Weakening resolve? UPDATE: 'Defense establishment' now recommends 48-hour 'truce'; SECOND UPDATE: IDF spokesperson's unit says HaAretz report false
The Washington Post reports on Tuesday that Israel has rejected a 'truce' with Hamas and 'presses on' with the Gaza operation (Hat Tip: Memeorandum). Diplomatic efforts to calm the situation are expected to accelerate this week, with European foreign ministers scheduled to meet in Paris today and Arab diplomats set to gather in Cairo on Wednesday.But not everyone is as gung ho about this operation as Sheetrit claims to be. Cracks are appearing in the facade. While Defense Minister Ehud Barak has made several statements about this being a "war to the bitter end," Israel Radio reported this afternoon that Deputy Foreign Minister Majalli Whbee (Kadima) (pictured) told the BBC's Arabic service today that Israel would be open to discussing a 'truce' if one was offered.
In advance of the Paris session, the European Commission called for "an immediate halt to military hostilities" in order to spare Gaza's civilian population, while demanding that Hamas also stop firing its rockets into Israel. United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Monday had also called for a ceasefire.
Though the pace of bombing appeared to slow on Tuesday, Interior Minister Meir Sheetrit told Israel Radio that at this point "there is no room for a ceasefire," according to news reports from the region. "The Israeli army must not stop the operation before breaking the will of the Palestinians, of Hamas, to continue to fire at Israel."
Whether this crack in the government's resolve widens remains to be seen. But in the meantime, all of Israel's political parties except the Arab parties and Meretz (i.e. all but the far left) are in favor of continuing the operation. Opposition leader Binyamin Netanyahu has even signed on to help with the government's public relations efforts.
UPDATE 5:37 PM
As if on cue, Haaretz is now reporting that Israel's 'defense establishment' is now recommending a 48-hour 'truce.'
The defense establishment on Tuesday said it would recommend that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert seek out a diplomatic initiative to abate the war against Hamas and embark on a 48-hour truce, before it becomes necessary to begin a significant ground invasion of the Gaza Strip.That'll do wonders to restore Israel's deterrence power.
Senior defense officials believe that such a diplomatic process need not be a unilateral Israeli procedure, but should rather be based on an initiative originally proposed by French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner.
The goal of the temporary calm would be to see if Hamas can abide by the truce and cease firing rockets at Israel.
The initiative is seen as a possibility to cease the operation before sending a massive Israel Defense Forces ground corp into the Gaza Strip.
The government will announce its decision regarding the temporary truce over the coming hours.
/sarc
UPDATE 6:30 PM
The IDF spokesperson's unit is denying the truce story (Hat Tip: Mere Rhetoric).
"These statements are untrue and were not corroborated prior to their publication," said the military.
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 4:21 PM
4 Comments:
I hope Israel won't initiate the truce... the enemy is not even interested in a ceasefire. Why would Israel give Hamas a gift when it could be on the ropes?
The original article forgot to mention that it was the Iranian Defense Establishment that stated that it would recommend a 48 hour truce before the Israeli forces launched a ground invasion.
The only reason Israel's leaders aren't capitulating to Hamas is Hamas keeps ramping up its attacks upon Israel. The Israeli Left would like Israel to surrender to the barbarians and there are those in official quarters who agree with that treasonous line of advice. Just look up the columns at Haaretz and Neve Gordon's musings at Counterpunch to see what Israel's moonbats want: for Israel to stop defending itself.
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