Israel Matzav

Fawzi Wawzi wasn't fawzi, wawzi?

Speaking on Syrian television Sunday, Hamas politburo chief Khaled Meshaal declared that Hamas would observe a cease fire and give Israel one week to pull its troops out of Gaza. Where that fits in with the ten rockets and four mortars shot this morning from Gaza on Israeli communities in the Negev is left to the reader to contemplate. And Hamas' 'cease fire' has conflicting demands with those that Israel presented last night:

While Israel said it would halt all military activity, it said it would maintain its presence in Gaza until it was clear that Palestinian gunmen would honor the calm.

In addition, Israel said it would not open any border crossings until all hostilities have ceased.

But at least some Hamas 'spokesmen' are awakening to the reality that Hamas needs a lull in the fighting (which, of course, is precisely why Israel was mistaken to have given them one). Nevertheless, they are still defiant. Here for example, is Fawzi Barhoum, Hamas spokesman in the Gaza Strip and uncle of the infamous Saraa Barhoum (I wonder if she got a space in a bunker or they made her a human shield too - after all, she did say she wanted to be a 'martyr').

"We will continue the resistance operations for as long as there is one Zionist soldier in the Gaza Strip," Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said. "We will continue regardless of the price."

Fawzi said Hamas's conditions for accepting a cease-fire included a halt to the IDF operation, the reopening of the border crossings into the Gaza Strip [this is very unlikely to happen. CiJ] and the lifting of the blockade.

The Hamas spokesman said that the decision to declare a unilateral cease-fire showed that the war was also a unilateral move on the part of Israel against the Palestinians.

"This war had nothing to do with the rockets or the presence of Hamas in the Gaza Strip," he said. "This war against children, women and the elderly was part of the upcoming Israeli election campaign."

Hamas also voiced opposition to the US-Israeli agreement to stop the smuggling of weapons under the border between Gaza and Egypt.

"This agreement is aimed at tightening the siege around the Gaza Strip and establishing a new base for spying on the Palestinians and Egypt."

In sum, Fawzi Wawzi wasn't fawzi, wawzi? Hamas has no intention of honoring any 'cease fire' over the long term, but it will be happy to have a few days of 'lull' to regroup and come out fighting again. And unfortunately, the Olmert-Barak-Livni government has already decided to give them that lull.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 2:42 PM