Looks Like Part of the Fighting Will End Soon

[Kathianne]

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/17/world/middleeast/17mideast.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss


January 17, 2009
Israeli Cabinet Appears Ready to Declare a Gaza Cease-Fire

By ETHAN BRONNER and MARK LANDLER
JERUSALEM — Israel’s security cabinet is expected to meet Saturday night to declare a cease-fire in Gaza and will keep its forces there in the short term while the next stage of an agreement with Egypt is worked out.

“It looks as if all the pieces of the puzzle are coming together,” Mark Regev, a spokesman for Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, said Friday. “There will be discussions tomorrow morning, and it looks like a cabinet meeting will take place tomorrow night. Everyone is very upbeat.”

Meanwhile, Israeli tank fire killed two boys at a United Nations-run school on Saturday in the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Lahiya, a U.N. official told Reuters. Adnan Abu Hasna, a spokesman for the U.N. Relief and Works Agency, said two brothers had been killed and 14 people had been wounded in the attack, including the boys' mother. An Israeli army spokesman said that he was checking the report.

The most promising element for bringing the three-week conflict to a close occurred in Washington on Friday, where Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni of Israel signed an understanding on a range of steps the United States would take to stem the flow of new arms to Hamas from the Egyptian Sinai, mostly via tunnels....

[FSUK]

Good news to hear a ceasfire could be imminent. However, israel must be held accountable for the murder of 1000+ people, they did not even achieve their objective of removing hamas rocket fire capability. So, in essence they commited war crimes for no reason. There will never be peace in that region, until israel engages in meaninful dialogue with hamas, and put an end to the occupation. This is not my view only, its the view of many people, echoed by george galloway, tony benn etc british MP's.

[5stringJeff]

Good news to hear a ceasfire could be imminent. However, israel must be held accountable for the murder of 1000+ people, they did not even achieve their objective of removing hamas rocket fire capability. So, in essence they commited war crimes for no reason. There will never be peace in that region, until israel engages in meaninful dialogue with hamas, and put an end to the occupation. This is not my view only, its the view of many people, echoed by george galloway, tony benn etc british MP's.

Should Hamas also be held accountable for its actions, causing loss of life and property by firing rockets into Israel?

[FSUK]

Should Hamas also be held accountable for its actions, causing loss of life and property by firing rockets into Israel?

Well, i dont think you can compare the loss of 1000 lives and the total destruction of gaza's infrastructure, and mosques, familes ,and homes. To the loss of life of 13 people and maybe bit of damage to a dozen properties.

Loss on both sides is tragic- but you cant get away with war crimes whilst banning media from entering and in certain cases the red cross from getting to certain places. Even mark regev did not deny this point about red cross being denied entry to certain areas where palestinians were lying on the ground dying.

[5stringJeff]

Well, i dont think you can compare the loss of 1000 lives and the total destruction of gaza's infrastructure, and mosques, familes ,and homes. To the loss of life of 13 people and maybe bit of damage to a dozen properties.

Loss on both sides is tragic- but you cant get away with war crimes whilst banning media from entering and in certain cases the red cross from getting to certain places. Even mark regev did not deny this point about red cross being denied entry to certain areas where palestinians were lying on the ground dying.

So it's OK to kill only 13 people, but it's not OK to kill 1000 people?

I think Israel is absolutely justified in invading Hamas-owned terrotory in order to stop rocket attacks on its people. And as much as it pains me to see children dying in war, Hamas must take its share of the blame. After all, Israel is fighting against Hamas, not Palestinian children; if Hamas would fight in the open, there would be a lot less children dying.

[FSUK]

So it's OK to kill only 13 people, but it's not OK to kill 1000 people?

I think Israel is absolutely justified in invading Hamas-owned terrotory in order to stop rocket attacks on its people. And as much as it pains me to see children dying in war, Hamas must take its share of the blame. After all, Israel is fighting against Hamas, not Palestinian children; if Hamas would fight in the open, there would be a lot less children dying.


13 or 1000 is wrong. But, was there the need to kill 1000 including babies and women?

Hamas has zero blame in this- they simply respond to illegal israeli incursions, blockades and occupation. Israel doesnt differentiate between hamas and palestinians. You want hamas to fight in the open? im sure they are, but how can you expect a group of men with guns to fight so openly with tanks,jets, high tech weapons?- anyway israel is getting a good beating, and they are digging in for a truce- as they know its not a war they can win.

[5stringJeff]

Hamas has zero blame in this- they simply respond to illegal israeli incursions, blockades and occupation.

This is laughable. Hamas launches rockets into Israeli territory, aiming for Israeli neighborhoods and schools (you know, with CHILDREN inside), and they shoulder no blame for the current war?

[FSUK]

This is laughable. Hamas launches rockets into Israeli territory, aiming for Israeli neighborhoods and schools (you know, with CHILDREN inside), and they shoulder no blame for the current war?

yes, they shoulder NO blame for this current war. they fired rockets, in response to israeli occupation and blockades . They made gaza an open air prison for palestinians.