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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| Israeli-Hamas Truce Set to Begin Thursday |
| 2008-06-18 |
| Palestinian and Egyptian officials say Israel and the Islamic militant group Hamas have reached a cease-fire agreement that will go into effect in Gaza on Thursday. Israel would not confirm the deal, but said a negotiator was rushing to Cairo to finalize details. Robert Berger at the VOA bureau in Jerusalem. Under the emerging, Egyptian-mediated truce Palestinians would halt rocket and mortar attacks and Israel would gradually lift its crippling blockade on Gaza, which is ruled by Hamas. But shortly before the deal was announced in Cairo, Israel carried out several air strikes on Gaza. In the deadliest attack, an Israeli aircraft fired a missile at a car, killing five gunmen from the Islamic Jihad group. Israel frequently launches air and ground incursions in Gaza in response to daily Palestinian rocket and mortar attacks. Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat, a member of the more moderate Palestinian government in the West Bank, urged Israel not to spoil the truce. "The continuation of the policy of incursions and the killing fields is really undermining every effort to deliver peace," he said. Israel was reluctant to accept the truce, fearing Hamas will use it to regroup and rearm for the next round of violence. But Israeli analyst Chuck Freilich says that for now, a cease-fire is preferable to an Israeli invasion of Gaza. "I don't think it'll last very long term," he noted. "It still looks like sooner or later we will have to go into Gaza in a big way, but it would be nice to try all possibilities that might allow us to avert that." In the second phase of the truce, Israel hopes to win the release of a captive soldier, held for two years by Hamas militants in Gaza. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #5 But, of course, it's only Wednesday... JERUSALEM - Palestinian militants launched at least 50 rockets and mortars from Gaza and Israel responded with airstrikes on Wednesday, just a day before a truce was set to take effect, illustrating how fragile the arrangement between Israel and Hamas would be. After months of violence, the leaders of both sides expressed hope that truce would succeed — but made clear they have little faith in their adversaries' commitment to the deal. But on Wednesday, the truce still seemed remote. the military said at least 40 rockets and 10 mortar shells exploded in Israel by nightfall, an especially high one-day total. Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for much of the rocket fire, saying it was avenging Israeli airstrikes that killed 10 militants in the previous two days. Dis one's fa you, Mumtaz! Israel hit back with two more airstrikes, wounding two Palestinians, according to Hamas security officials. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2008-06-18 14:58 |
| #4 What is not said is what happens with IslamicJihad and the other off label brands. |
| Posted by: mhw 2008-06-18 14:18 |
| #3 it depends, the details arent all clear. Calm is okay, of course. In general the IDF has only launched ops in response to Pal ops, so mutual restraint would only be an extension of that. Opening Rafah means reducing/eliminating the economic pressure on Hamas. But the question is, what was that buying? Was Fatah retaking the strip from hamas? Was hamas so weakened that Fatah could (would) go further in peace talks with israel? Israel was taking international PR hits from the siege, as well as continued attacks on Sderot. If this makes Hamas POLITICALLY stronger, tahts a big loss for Abbas, and the strategy of building up Abbas, but if Abbas wasnt delivering, how big a loss is that? Of course Israel gets Shalit back, which is useful in countering the "hamas won" meme, though they have to give some Pal prisoners up. Egypt is supposed to clamp down on arms smuggling to Gaza. Yeah, I know. With limited PA and Israeli control over Rafah, it all depends on egypt now. The Shin Bet is supposed to confirm that the Egyptians are doing their job. Now the big controversy seems to be the q if this extends to the West Bank. That would make Hamas look like a WB player. Israel denies it, egypt says it will be extended to the WB after 6 months. |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 2008-06-18 09:21 |
| #2 Least turboimagehost never called me Doofus! |
| Posted by: GorbsDawg 2008-06-18 08:41 |
| #1 My dog Doofus here thinks this is about the dumbest idea he has ever heard of. |
| Posted by: gorb 2008-06-18 04:10 |