Israel To Pull Out Of Gaza By Inauguration

[Gman]

Source: CBSNews.com

(CBS/AP) Israel plans to pull all of its troops out of the Gaza Strip by the time President-elect Barack Obama is inaugurated Tuesday, but only if Hamas militants hold their fire, Israeli officials said.

Thousands of troops have left Gaza since Israel declared Saturday its intention to unilaterally halt fire after a devastating, three-week Israeli onslaught. Gaza's Hamas rulers ceased fire 12 hours later. Large contingents of Israeli soldiers have kept close to the border, prepared to re-enter the territory if violence re-ignites.

A swift troop withdrawal would reduce the likelihood of clashes between militants and Israeli forces that could rupture the truce.

By getting its soldiers out before the Obama inauguration, Israel hopes to pave the way for a smooth beginning with the Obama administration and spare the incoming president the trouble of having to deal with a burning problem in Gaza from his first day, the Israeli officials said.


Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/01/19/world/main4734072.shtml?tag=topHome;topStories

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Israel commits war crimes because they know they could get away with it with Bush. Obama obviously has already communicated to Israel that he won't tolerate war crimes and naked aggression.

Reminds me of Iran releasing the hostages just before Reagan was inaugurated.

[pjt7]

1. Amazing the cat & mouse

game Israel play's with America.

Keep in mind that they broke the truce w/ Gaza on our election day, killing 7 Palestinians.

[Duckhunter935]

2. Truce was broken prior to that by both sides

Israel did not fully stop blockade

Hamas still fired rockets every month of the CEASE FIRE

[The Stranger]

4. ". . . did not fully stop blockade" is extremely disingenous and denying civilians food, water and

medicine is why Hamas could launch rockets in response.

[SOS]

7. Israel says no rockets fired by Hamas during cease fire

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfFMZ7Y-s_c

[happygoluckytoyou]

3. LET'S SEE.... we bomb you... we kill you... TIME OUT...KINGS X... dont strike back... duh? ? ? ? ?

[azurnoir]

5. Oh lets all try to act surprised

like we did not know that this type of announcement wasn't going to made, but has the goddessesqe women sung just yet?

[Harry Monroe]

6. I REALLY wish that George H.W. would have pulled out of Barbara 63 years ago

The past 8 years could have been avoided.

[Vilis Veritas]

8. That is disgustingly funny! And the imagery is hurting my brain...

:puke:

[condoleeza]

12. While I agree about pulling out of Barbara

it would have been even better if it had happened at least one generation sooner.

[Phred42]

9. Interesting how Israel got in one last Slaughter before the Adults take over

[pjt7]

10. In a pathetic commentary on the upside down world of

right-wing Israel & America under Cheney/Bush. I consider it less than the catastrophe I feared that Israel only invaded & wrecked Gaza, rather than bombing Iran.

Can tomorrow come quicker?

[Scurrilous]

11. Inside Gaza: Israeli troops have vanished but the damage is plain to see

Israeli forces leave trail of destruction after withdrawal back to the Gaza border

<snip>

"No Israeli forces could be seen today on the main road connecting the south and north of Gaza, but signs of the heavy toll exacted on the territory's civilian population during the three-week conflict were unmissable.

A day after Israel announced a unilateral ceasefire, one subsequently matched by Hamas, its forces appeared to have withdrawn back to Gaza's eastern border with Israel. Travelling today from Rafah, in the far south, to the edge of Gaza City, no Israeli troops or tanks could be seen.

But along the road, every police station had been destroyed and the damage increased greatly in intensity on the southern edges of Gaza City.

In Zeitoun, close to the site of the former Israeli settlement of Netzarim, abandoned in 2005, great numbers of apartment buildings and homes were damaged or completely destroyed by tank shells or machine gun fire.

Among these was a flattened house identified as having belonged to the extended Samouni family, 48 of whom are now believed to have been killed when their home was repeatedly shelled by Israeli forces, an incident first described by UN officials 10 days ago.

The shelling of the house was subsequently highlighted by Navi Pillay, the UN high commissioner for human rights, as a possible war crime. She called for an independent investigation into the incident.

Nearby was a badly damaged two-­storey breezeblock home which had clearly been used as a temporary forward base by Israeli troops. It was littered with bullet casings, empty ration packs marked with Hebrew writing and plastic waste bags.

Inside and outside the home, graffiti had been daubed in Hebrew and English, with slogans including "Arabs need to die", "Arabs: 1948 to 2009" and "Make war, not peace".

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/19/gaza-israel-troops-withdrawal

[stranger81]

13. Nice graffiti . . . . I'm sure it will be completely lost on those who say the Gaza assault

wasn't a racially-fueled attempt to wantonly destroy Palestinian lives.

[EFerrari]

14. Yeah. It's just a few bad apples. n/t