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JPost Middle East- Analysis: Why has the West Bank been quiet? January 6, 2009
- Lebanon doubts Hizbullah will open second front January 6, 2009
- UNSC to meet on Gaza resolution January 6, 2009
- Hamas opens hospital for gunmen January 6, 2009
- Sarkozy urges Assad to press for truce January 6, 2009
- ynet - Updates for RSS
- Bush adviser: Iran, Pakistan key Obama challenges January 7, 2009
- Judge to ponder whether Bernard Madoff dangerous January 7, 2009
- Rice says US supports Mubarak proposal on Gaza January 7, 2009
- Saddam wouldn't have allowed Israel's Gaza raid, says aide January 7, 2009
- UK voices support for Egyptian ceasefire initiative January 7, 2009
- Haaretz.com - News
- ANALYSIS / Israel must double, triple, quadruple its medical aid to Gaza January 7, 2009A few days ago, Physicians for Human Rights began soliciting $700,000 in donations for hospitals in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli humanitarian organization also provided a detailed list of the medical equipment Gaza lacks, including portable monitors, respirators, ultrasound and X-ray machines, wheelchairs, needles, dressings, catheters, oxygen, medical gases, endo-tracheal tubes, screws and plates for shattered limbs, and surgical gloves. According to PHR, Gaza also has a severe shortage of intensive-care beds, which cost about $50,000 apiece. Moreover, many Palestinian ambulances are out of commission. ...
- As truce efforts grow, Israel mulls expanding Gaza ground op January 7, 2009Israel's political leadership will meet in Tel Aviv on Wednesday morning to discuss expanding the ground offensive in the Gaza Strip at a time when most of the aims of the operation have been met. ...
- Rice: U.S. backs Egypt proposal for Gaza cease-fire January 7, 2009U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Tuesday Washington backed a proposal by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. ...
- Venezuelan President Chavez: Gaza operation is a Palestinian 'holocaust' January 7, 2009Venezuela expelled the ambassador to Israel on Tuesday in protest over the offensive in Gaza only hours after leftist President Hugo Chavez called the attacks a Palestinian "holocaust." ...
- Israel to establish 'humanitarian corridor' for Gaza Strip January 7, 2009Israel will set up a "humanitarian corridor" to counter a crisis caused by its offensive in the Gaza Strip, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office ...
- ANALYSIS / Israel must double, triple, quadruple its medical aid to Gaza January 7, 2009
ARMAGEDDON WEEK
By Joel C. Rosenberg
(Washington, D.C., January 5, 2009) — Last night, “Armageddon Week” began on The History Channel. This is a series of several documentary films every night dealing with different angles on — and different perspectives of — the End Times.
In August, I was interviewed by a producer and film crew for this series and asked to describe an evangelical Christian perspective on Bible prophecies regarding the last days. The producers have emailed us to say portions of my interview will appear on tonight’s (Monday) broadcast at 9pm eastern in a special entitled, “Seven Signs of The Apocalypse.”
The description of the program reads: “The Seven Signs are clear: We will be struck by deadly plagues, famines and earthquakes, the sky will turn dark and oceans will turn to blood, and the antichrist will emerge to fight the final battle between good and evil. Could this all be true? Experts decode this powerful prophecy and come to a startling conclusion: there is now scientific evidence that many of these catastrophes could, in fact, be occurring….To reveal the ultimate truth behind the prophecy, this investigation will turn to the past to reveal why the prophecy was written, and why it keeps such a powerful hold on our imagination today.”
I have no idea how the program has turned out, as I have not had the chance to see it. Moreover, I’ll be traveling all day so I won’t have a chance to watch tonight. But I did want you to be aware of the week-long series, and tonight’s show, if you’re interested.
God bless.
UPDATE ON HOW THE JOSHUA FUND IS HELPING ISRAELIS IN THE WAR ZONE
The Joshua Fund is moving quickly to bless Israeli caught in the crossfire of this escalating war between Israel and Hamas.
