Gaza Ceasefire

[Ryokan]

A ceasefire in the Gaza Strip has come into force, with the Palestinians halting rocket attacks into Israel.

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas won a commitment from all militant groups to stop the attacks, while Israeli PM Ehud Olmert agreed to halt hostilities.

Israel said all its troops withdrew from Gaza before the ceasefire took effect, five months after its military re-entered the Strip.

The ceasefire came into effect at 0600 (0400GMT) on Sunday.

The BBC's Alan Johnston in Gaza says it seems Mr Abbas phoned his opposite number on Saturday evening to say he had agreement from all Palestinian factions that they would stop their rocket fire.

There is a signed agreement between Mr Abbas, Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniya and all the Palestinian factions, a spokesman said.

A spokeswoman for the Israeli prime minister, Miri Eisin, told the BBC that Mr Olmert had agreed that Israeli forces would not initiate any offensive action after that time.

But she said Mr Olmert had made it clear that it might take some time to pull all Israeli troops out of the Gaza Strip if the ceasefire held.

However, shortly after the ceasefire took effect, the Israeli army confirmed that all its troops had left.

"There are no forces now in Gaza," said a military spokesman quoted by Reuters news agency.

Ms Eisin said Mr Olmert believed this was a chance to achieve stability and one that Israel could not miss.

Source

Ah, the sweet smell of peace. *wipes tear from eye*

I hope it lasts.

 

[Axenos]

Sadly, it'll probably last as long as it takes you to wipe that tear on your pants leg.

 

[webfusion]

BREAKING NEWS:
Minutes after the ceasefire went into effect, Palestinian militants in Gaza fired at least two more Qassam rockets at Israel.

Parting shots.

All IDF forces are now reported to be out of Gaza.

 

[firecoins]

To Be Continued....

 

[zenith-nadir]

"Two more Kassam rockets landed in Israel on Sunday morning, bringing the total number of rockets aimed at Israel since a cease-fire agreement with the Palestinian government went into effect earlier in the day to five." link

"The military wings of Hamas and Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the continued Qassam rocket fire directed at Israel on Sunday, despite a Gaza Strip ceasefire." link

There's your ceasefire.

 

[webfusion]

The Prime Minister of Israel, Ehud Olmert, has clearly said that "isolated breaches" of the ceasefire are to be expected.

In any case, the Palestinian Security Services are now out in force, searching for, and trying to prevent, further launches. The Israelis are satisfied with giving the PA responsibility to conduct such operations, and are grateful that the leadership of the Palestinian Authority (PM Haniyeh included) is calling for the cessation of those attacks.

Let me ask you something, Sabra:
Are you in favor of the suggestion of MK Benny Alon, who is demanding the IDF go back into Gaza? Do you feel that will be a wise course of action?

 

[Darat]

The Prime Minister of Israel, Ehud Olmert, has clearly said that "isolated breaches" of the ceasefire are to be expected.

In any case, the Palestinian Security Services are now out in force, searching for, and trying to prevent, further launches. The Israelis are satisfied with giving the PA responsibility to conduct such operations, and are grateful that the leadership of the Palestinian Authority (PM Haniyeh included) is calling for the cessation of those attacks.

...snip...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/6185380.stm

And I think it again shows that there is a genuine desire by the Israeli government to leave territory nominally controlled by the Palestinian authorities.

Isolated breakdowns will always happen but they are only ever allowed to disrupt negotiations if one or both sides do not have a sincere desire to find a negotiated outcome.

Fingers crossed (again).

 

[RyanRoberts]

Call me a cynic, but I'd say its a genuine desire to regroup, followed by some easy propaganda points from their mates in the media when evil old Israel is yet again forced to intervene to stop the attacks that the well meaning PA was unable to prevent. Just like all the other hudnas. Olmert is a clown, the sooner Israel is rid of him the better.

 

[zenith-nadir]

Call me a cynic, but I'd say its a genuine desire to regroup,

Every ceasefire is a genuine desire to regroup. Take Hizbollah for example.

The Prime Minister of Israel, Ehud Olmert, has clearly said that "isolated breaches" of the ceasefire are to be expected.

Ok. Then isolated breaches by the IDF are also expected. Say one or two for every five Qassams. Sound fair?

Let me ask you something, Sabra:
Are you in favor of the suggestion of MK Benny Alon, who is demanding the IDF go back into Gaza? Do you feel that will be a wise course of action?

No. I think that Gaza is Palestinian property now and what they do with it is up to them. If they want war, they get war, if they want peace, they get peace. But the idea that only now "the Palestinian Security Services are now out in force, searching for, and trying to prevent, further launches" says alot about what the Palestinian Authority has really been doing since the pullout in August 2005.

p.s. Incase anyone has alzheimers there was a ceasefire before and the Palestinians broke it by KIDNAPPING someone.

 

[Darth Rotor]

In any case, the Palestinian Security Services are now out in force, searching for, and trying to prevent, further launches.

Please forgive my cynicism, but how sincere, and how effective is this expected to be over the long haul?

The Israelis are satisfied with giving the PA responsibility to conduct such operations, and are grateful that the leadership of the Palestinian Authority (PM Haniyeh included) is calling for the cessation of those attacks.

Grateful is a very generous sentiment.

As to the IDF going back into Gaza, isn't it a matter of when, not if? The reason I say that is due to threshold's of tolerance. While the PM says, roughly, "a bit of random rocket fire is to be expected now and again" he cannot politically ignore the attacks on Israeli citizens if harassing fire escalates slightly.

