Cabinet to vote Saturday on unilateral Gaza truce

[bemildred]

Can you have a "unilateral truce"? I mean a truce is an agreement, right?

The cabinet will hold on vote on Saturday over whether to enact a unilateral cease-fire with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The decision would mean Israel has decided to end the operation without an agreement with Hamas, relying instead on the support of the United States and Egypt in battling arms smuggling.

A government source emphasized that there has been great progress with Egypt in reaching an agreement on fighting arms smuggling. The deal would require the combined use of technological measures to fight smuggling on the border between Gaza and Egypt, operations against smugglers in the southern Gaza town of Rafah, and the use of international experts to identify smuggling tunnels on the border. The deal would also call for cooperation between Israel and Egypt on matters relating to the Gaza Strip in which they have shared interests, without the interference of Hamas.

Egypt is at the moment considering whether to organize a summit in the near future between Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1056178.html

[Chulanowa]

1. More of the same...

Ever notice how the Palestinians always seem to get written out of any sort of agreement involving Palestine?

[DogPoundPup]

2. must continue to keep issues unresolved...it is the only way Israel maintains it;s power

[bemildred]

3. Well, it's an attempt to frame the debate to come.

The part about ships coming to Gaza would seem to indicate that Gaza will be opened, as do other parts of the "agreement". Otherwise I do not see the need for all this verbiage about preventing arms from coming in. If one still controls the borders, directly or indirectly, one can do these things for oneself.

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The way I see it, if English was good enough for Jesus Christ, then it ought to be good enough for us."

[bemildred]

4. US backs deal to reopen Gaza-Egypt border

The US yesterday agreed to provide technical and intelligence assistance on Egypt's border with Gaza to prevent weapons smuggling by Hamas as part of diplomatic moves to secure a ceasefire in Israel's three weeks of bloody assault on the Palestinian enclave.

Israel said it believed the conflict was in the "final act" as talks in Washington and Cairo edged closer to a truce. But important differences remained and it was not clear if an agreement would be finalised this weekend to halt fighting that has cost more than 1,100 lives and destroyed much of Gaza's public infrastructure.

The US secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, and the Israeli foreign minister, Tzipi Livni, signed the agreement for Washington to provide technical and intelligence cooperation as well as logistical support for monitors on the Egypt-Gaza border – a move designed to address one of the principal Israeli demands, that any truce with Hamas include measures to stop it rearming.

Israeli officials said the agreement would commit the US and Nato to track and intercept weapons shipments to Gaza from Iran or anywhere else.

Got that? "Reopen Gaza-Egypt border".

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/16/gaza-egypt-border-crossings-rice-deal

[stillcool]

5. well there you have it..

The UN has spoken.

[bemildred]

6. Israel May Approve Gaza Truce as Soon as Tonight, Official Says

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Livni said the Islamic movement’s cooperation wasn’t necessary for Israel to end its military operation.

“This would be an agreement against Hamas, not with Hamas,” she said in an interview on Israel’s Channel Two last night. Israel’s reaction will be “harsh” if there is further rocket fire, the foreign minister said.

Israel began its offensive to stop Palestinian militants from lobbing rockets into its southern towns and cities.

The Palestinians shot at least 23 rockets into southern Israel yesterday, injuring five people, the army said. Rocket attacks have dropped to an average of 20 a day from more than 70 at the start of the war, the military said.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=awINboL19FSY&refer=worldwide