On Friday, TJF helped fund a project to care for 150 elderly Israeli Jews trapped in the city of Sderot, right on the border with Gaza, which is receiving a seemingly never-ending barrage of rocket attacks. TJF paid for hot meals that were delivered personally by dozens of volunteers to these elderly shut-ins. The project was organized and run by Eeki Elner and Calev Myers, co-founders of AFFI, the Alliance for the Future of Israel. Several other allies provided logistical assistance as well.
Here is an email we just received from Calev on how the project went:
“We have just returned from the project in Sderot. It went very well. Eeki Elner…was able to bring between 50-60 volunteers from Tel-Aviv and the North. I brought about 11 volunteers from the Jerusalem Institute of Justice in Jerusalem.
Eeki received from the Mayor of Sderot the names and address of about 150 elderly people in Sderot who can not leave their homes. Many of them suffer from health problems and all of them suffer from poverty. Through the generous donation of the Joshua Fund we were able to give a hot meal to each individual, together with a brand-new down blanket (provided by JIJ).
“All of the volunteers split up into about 14 teams with a list of names and homes, and we were able to distribute all of the gifts within about 2.5 hours. The volunteers were instructed to enter peoples home and to take their time asking if everything is okay and trying to encourage the recipients as much as possible — to give them the feeling that they are not alone. This was a little challenging at times. Most of the recipients were Russian or Ethiopian new immigrants. Out of six homes that my team covered, we only found one Hebrew speaker. However we heard a lot of hearty “thank you”s in Russian and the tears and smiles on the faces of the recipients clearly expressed their appreciation regardless of language limitations.
“As we were going from home to home it was hard to ignore the Israeli fighter jets flying over our heads and the artillery fire in the background. It is inconceivable to me what must be going through the mind of an elderly new immigrant who does not speak Hebrew, lives in abject poverty and listens all day to the sound of war about a mile from his/her house (not to mention the Kassam rockets which frequently fall in the vicinity).
“Eeki was also able to procure a donation of tens of boxes of brand new educative toys and games, from a toys and games factory in Israel. After we finished the distribution to the elderly, each team of volunteers filled up their cars with educative games and toys and we went door to door asking if the homes had children, and distributing the games and toys to the ones that do. This really meant a lot to the recipients because the children of Sderot do not have school due to the war, and the kids need to need to interesting games, etc, to occupy them (as they try to ignore the bombings and gunfire which they hear throughout the day).
“We want to thank you so much for helping us bring a ray of light and encouragement into the darkness and fear of the residents of Sderot today.”
Please pray for all of these elderly shut-ins, as well as all of the people of Sderot, that the Lord would protect them as rockets keep raining down on their homes and communities.
Meanwhile, I just got off the phone with John Moser, our executive director, just a few hours ago. I gave him authorization to fund another project to care for Israelis in the war zone. The Joshua Fund, working closely with our Jewish allies on the ground, will begin helping Israeli families who live near the border of Gaza to move out of their homes and to a safer city for the next week or so. We are paying for the buses, the accommodations and the food for these families. Lord willing, these families will start moving out of harm’s way within the next 24 hours. I will update you as soon as I possibly can.
Jesus said in John 14:15, “If you love me, you will obey what I command.” The Lord commanded us to love our neighbors. He commanded us to bless the people of Israel in real and practical ways, including to feed those who have no food. We are seeking to obey in the power of the Holy Spirit.
I have also spent this afternoon praying with an Arab ministry leader, discussing how we can especially help Palestinian followers of Jesus trapped in Gaza. It’s not yet clear how to help given how tightly Hamas controls the situation and how violent the situation is at the moment. For now, we will keep assisting Jewish Israelis since we have clear access to them. If an opportunity presents itself to bless our brothers and sisters in Gaza, we will move as the Lord leads us.
* Please continue praying for real peace — not just the absence of conflict but the presence of true justice and true security on both sides of the fence.
* Please also continue praying for the scores of children on both sides who are being traumatized by all the rockets and bombs — pray for the Lord to comfort and care for them in a supernatural way.
* Please pray for the followers of Jesus in Israel and Gaza, that they will have courage and hope from the Lord, that they will hear from the Holy Spirit how best to love their neighbors and their enemies, and that by their words and actions they can communicate the good news of God’s great love and plan for Israel and her neighbors.
