Things are progressing fast in the past few hours in the region and it's either to the best or to the worse. The rockets that fell on Northern Israel this morning can and might open a second front in this bloody war. But so far Hezbollah denied they fired the rockets and Israel denied it as well. Perhaps both sides do not want to get involved in a deadly war like that one in the Summer of 2006. One Palestinian group from Southern Lebanon claimed responsibility.
But before we get into analyzing if Israel will fight another front, in the past two days Israel has changed its tone. It has allowed 3 hours truce to let Humanitarian aid enter the Strip on a daily basis to avoid a catastrophe that will hurt the image of Israel than Hamas rockets. Israel killed today the driver of one United Nations Aid truck , why? No one knows.
In the beginning of the War on Gaza, Israel and Hamas refused the Turkish Peace initiative that was brought forward by its Prime Minister. France's President Nicholas Sarkozi, made an important visit, while some call it “pre planned”, he first visited Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Egypt. And then Israel after he delivered to Livni a feedback from the Arab countries about his Peace initiative and cease fire plan. Israel and Hamas have changed their position again and started to sound more lenient towards implementing a cease fire.
Israel tried to get rid of Hamas by enforcing an Air, Land & Sea embargo on Gaza which started 2 years ago. Blocked Gazans from entering Israel and working where mostly 60% of Gaza income used to come from there. Israel also limited the fuel it provides Gaza with which kept the strip in the dark for weeks. The situation was suppose to froce Gazans to overthrow Hamas, but on the contrary it put them in poor unbareable conditions.
Meanwhile in the battle field, Israel kept its military above Gaza and away from a face to face confrontation with Hamas Militias. It used war planes, helicopters, battle fields, depleted Uranioum bombs and started its war on Gaza (destroying Government buildings, suspected Hamas locations, civilian neighborhoods, Mosques, UNRWA schools, Hospitals & Ambulances) claiming that Hamas was hiding there. It did kill 200 people in the first hours who were mostly part of the Police force that was mobilized in Gaza by the Oslo Peace Agreements. Hamas remained strong and rockets kept falling into Israel.
7 days later, Israel was not progressing, killing more civilians than Hamas fighters, evacuating Israeli towns near the borders that one day were actually Arab towns before the creation of Israel in 1948. Israel was getting condemnations from countries all over the world and the only country that vetoed the UN resolution to put an end to the war and call for ceasefire was of course the USA, no wonder since it’s tax payers money is funding this war (50 Billion Dollars of annual Aid to Israel)
The unavoidable on the 8th day of the war started. Israel started its land incursion into the strip. It kept a distance and avoided going deep into Gaza as this bully country can’t afford to lose its men in the battle field like what happened in Lebanon in 2006. Israel has learned from its mistakes with Hezbollah, but didn’t expect Hamas to be as strong as that and keep resisting until this day. Rockets were still falling on Israel, Hamas didn't surrender. Things got ugly and Israel started targeting civilians in the name of Hamas is hiding there. Israel thought it can fool the public with such crap. Reports coming out from Gaza & UNRWA officials confirmed that no Hamas militias were there, and more pictures and footage of dead Palestinian children were coming out to the media, children lying dead on the floors of Hospitals who have power shortage and almost no medical supplies. Israel was doing to the Palestinians what Hitler was doing to the Jews, it was doing worse than what she claims those rockets were doing the past 8 years.
People went to the streets protesting in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Amman, Damascus, Baghdad, Beirut, Budapest, NYC, LA, DC, Ft Lauderdale, San Diego, Paris (almost 50,000), Istanbul (almost 1 million), London, Amsterdam, Italy, Brazil, Norway, Sweden, Australia, Malaysia, Indonesia and Canada. Israel is losing its battle against the world who wants to end this bloodshed that has been going on for the 12th consecutive day. After 12 days, the rockets are still falling into Israel and Hamas has proved it is fighting fiercely and will not give up until Israel’s stops its attacks. Before the war, Hamas used to not have many supporters in Gaza, West Bank and across the Arab World, but since Israel made all Gaza Hamas, people started uniting against this aggression. But despite all this, Israel is still acting as a bully in this world and going after its target. A target that has changed lately. I think the target here is not Hamas anymore, it is the children and mothers of Palestine, where those kids will grow up one day and become freedom fighters as well. So far more than 220 children are dead and 100 mothers are killed. Today the Vatican cardinal called Gaza "big concentration camp"
In the 12th day, Israel is getting ready to fight what it fears the most, confrontation with Palestinians inside the cities in Gaza. If this is going to happen then more bloodshed from both sides is expected and more civilians will die in Gaza and Israel. The Israeli public can’t afford losing more men in the field which can force Israel into accepting a truce.
King Abdallah of Jordan has warned of a conspiracy on the Palestinians. There are rumors now that Israel wants to give Gaza back to Egypt and some parts of the West Bank to Jordan. Israel has always wanted to empty the West Bank from it's Arab inhabitants by building illegal settelments and the Aparthied wall that is cutting Arab lands, villages and towns into bits and pieces. There is also a rumour that this agression on Gaza could have forced another diaspora of Palestinians refugees to Egypt and Jordan and this is why Mubarak has kept the borders closed. I believe truth and justoce will prevail soon.