I will bet the under on the PA being able to successfully deter the level of rocket attacks that evoke an IAF reaction.

I hope and pray that I am dead wrong.

DR

 

[Bikewer]

Just this morning the news is reporting new rocket launches from Gaza, and Israeli military commanders urging "restraint".

 

[webfusion]

Bikewer, see posts #3, #5 and #6 of this thread.

The IDF has bigger fish to fry than those Qassems.
I have a feeling they are looking at a major operation to NATANZ (Iran) and this Gaza thing is a side-track that the IDF has no interest in pursuing with any amount of vigor:
"Let the Palestinians handle it themselves" -- is the attitude of the IDF brass.
(13,000 PA Security Forces have been deployed already, according to Sky News).

Also, American Maj.General Keith Dayton is involved on-scene and trying to get the Israelis to approve a transfer of reinforcements from the Palestinian 'Badr Brigade' in Jordan.

 

[Mephisto]

To Be Continued....

Unfortunately you're right. Let's see if we can figure out HOW it will be continued . . .

I say Palestinian fanatics will fire more weapons into Israel, likely killing several innocent people, the IDF will retaliate by rolling into Palestine with tanks, kill a bunch of innocent people then we'll take a short break for the holidays whereupon the hostilities will resume as normal . . .

This creature feeds on blood and there are two factions willing to keep it engorged.

 

[webfusion]

This creature feeds on blood and there are two factions willing to keep it engorged.

You mean, naturally, PRC and Islamic Jihad, the two Palestinian factions that have consistently violated all previous cease-fires?
(see: Cpl. Shalit kidnapped as a hostage, June 25th, 2006)

 

[Cello Man]

Bah. Both sides just agreed to reload at the same time.

I used to be an optimist, then I thought better of it.

 

[Mycroft]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061127/wl_nm/mideast_dc

Olmert, in peace move, says ready to free prisoners


Israel is ready to release many jailed Palestinians in return for a soldier seized by militants in June, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announced on Monday, saying he was reaching out for peace.

In a major policy speech, Olmert offered to ease travel restrictions on Palestinians and free up frozen funds if violence against Israel ended. He repeated his readiness to give up some occupied land for an eventual peace agreement.

"We are ready and willing to pursue this path, and persevere until we reach the sought-after solution," Olmert said.

Within hours of Olmert's address, Palestinian militants in Gaza fired rockets into the Israeli border town of Sderot, despite a ceasefire declared on Sunday. Nobody was hurt.

It really doesn’t matter what the Israelis do, the violence from the Palestinians will continue.

 

[zenith-nadir]

It really doesn’t matter what the Israelis do, the violence from the Palestinians will continue.

Yup.

Two Kassams land in Sderot area

Despite the Israeli-Palestinian ceasefire, two Kassam rockets, fired from the Gaza Strip, landed in open territory in the Sderot area on Monday afternoon.

So that was 5 Kassams that hit Israel yesterday and 2 today. There's your ceasefire.

 

[webfusion]

sabra, it's a little more complicated than just saying "stop" to all the armed palestinian factions and expecting them to sit quietly, while the IDF is still in action against their members.

Popular Resistance Committees (PRC) were actually the ones responsible (for the latest rocket firings on Monday) as it was one of their group who was killed by IDF forces late Sunday night.

In other words, the Israeli Army is not standing-down everywhere, but only in Gaza, while proceeding to ignore the cease-fire in the rest of the Palestinian zones. Now, it may be argued that the 'agreements' exclude the West Bank, but this is a subject that is being discussed and the Israelis are being asked to understand that the West Bank is part and parcel.

• Palestinian terror factions, connecting the events in Gaza to those in the West Bank, threatened revenge and to cancel the cease-fire as a result of the raid (which resulted in the death of the PRC gunman). Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh also claimed that Gaza and the West Bank were connected and called on Israel to stop its operations in the West Bank.
  
  "The Palestinians are one people, and a distinction can't be drawn between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip," Haniyeh said.

Please, Sabra, the devil is in the details here. Don't fall into the non-skeptical pattern of repeating every news report in raw form, and omitting the back-story.

 

[Art Vandelay]

If they weren't willing to abide by a Gaza-only agreement, then they shouldn't have agreed to it. Or offered a more complete ceasefire.

 

[zenith-nadir]

sabra, it's a little more complicated than just saying "stop" to all the armed palestinian factions and expecting them to sit quietly, while the IDF is still in action against their members.

There is no "action against their members" in Gaza. And that is what the ceasefire is about, Gaza. Abbas didn't agree to a ceasefire in the West Bank and Gaza. He agreed to a ceasefire in Gaza.

In other words, the Israeli Army is not standing-down everywhere, but only in Gaza, while proceeding to ignore the cease-fire in the rest of the Palestinian zones.

Because that was the deal, a ceasefire in Gaza. Not a ceasefire in the West Bank and Gaza.

Now, it may be argued that the 'agreements' exclude the West Bank, but this is a subject that is being discussed and the Israelis are being asked to understand that the West Bank is part and parcel.

The agreement was a ceasefire in Gaza. Not a ceasefire in the West Bank and Gaza.

Please, Sabra, the devil is in the details here. Don't fall into the non-skeptical pattern of repeating every news report in raw form, and omitting the back-story.

Ok. Abbas agreed to a ceasefire in Gaza. It was Islamic Jihad and Hamas, the terrorists, who demanded that the ceasefire also extend to the West Bank. But that is not the deal Abbas made. The deal was a ceasefire in Gaza.