* Please continue praying for wisdom and discernment for The Joshua Fund leadership team, as well. We are in contact with our allies on the ground in Israel and readying relief supplies to help them care for those in severe need.
* Please also pray that we can recruit 100,000 allies who are willing to pray knowledgeably, faithfully and consistently for the people of the epicenter. Already some 80,000 have signed up from around the world.
* Please also pray about helping us financially as this war escalates.
As always, we will do our best to keep you up-to-date on the kinds of projects we are doing, and brief you on how those projects are proceeding. We will also let you know about the kinds of projects we are developing for the future. In no way do we want to pressure anyone to give financially. We fully believe the Lord will provide for the needs of the people we seek to serve. But if you or others wish to help, we welcome your support, and all financial gifts are tax-deductible.
If you would like to make a year-end contribution to the on-going work of The Joshua Fund please make your check payable to “The Joshua Fund” and send to:
The Joshua Fund
18950 Base Camp Road
Monument, Colorado 80132-8009
Thanks so much and may the Lord richly bless you and your family as you bless Israel and her neighbors in the name of Jesus — especially at critical moment in history of the epicenter.
To visit Joel’s website — www.joelrosenberg.com — please click here
50+ rockets hit Israel today: latest developments
By Joel C. Rosenberg
(Washington, D.C., December 31, 2008) — The Gaza war rages on with no immediate end in sight. Indeed, Israeli sources tell me a ground operation into Gaza is not yet definite, but is likely.
Israel has rightfully rejected a French-proposed 48 hour cease-fire, saying the Gaza operation will continue until Israel’s goal of shutting down the terrorist rocket threat is accomplished. The leaders of the European Union, Russia, and many governments around the world are putting enormous pressure on Israel to stop defending the Jewish people and stop attacking the terrorist strongholds in Gaza. This is crazy. Why do the Europeans and Russians have such a double-standard when it comes to Israeli national security?
More than 6,300 rockets and missiles have been fired at Israel by Hamas since Israeli withdrew its military forces from Gaza in 2005. Some 400 rockets have been fired at Israel just since December 19th. Would the French or Germans agree to a cease-fire if they were being hit by hundreds and thousands of rockets, missiles, and mortars by enemies sworn to annihilate them? Of course not. The Russians invaded Georgia for far, far less.
“We didn’t initiate the Gaza operation in order to end it while Israeli towns are still under fire, as they were before the operation,” Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told reporters. “Israel has shown restraint for years; she gave the truce a chance; we told ourselves ‘let’s try it,’ but Hamas violated the truce.”
I don’t often say this, but Olmert is right. Hamas must be crushed, not coddled. Yet the world is trying to coddle these Palestinian Radical Islamic jihadists. It’s an outrage. The onus is on the Hamas terrorists to lay down their arms and stop firing rockets into Israel. Until that happens, the IDF should continue fighting.
It pains me to see the suffering on both sides, but this is entirely Hamas’ responsibility. They were urged by Egypt, by Mahmoud Abbas, and by the Israelis not to let the previous cease-fire lapse, but they chose war instead. They have never been hit this hard. Indeed, Gaza has not seen this level of fighting since 1967.
Israelis living within rocket range are truly safe and secure. Yet, the Islamic Radicals in Gaza don’t appear ready to surrender. To the contrary, Hamas is using longer-range rockets than ever before - some of them made in Iran - putting hundreds of thousands of more Israeli at risk than in previous clashes. Hamas has already fired more than 50 rockets, mortars and missiles at Israel as of 4pm local time (9am eastern). Two hit the Israeli city of Beersheva last night, some 28 miles from Gaza. This is the first time Beersheva has ever been in range of Gaza-fired rockets. Haaretz reports that no one was injured but 40 people were treated for shock. The city is rattled, and theaters, cinemas and other shops and businesses are shutting down. Rockets also continue to hit the town of Sderot, and the Israeli coastal cities Ashkelon and Ashdod. I’m told that most of the children in Sderot have been evacuated from the town. Many are now temporarily relocated to northern Israeli cities and towns, such as Haifa.
Iran, in addition to providing Hamas longer-range rockets, is also now apparently recruiting some 10,000 volunteer suicide bombers to attack Israel.