Meanwhile if Israel and Hamas will accept the cease fire then Palestinians should play it smart this time. Here's why?
1. Palestinians should control the Airport, Port, and borders in Gaza
2. Palestinians should stop firing rockets into Israel
3. Immediate negotiations between Hamas and Israel
4. Immediate negotiations between Hamas, Fatah and other Palestinian fractions
5. Hamas should remove the chapter that states Israel should be demolished
6. Hamas should stop smuggling weapons into Gaza
7. EU and UN monitors should be installed inside Israel and not Gaza. The UNIFEL in Southern Lebanon are there to protect Israel and not Lebanon. Israel violates Lebanese air space every single day.
8. As an initial Phase, EU monitors should control the borders until it is handed to the Palestinians.
9. Elections in Gaza and the West Bank should take place
10. Israel should fix the distruction it caused in Gaza as well as donors as Saudi Arabia,Egypt and the USA.
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13 comments:
This is a rational conclusion to an irrational conflict that may indeed be dedicated to three things:
1. Frightening the Palestinians in submission.
2. Getting Gaza back--I had wondered about that, but I hadn't considered Egypt. That would explain Egypt's lack of backbone.
3. A chance for Israel to show the world that the 2006 conflict was a blip and Israel is far smarter and more skilled militarily than it seemed in that fiasco. (My husband endorses that theory--I resist it as it is just too devoid of all humanity, but he insists that humanity is not a factor in this war.)
You are correct: Israel cannot afford to lose soldiers, which is why the ground invasion seemed so absurd. Yet if Israel has larger objectives than defeating Hamas, they will need those soldiers.
I finally wrote a last blog on this war. I admire how you have kept up with it. We all need to care.
We need a way of keeping up the pressure on Israel even after the campaign is over. Maybe have a yearly blog day to remember all the atrocities committed.
We have to keep this from happening again at all costs. I just wonder how
Ali as an American and with the strong show of support for Palestinians from others here I am ashamed of my government.
The US Congress voted to support Israel knowing that they are nothing but cold blooded murderers and land grabbers. My God they have violated every UN Resolution that was handed down and are now shooting at UN workers. I am lost for words. What I think is not printable here.
Will the world ever come out of its coma and do something to stop this blood shed and genocide?
The Gazan people are not receiving the humanitarian aid they need during this violent time. Mercy Corps currently has workers in Gaza trying to help. Here are some ways you can join forces with Mercy Corps to get humanitarian aid to Gazans.
Mercy Corps today delivered a truckload of rice and other food staples for 2,000 hungry Gazans. We plan to distribute blankets, mattresses, pillows and powdered milk to 100 families displaced to UN refugee camps in Jabaliya and Rafah during tomorrow's afternoon cease-fire.
We're posting frequent updates from Gaza youth in our Global Youth Connectivity program, who are communicating with Mercy Corps staff in Jerusalem via SMS.
Your donation to our Gaza Crisis Fund will help us secure humanitarian relief items for besieged families.
You can also sign our petition for immediate humanitarian access to Gaza.
Ali, I add my voice to all of us Americans that do not approve of the barbaric killing of Palestinians, WE ARE SORRY!
No wonder The World hate the USA! We abstained the UN resolution! We are doomed!
Congratulations Ali, you helped stopp this brutal inhumane killing machine war. Long Live Gaza and Palestine.
Immediate ceasefire!
God, what a mess.
Sadly, the following article is accurate (here is only the first part, but the rest is on reuters):
Few speak up for Palestinians in U.S. Congress
Fri Jan 9, 2009 6:01am GMT
By Susan Cornwell - Analysis
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Many voices around the world speak up for the Palestinians, but few in the U.S. Congress.
Lawmakers in Washington routinely pass nonbinding resolutions supporting Israel during Middle East crises. The Senate has backed Israel's ongoing battle against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip and the House of Representatives is expected to follow suit soon.
Even U.S. lawmakers who express sympathy for the Palestinians hesitate to call themselves pro-Palestinian and they voice strong support for the security of Israel as well, hewing to decades of close U.S.-Israeli ties.
"When these events occur, there's almost a knee-jerk reaction of Congress that endorses 1,000 percent what Israel is doing," said Nick Rahall, a West Virginia Democrat and Lebanese-American who has voted against some of the measures.
I am so happy that Americans can now see that its Israel that violates agreements!
Dear Wendy, thanks for your noble cause and request. Kindly send me the web site or any additional information so I can post it in my blog.
Erik, AIPAC has its total control on American Politics. Even a person like Obama went to thier annual meeting to win Jewsih votes in addition to his visit to Israel.
Oh My GOD! I just saw footage of demonstrators in Jordan hloding the photos of Bin Laden! Is this what the USA and Israel looking for? More radicalism? Shame on Arab leaders, American ones, and the war criminals in Israel!
I was there today and Vinizuela flags were hanging from buildings!
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