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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan | |
| Israel gives Hamas 48 hours, opens Gaza borders | |
| 2008-12-27 | |
For the first time in 10 days, Israel opened its border crossings with the Gaza Strip Friday morning to allow in essential humanitarian supplies. If Hamas, the radical Islamist movement ruling the Gaza Strip, responds by reducing rocket and mortar attacks from the strip, Israel will put off a military operation, officials said. Speaking on an Arabic television station popular in the Gaza Strip, Israeli caretaker Prime Minister Ehud Olmert issued what he said was a ‘last-minute’ call to stop the rocket attacks and avoid bloodshed. Egypt, meanwhile, was making efforts to curb the escalation in Gaza, a day after Tzipi Livni traveled to Cairo Thursday for talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Egyptian Intelligence Chief Omar Suleiman spoke on the telephone with Hamas’ de-facto foreign minister in Gaza, Mahmoud al-Zahar, Israel Radio reported Friday. The broadcaster added that Egypt had also beefed up its forces along its border with the Gaza Strip, fearing Palestinians may try to breach the border should Israel attack. A spokesman in Cairo would not confirm. Livni told Mubarak Thursday that ‘enough is enough’ and that Hamas was ‘mistaken’ if it thought that its rocket and mortar attacks would improve the conditions of a six-month, Egyptian-mediated truce, which expired one week ago. Hamas has said it is interested in a new truce, but wants improved terms. In particular, it opposes conditioning the opening of Israel’s border crossings with the complete cessation of rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip. Attacks from the salient continued Friday, with militants launching at least 10 mortar shells and two rockets into southern Israel by the afternoon, a military spokesman said. | |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #8 This brings the article to better focus and understanding. Israel was playing it really, REALLY cool. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2008-12-27 22:45 |
| #7 Hey, LH - how's it going? |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2008-12-27 22:43 |
| #6 "took Hamas by surprise and served to Cockles. Heart. Warm. :-D |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2008-12-27 22:42 |
| #5 I love it. One of the reasons I had to come back here, was cause I knew there'd be something negative about opening the border, and I figured it would still be up after the op had started. Of course I wouldnt have guessed myself what it meant, and its perfectly understandable after 2006 to doubt israels ability to pull off a deception like this (and of course this op isnt over yet) but at this point Barak is looking smart. Me like. |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 2008-12-27 22:30 |
| #4 All war is based on deception Sun Tzu |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2008-12-27 18:40 |
| #3 electricity off, blow the sewage dam, let Egypt deal with them |
| Posted by: Frank G 2008-12-27 16:30 |
| #2 isn't the idea of a siege to deny supplies to the enemy so they lose the will to fight? Israel is doing it backwards... they are teaching the enemy that they can do without, and giving them supplies often enough that they never give up |
| Posted by: Abu do you love 2008-12-27 16:23 |
| #1 There are no "civilian" targets in Gaza. Line up the 155s wheel-hub to wheel-hub, and start firing. When there's nothing left higher than a 3-foot pile of rubble, stop. Wait to see if anyone crawls out of the rubble, and ask them if they are willing to live in peace with Israel as a neighbor. If they say yes, then start working to help them recover. If they say no, go back to step one and begin all over. Sooner or later, there will either be no one to talk to, or the survivors will sue for peace under any terms, including accepting the right of Israel to exist. If the "world" protests, tell them to blow it out their nether ports. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2008-12-27 16:18 |