To visit Joel’s new weblog site and get the latest developments in Israel, Russia and the epicenter — including links to stories mentioned in this Flash Traffic report — please click here
To purchase a copy of EPICENTER 2.0 from Amazon.com (32% off), please click here
To visit Joel’s website — www.joelrosenberg.com — please click here
GAZA WAR: Prayer Update
The people of the Holy Land are going through great pain and suffering right now. But we should not be discouraged. Rather, we must turn to the Scriptures for the Lord’s perspective, embrace His promises, and obey His commands.
The Bible is clear: God loves the people of Israel, as well as their neighbors. He has a wonderful plan for their lives, plans for good and not for evil, plans to give them a future and a hope. Jesus offers those who choose to follow Him true peace that cannot be found anywhere else. He promises to protect His people. He promises them an abundant life here, and in the hereafter. He promises to answer their prayers when they pray for His will to be done and pray in His Name. What’s more, He commands His followers to love their neighbors and their enemies. He commands them to feed the hungry, give water to the thirsty, and care for the suffering. Should we not draw near to Him and follow Him wholeheartedly at this critical time?
“I have loved you with an everlasting love,” the Lord says in Jeremiah 31:3. “Therefore, I have drawn you with lovingkindness.”
“Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” (I John 4:8)
“For I know the plans that I have for you,” says the Lord in Jeremiah 29:11-13, “plans for welfare and not calamity to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.”
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy, but I came that they might have life and have it abundantly,” said Jesus in John 10:10.
“Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper….The Lord will protect you from all evil; He will keep your soul. The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forever.” (Psalm 121:4,5,7,8)
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you,” said Jesus in John 14:27. “I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
Jesus said, “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also….I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me….Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.” (John 14:1-3,12-14)
“If you love me,” Jesus said in John 14:15, “you will obey what I command.”
* Please continue praying for real peace — not just the absence of conflict but the presence of true justice and true security on both sides of the fence.
* Please also continue praying for the scores of children on both sides who are being traumatized by all the rockets and bombs — pray for the Lord to comfort and care for them in a supernatural way.
* Please pray for the followers of Jesus in Israel and Gaza, that they will have courage and hope from the Lord, that they will hear from the Holy Spirit how best to love their neighbors and their enemies, and that by their words and actions they can communicate the good news of God’s great love and plan for Israel and her neighbors.
* Please continue praying for wisdom and discernment for The Joshua Fund leadership team, as well. We are in contact with our allies on the ground in Israel and readying relief supplies to help them care for those in severe need. We are presently trying to connect with our Arab evangelical Christian allies as well to see how we can help them, too.
* Please also pray that we can recruit 100,000 allies who are willing to pray knowledgeably, faithfully and consistently for the people of the epicenter. Already some 80,000 have signed up from around the world.
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As always, we will do our best to keep you up-to-date on the kinds of projects we are doing, and brief you on how those projects are proceeding. We will also let you know about the kinds of projects we are developing for the future. In no way do we want to pressure anyone to give financially. We fully believe the Lord will provide for the needs of the people we seek to serve. But if you or others wish to help, we welcome your support, and all financial gifts are tax-deductible.
If you would like to make a year-end contribution to the on-going work of The Joshua Fund please make your check payable to “The Joshua Fund” and send to:
The Joshua Fund
18950 Base Camp Road
Monument, Colorado 80132-8009
Thanks so much and may the Lord richly bless you and your family as you bless Israel and her neighbors in the name of Jesus — especially at critical moment in history of the epicenter.
Would you consider making a donation of $25, $40 or $60 a month to The Joshua Fund? Please click here to find out more, and/or to make a secure donation on-line.
Three webcasts from San Diego and Jerusalem
REPORT FROM INSIDE THE ISRAELI WAR ZONE
Joshua Fund mobilizing evangelical Christians all over the world to pray for peace and to help provide emergency relief aid to victims of war and terror.
By Joel C. Rosenberg
(Denver, Colorado, December 29, 2008) — Last night, I received a report by email from inside the Israeli war zone, from an evangelical friend in the Israeli town of Sderot, located on the southern border with Gaza.
