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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan | ||
| Cabinet convenes to vote on unilateral Gaza cease-fire | ||
| 2009-01-17 | ||
The cabinet on Saturday night convened at the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv, to vote on a unilateral cease-fire deal which could end Operation Cast Lead three weeks after it began. The cabinet is expected to back an Egyptian-brokered proposal for a 10-day cease-fire with no sign of a commitment by Hamas to stop the rocket fire on southern Israel which sparked the conflict.
He stressed that it was up to the army to be prepared for all possible outcomes. The cabinet was convening on Saturday night in order to decide whether to adopt a unilateral cease-fire. According to a statement released by the Prime Minister's Office, "Significant progress was made during talks [Israeli officials] held with the Egyptian intelligence chief." "Over the weekend the prime minister and the defense minister will discuss the offered draft. Following the discussion, the security cabinet will be convened on Saturday evening to decide whether it should be adopted," the statement said. The PMO statement was released shortly after Amos Gilad, the head of the Defense Ministry's Diplomatic-Security Bureau, returned from Cairo and briefed Barak on the outcome of the discussions. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's chief diplomatic adviser Shalom Turgeman accompanied Gilad in Egypt. A unilateral decision is likely after Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal rejected Israel's conditions for a truce and called on all Arab countries to cut ties with the Jewish state during a summit of Arab leaders in Doha, Qatar. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Syrian President Bashar Assad gave Mashaal their full backing, but significantly, both Egypt and Saudi Arabia boycotted the summit. On Friday night, meanwhile, the UN General Assembly overwhelmingly adopted a non-binding resolution demanding an "immediate and durable and fully respected cease fire" in Gaza. The resolution reiterated the legally-binding UN Security Council resolution adopted last Thursday. The vote was 142-4 with eight abstentions, with Israel, the United States, Nauru and Venezuela voting against the resolution, because they hoped for a stronger statement.
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| Posted by:tipper |
| #3 from comments (sic) at AOSHQ: But Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said a unilateral cease-fire was not enough. "The occupier must halt his fire immediately and withdraw from our land and lift his blockade and open all crossings and we will not accept any one Zionist soldier on our land, regardless of the price that it costs," Barhoum said. Galid Shalit was unavailable for comment. Posted by: hit and run |
| Posted by: Frank G 2009-01-17 19:00 |
| #2 Shsshshshshshs.... doing it rite. Remember it was djues that helped start the UN.... more discussion, heeps and heeps and lotsa discussion. Then discourse, an understanding and then perhaps a careful consideration of the reality. Lunch, then holiday. |
| Posted by: .5MT 2009-01-17 16:41 |
| #1 Unilateral? Some of these folks were on the same team that dealt with the North Koreans. /s |
| Posted by: tipover 2009-01-17 14:43 |