Saturday - July 08, 2006

Grinding Away In Gaza

Palestinian leader to Israel: “Please, let’s have a cease-fire so we can learn to get along.”

Israeli leader to Palestine: “That’s what you said last time - and the time before that, and the time before that, and the time before that, and - never mind ... here come some more tanks.”

It never fails. The Pallies strike at Israel and run away. Israel retaliates, hunts them down and kicks their butt. Then the Pallies call for a cease-fire - during which time they regroup, lick their wounds and plan the next attack. This time Israel is having none of it.

I urge Israel to keep hammering Hamas and the Pallies as long as it takes to get Cpl. Shalit back ... even if it means smashing every building in Gaza and pushing the Paleosimians into the sea. Then and only then might there be a real cease-fire.

Palestinian PM Urges Cease-Fire
_{Saturday, 8 July 2006, 13:37 GMT 14:37 UK}

Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniya has called for an end to all military operations by both the Palestinians and Israel. A statement from his office said the only way out of the current crisis was for all parties to restore calm through a mutual cessation of hostilities.

But Israeli PM Ehud Olmert rejected the offer, saying militants should free a captured Israeli soldier first. Earlier Israel said its troops had left their positions in northern Gaza. Dozens of Palestinians and an Israeli died in two days of fighting there.

The military operations began after an Israeli soldier, Cpl Gilad Shalit, was seized two weeks ago. Israeli forces remain in southern Gaza, as well as east of Gaza City, where they clashed with gunmen on Saturday.

“In order to get out of the current crisis, it is necessary that all parties restore calm on the basis of mutually stopping all military operations,” Mr Haniya said in a statement released by his office in Gaza.

His Hamas-led government also urged Israel to open negotiations over the fate of Cpl Shalit. But officials in Mr Olmert’s office said he would not agree to a truce unless Hamas first released Cpl Shalit. The Israeli army says all of the forces that entered northern Gaza late on Wednesday have left the town of Beit Lahiya and are now back in Israel.

The BBC’s Wyre Davies in Gaza City says the withdrawal is significant, because the areas has been the scene of heavy fighting. Our correspondent adds that it is not clear why Israel has decided to leave now, but that it should ease tensions. This leaves Israeli forces in the southern Gaza strip, as well east of Gaza City.

The latter area was the scene of the latest Israeli operation early on Saturday. Troops, backed by helicopter gunships, moved on the eastern outskirts of Beit Hanoun and the main commercial crossing at Karni. The area is a Hamas stronghold, and three Palestinians are reported to have died in the fighting.

- More on this story from the BBC ...

Posted by The Skipper     on 07/08/2006 at 10:08 AM   
Filed Under: • Paleswine •  
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Not that very many people ever read this far down, but this blog was the creation of Allan Kelly and his friend Vilmar. Vilmar moved on to his own blog some time ago, and Allan ran this place alone until his sudden and unexpected death partway through 2006. We all miss him. A lot. Even though he is gone this site will always still be more than a little bit his. We who are left to carry on the BMEWS tradition owe him a great debt of gratitude, and we hope to be able to pay that back by following his last advice to us all:

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It's been a long strange trip without you Skipper, but thanks for pointing us in the right direction and giving us a swift kick in the behind to get us going. Keep lookin' down on us, will ya? Thanks.

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