“Yesterday was a day full of explosions on both sides [of the border],” he wrote. “I have temporarily moved out of my apartments [and] am staying with a friend with a bomb shelter maybe 30 feet away….I realize more and more that I am not in control of my life and I am thankful that G-d is. Between tank fire and jets flying overhead it is a bit nerve-wracking, but again I know who holds my life in His hand and I know I need to be about my Father’s business….We have been told that the worst is yet to come and we should plan on having enough food on hand until the end of March….Just as He has always been to His children in the past, I know once again He will be faithful - that’s who He is, the Faithful One.”
On Saturday, I received an email from a Jewish friend who also lives in Sderot. “I just finished reading the Flash Traffic you’ve sent today,” he wrote. “Being held here in Sderot since this morning under marshal law, it was one of the good things that I enjoyed today and your report was excellent. I also join you in prayer tha the leaders here will have the wisdom and courage to destroy terrorists…in Hamastan-ruled-Gaza….We are under fire, but we know that He will protect us.”
The Joshua Fund is doing everything we can to stand with these and other friends and to let them know that they are not alone. We are mobilizing evangelical Christians all over the world to pray for peace on the Israel-Gaza border and to show unconditional love and unwavering support. We are asking you and others to continue praying for wisdom and courage for Israel’s leaders as they seek to decimate the Hamas terrorist infrastructure and reacquire the deterrence factor lost during the 2006 war with Hezbollah in Lebanon.
* Please pray for the half million Israelis living within rocket and missile range of Gaza. They and their children have no idea what today and tomorrow hold.
* Pray for the Lord to comfort and calm their hearts. Please pray for the 1.5 million Palestinians in Gaza, many of whom find themselves trapped in the crossfire of a war that Hamas started but that they as individuals and families don’t want.
* Please pray for the wounded on both sides, and the families who have lost loved ones.
* Please also lift up the believers in Jesus in Israel and Gaza who are seeking the Lord’s strength to help them love their neighbors and their enemies in real and practical ways in the name of Jesus.
* Pray that the believers can be lights in the darkness, bringing good news and hope to those who feel hopeless and alone.
* Finally, please pray that the Lord would be gracious to provide our Joshua Fund leadership team with wisdom to know how best to help those who are now victims of war and terrorism, and sufficient financial resources to meet those needs quickly and wisely.
Hamas terrorists have shown no signs of surrendering their vicious, evil war against the Jews of Israel. As of 4pm Israel time (9am eastern) on Monday, at least 50 rockets and missiles had been fired from Gaza at the Israeli towns of Sderot, Ashkelon and Ashdod. Israeli military forces, meanwhile, continue to pummel Hamas headquarters, rocket launching pads, and other military infrastructure. The deputy chief of staff of the IDF is warning Israeli that, “We are just at the beginning of the battle, this will not be hasty. The worst is not behind us — it is still ahead of us, and we should be prepared for this. Our resilience will be determine by the functioning of the authority and the way the civilians are protected.”
I’m soon boarding a plane back to D.C. Will update you more as I can. God bless you.
To visit Joel’s new weblog site and get the latest developments in Israel, Russia and the epicenter — including links to stories mentioned in this Flash Traffic report — please click here
To purchase a copy of EPICENTER 2.0 from Amazon.com (32% off), please click here
To visit Joel’s website — www.joelrosenberg.com — please click here
THE FUTURE OF THE U.S., ISRAEL AND RADICAL ISLAM? Three webcasts
What does the future hold for the U.S., Israel and the people of the Muslim world? What are the threats we face? How ought followers of Jesus Christ live in light of dramatic and dangerous geopolitical and religious trends?
On Sunday, December 7th — the anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack in 1941 — Lt.-General (ret.) William “Jerry” Boykin and I were honored to speak on such issues at four events in San Diego, including two morning church services at Horizon Christian Fellowship, a luncheon with business and political leaders, and an evening church service where we did an extended question & answer session. Boykin, who has become a dear friend, is a founding member of the U.S. Army’s elite Delta Force. He later became the commander of Delta, and then was in charge of training 10,000 special forces at Fort Bragg, before being promoted to Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence. He is also the author of the must-read memoir, Never Surrender.
