condemned the action, Hamas leadership excused it calling it"the natural result of continuing Israeli agression against our people in the West Bank and occupied Jerusalem"....

You're correct... And a re-occupation of Gaza may ultimately be the only option to stop Hamas and their Kassams.... Certainly Fatah/Abbas isn't going to do it, and has already demonstrated their lack of authority over Hamas by losing control of Gaza to them... And should this current cease fire go the way of so many others before, Israel is certainly not going to sit around while Kassams continue to rain down on them... Certainly a re-occupation of Gaza isn't a desired option, but it may become necessary.. Meanwhile we can hold out hope that this cease fire amounts to something more, however unlikely that might be.

IamMe, I tend to wonder if much of this would come to a more realistic end if there was any hope of ending the outside influences of both
other Arab nations, but most especially that of the U.S. ?  While this question continues to remain with only a short period with no missiles
fired by Hamas, my personal frustration as a U.S. citizen remains the interference of my nation which has hardly been a positive one.  It is not just Israel who punishes the Palestinians, but the U.S. since they provided financial support for Abbas and Fatah and the didn't manage to achieve the desired result in the election.

And? realityman?  Should that change my opinion, clearly stated, regarding interference by my nation in both the election when Hamas was legitimately elected and the negative aspects related to it by the current Administration and those who at this point make the relevant decisions by the U.S.?   

From the article from the Jerusalem Post you chose to post, there is also this.

"Referring to the explosion in Gaza earlier Thursday in which four people were killed, and for which Israel denied responsibly, Haniyeh said, "The daily Zionist aggression proves that the Israelis cannot implement the large-scale operation that they are talking about."

Nevertheless, Haniyeh said he believed Gazans must exercise caution, since "under the constant threat of a large-scale operation, the Israeli army is carrying out attacks in which many civilians are killed."

Regarding Egyptian efforts to broker a truce in Gaza, Haniyeh said that a cease-fire was not a Hamas request but was proposed by the US and Israel. "The Palestinians are not begging for calm," he said. "The Israelis are concerned that things will end like they did with Hizbullah and they understand that Hamas is not an organization made up of a few cells, but one with many wings and with a deep hold on land and on the Palestinian public."

The Hamas prime minister went on to say that the movement would not disappear. "Those who will disappear are the Israeli leaders who want Hamas to disappear, like [former prime minister Ariel] Sharon and [Prime Minister Ehud] Olmert...whoever replaces him will also disappear but we will continue to exist."

My opinion doesn't change from thread to thread, regardless of your conflicting opinion.  From Terry Mathis thread: "Neither is guilt free and neither is totally complicit."

Olmert, in particular, has a lot on his personal plate in the process of threatening Iran, the possible agreements with Syria and it will be very difficult politically for him to hold
office trying to satisfy a variety of Israeli factions.  Will, as he has threatened, a massive incursion into Gaza be the case? I don't know, but I strongly suspect he no longer holds the power to respond to all the threats he continues to put forward in the process of continuing to try to CYA himself. 

I don't know if the statement made by  Haniyeh was correct or a bluff.  Unlike you, I admit I don't honestly know as I do not claim as you do with all your so-called "moral certainty" to know what the ultimate results will be.  Is it all just continued "sabre rattling" or reality? Guess at some point we'll discover one way or the other. But either way, once more innocents will die in the process. Nothing new in that is there? 

Occupy to send them flowers you say? I would happily attend with flowers to their funeral.


Israel pushes Palestinians in general otherwise there would not be a place called Israel by now.
Arabs are happily killing each other instead of having proper government that can communicate with Israeli government. Who am I to interrupt those innocent victims of blood thirsty Jews.