The General and I spoke on the threats facing the United States and Israel from Radical Islam and the risk of being blindsided by future attacks. During the morning services, I focused on what Bible prophecy says about the future of the Middle East and the world. During the evening session, I gave a sneak preview of Inside The Revolution, which will be released March 10th of next year. I also talked about the work of The Joshua Fund to bless Israel and her neighbors with food, clothing, medical supplies and other relief aid. If you have time, I would encourage you to watch the following webcasts. Special thanks to Horizon’s senior pastor Mike MacIntosh and his team for inviting us and hosting such great events. Together, we are organizing the first-ever U.S. “Epicenter Conference” for next spring. Details coming soon.
Also, several weeks ago, I had the privilege of speaking at a wonderful evangelical congregation in Israel. There, I spoke on the urgent need for godly, Christ-centered leadership as the world faces dangerous, uncertain times. I hope you will have some time to watch this webcast as well. See link below.
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As always, we will do our best to keep you up-to-date on the kinds of projects we are doing, and brief you on how those projects are proceeding. We will also let you know about the kinds of projects we are developing for the future. In no way do we want to pressure anyone to give financially. We fully believe the Lord will provide for the needs of the people we seek to serve. But if you or others wish to help, we welcome your support, and all financial gifts are tax-deductible.
If you would like to make a year-end contribution to the on-going work of The Joshua Fund please make your check payable to “The Joshua Fund” and send to:
The Joshua Fund
18950 Base Camp Road
Monument, Colorado 80132-8009
Thanks so much and may the Lord richly bless you and your family as you bless Israel and her neighbors in the name of Jesus — especially at critical moment in history of the epicenter.
Would you consider making a donation of $25, $40 or $60 a month to The Joshua Fund? Please click here to find out more, and/or to make a secure donation on-line.
Three webcasts from San Diego and Jerusalem
Abbas: We won’t agree to Israeli invasion of Gaza
Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas meets with Egyptian counterpart to discuss renewing truce between Hamas, Israel. We won’t agree to Israeli invasion of Strip,’ he adds
Roee Nahmias and AP
| Published: | 12.23.08, 16:51 / Israel News |
“We won’t agree to an Israeli invasion in Gaza or even an aerial attack,” Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Tuesday during a joint press conference in Cairo with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
The Palestinian president said Egypt will push for a new truce between Israel and Hamas, which controls the Strip, and referred to the rocket fire on the Jewish state as “foolish”.
The six-month-old truce, mediated by Mubarak, expired last Friday.
Abbas and Mubarak in Cairo (Photo: Reuters)
Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni is scheduled to come to CairoThursday for talks with Mubarak about a new truce. Abbas also said he and Mubarak agreed that reconciliation talks between Hamas and Abbas’ Fatah party should go forward.
Talks brokered by Egypt and slated to take place last November fell apart when Hamas pulled out at the last minute over a dispute with Fatah over releasing Hamas prisoners.
On Monday Mubarak invited Livni to Cairo in the hopes of preventing the further deterioration of the Gaza standoff.
Livni is expected to present Jerusalem’s current stance, which holds that enough is enough – and that Israel is duty-bound to protect its citizens from the incessant rocket and mortar fire from Gaza.
“We will not allow the prolonged existence of a Hamastan state in Gaza,” Livni said during a Kadima security convention in preperation for her visit to Egypt. Senior Hamas official Mahmoud Al-Zahar saidTuesday that his organization was willing to renew the truce in Gaza if Israel adheres to the terms that have been agreed upon last June. Speaking with Egyptian newspaper al-Ahram, al-Zahar said that the movement would reassess the situation in Gaza once the 24 hours during which Hamas vowed to halt rocket fire come to an end.
According to the Hamas leader, if the situation appears to be going in a positive direction, the group would consider maintaining the lull.
Hamas declares day-long Gaza truce as mortar shell hits Negev
By Barak Ravid,
Haaretz Staff and News Agencies
Palestinian armed factions in the Gaza Strip are observing a 24-hour halt to rocket fire against Israel at the request of Egyptian mediators, a senior official of the ruling Islamist Hamas group said on Monday.
The announcement was released just as a mortar shell exploded in the Eshkol region of the western Negev. There were no reports of injuries.
The Hamas spokesman, Ayman Taha, said the brief cease-fire went into effect on Sunday evening. He said Hamas might consider a longer truce if Israel were to reciprocate by ceasing all military attacks in Gaza and lifting an embargo on the impoverished territory.
A six-month Egyptian-brokered truce between Israel and Hamas expired on Friday with exchanges of fire across the border, raising fears of a wider conflict.
“Hamas and other factions agreed in order to give a chance to the Egyptian mediation and to show that the problem was always on the Israeli side,” Taha told Reuters.
“If a new [truce] offer were made, which met our demands, then we would be willing to study it.”
The surge of Palestinian rocket fire and Israel Air Force strikes over the weekend prompted calls in Israel to launch a wider offensive in Gaza.
Taha said any such escalation would be met by Palestinian retaliation including suicide bombings inside Israel.
Asked about Taha’s statements, an Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman said they were “not true at all.” Israeli government officials were not immediately available to respond to Taha’s statements.
An Israel Defense Forces spokesman said that, as of Sunday evening, Palestinians in Gaza had fired at least one rocket and four mortar bombs across the border.
‘Hamas hasn’t signaled desire to renew truce efforts’
Meanwhile, Palestinian Authority sources told Haaretz earlier Monday that Hamas has not given Egypt any signals that it is interested in renewing a cease-fire between Israel and the Gaza Strip.
The sources, who recently held talks with officials in Cairo, said Hamas has apparently not asked Egypt to renew its mediation efforts on the truce, which began in June and collapsed last Friday following numerous breaches.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is expected to visit Egypt on Tuesday for a series of meetings with senior officials, on issues including the cease-fire agreement and internal Palestinian dialogue.
Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni held talks Monday morning with her Egyptian counterpart, Ahmed Abu Gheit, during which she emphasized that Israel would not tolerate the continued firing of Qassam rockets from the Gaza Strip.
Livni also said reiterated Israel’s stance that Hamas was responsible for the collapse of the six-month truce and for the ongoing rocket fire. She added that Israel would do everything necessary to protect its citizens in the south.
Barak: Israel won’t accept continued rocket fire
Defense Minister Ehud Barak, who has drawn criticism for his perceived reluctance to launch a massive military operation into Gaza, also said earlier Monday that Israel would not accept the continuation of rocket fire on its southern communities from Palestinian terrorists in Gaza.
The six-month truce between Israel and Gaza rulers Hamas ended late last week, when Hamas announced it would not be renewing the cease-fire.
“We have no intention of accepting the situation as it is developing in Gaza and we have no intention of accepting a continuation of fire on the Gaza envelope communities,” Barak told a meeting of the Labor Party’s Knesset faction.
The defense minister also called for an end to the speculative “chatter” about any Israeli military action in Gaza, which he said was interfering with IDF planning and the army’s capabilities and effectiveness, which in turn would extract a higher price.
Meanwhile, one of Barak’s Labor Party colleagues said Monday that Israel might be ready to consider a new truce with Hamas, in an apparent change of tone since the cease-fire ended.
Welfare Minister Isaac Herzog, a member of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s security cabinet, questioned the long-term efficacy of any major military sweep of the crowded and impoverished coastal strip, and said renewing the truce, originally brokered by Egypt, could be an option.
“The calm is, of course, one alternative, and it is an alternative that can be seriously examined,” Herzog told Israel Radio. “I, like many of my colleagues, am ready to consider continuing the calm, on terms that are comfortable for Israel.”
Asked whether this might be broached with Hamas, Herzog said: “No, I don’t think we can open negotiations. Right now we are dealing with an enemy who is not looking for negotiations.”
Israeli officials are split on a response to the rockets which have pounded areas of the south over the past week. Both Barak and Olmert continued to urge restraint on Sunday, but Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, who replaced Olmert as Kadima’s head, and opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu, who heads Likud, argued that Israel must get rid of the Hamas-run government. Israelis in the Qassam-hit communities have accused politicians of acting with an eye on the upcoming general elections.
While it seems that Israel’s government has still not decided on a course of action regarding Gaza, it has nonetheless kicked off a public relations campaign with the intention of widening a basis for international support of a military offensive.
No Gaza orders yet
Meanwhile, senior IDF officers told Haaretz on Sunday that the army has not been ordered to make any preparations for a major operation in the Gaza Strip, but did not rule out the possibility of a future offensive.
Th Gaza Division has received no orders for any ground operations, said the officials, despite Barak’s announcement Sunday that he has instructed the defense establishment to prepare for an offensive on Gaza in light of the escalating rocket fire from the coastal territory.
The officials said that as of now, offensive efforts would be waged mainly from the air. However, they added, a ground operation could be launched in the future if Hamas escalates from relatively small-scale attacks on border regions to large-scale rocket attacks deeper inside Israel.
The IDF is, nonetheless, increasing its level of readiness. In particular, the Home Front Command has worked hard over the past two weeks to improve rocket alert systems in communities located 30 to 40 kilometers from the Strip. It has systematically examined the warning systems in those communities and installed sirens in locations that lacked them, including educational institutions.
It also sent explanatory letters to residents and distributed 12,000 beepers to notify people of “Color Red” alerts whenever a Qassam is fired.
Nineteen rockets struck the western Negev on Sunday, following a barrage of 13 rockets and 20 rounds of mortar shells on Saturday alone.
Hamas Machine-Gun Fire at Air Force Helicopters
(IsraelNN.com) Hamas terrorists aimed machine guns at IAF helicopters Sunday night during three counterterrorist strikes on terrorists. No one was injured, and none of the pilots reported damage from the fire.
The terrorist organization warned that it is training its growing army to prepare for “Zionist war forces.” Hamas’s official website uses the term “Zionist” in order to avoid using the term “Israel.”
“The Zionist forces announced that the Zionist Air Force is ready to execute number of war attacks at the Palestinians over [Gaza] in the next two days,” Hamas stated. “Hamas representatives are not ruling out a renewal of all resistance means as a response to the Zionist aggression…. Rocket fire is in the hands of the military wing. It will decide how to react.”
Terrorists fired 20 Kassam rockets and several mortar shells on Sunday, but no attacks were reported as of 9 a.m. Monday. Egypt has urged Hamas to stop the attacks, and Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Prof. Gabriela Shalev filed a complaint with United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon over the escalation in Gaza terrorist violence.
Sunday’s attacks reached as far north as Ashkelon; one foreign worker was wounded while working in a Moshav greenhouse and one house in Sderot sustained a direct hit, sending one person into shock.
Hamas’s Rocket Range Extends to Be’er Sheva, Yavneh
(IsraelNN.com) Less than two weeks after Ashdod and Kiryat Malachi were told to prepare for rocket attacks from Gaza, residents of Be’er Sheva learned that they, too, can be hit by Hamas’s missiles.
The information came by way of a leak from the government’s weekly session, in which Israel Security Agency (ISA or Shin Bet) head Yuval Diskin said that Hamas’s rockets could now reach the outskirts of Be’er Sheva, the “capital of the Negev”. Security sources said that preparations are being made for the possibility that Yavneh and Gedera will also be targeted.
“As of today they have the ability to reach Kiryat Gat, Ashdod and even the outskirts of Be’er Sheva,” he specified.
Gedera and Yavneh too
According to the Army Radio website, the security establishment has lately begun to prepare for the possibility that the Gaza terrorists could enlarge their rockets’ range to 40 kilometers (26 miles). The Home Front Command is stepping up the process of renovating the existing siren systems in Gedera, Yavneh and Beer Sheva and other communities that could be attacked, and has begun installing additional siren systems.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak said in the discussion that it is possible that even three IDF divisions would not suffice for an operation to stop the rocket fire.
Diskin also discussed the tension between the Fatah and Hamas terror groups and said that unless a meaningful change occurs, there will soon be three states in the region: a Fatah state in Judea and Samaria, a Hamas state in Gaza and Israel.
He also said that Egypt has lost the trust of Hamas as a mediator with Israel.
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