Israel Declares Ceasefire in Gaza
[Guest post by DRJ]
After 22 days, Israel has declared a unilateral ceasefire in Gaza. However, it does not plan to pull out its troops until there are no further rockets fired from Gaza:
“Our goals as they were set at the beginning of the operation were fully realized, and even more than that,” Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said after the 12-member Security Cabinet voted to halt the assault.
“Hamas was hit hard, in its military arms and in its government institutions,” Olmert said. “If the fire stops entirely, the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) will weigh pulling out of Gaza at a time that befits us. If not, the IDF will continue to act to defend our residents.”
A recent report indicates the Israelis destroyed the Iranian wing of Hamas in Gaza City. That may be the best they could hope to accomplish before Obama takes office. Now it’s time to wait and see what strategy the Obama Administration will take toward Israel.
— DRJ
This will, unfortunately, not leave the Israelis any safer than prior to their actions. But their Bush-41 maneuver will possibly help cut down on all the anti-Israel tirade.
End the fighting before the enemy capitulates, hope for the best. This has been Israel’s tactic for 60 years. And before anyone declares the tactic a failure, there are other issues to point out.
Israel exists.
If Israel went for capitulation, chances are that 100 countries would declare war on Israel.
The fact most of the world is anti-Israel despite Israel’s attempt to merely be allowed to survive will exist regardless of Israel’s actions.
Stopping now, or tomorrow, or next week will ensure that Israel will continue to exist that much longer.
So, a true military victory which would ensure security regarding this enemy will never be available, due to the extremist anti-semite fertilizer being spread by a great many nations and the MSM.
A limited victory is all Israel can expect to achieve. And that is what she got.
John Hitchcock (fb941d) — 1/17/2009 @ 6:07 pmHamas says it will keep firing rockets until Israel pulls out of Gaza entirely.
That sounds reasonable enough–until you consider that Hamas was firing rockets BEFORE Israel ever invaded Gaza in the first place.
The key to understanding this situation is to wrap your head around the fact that Hamas has NOT promised to stop launching rockets if Israel does pull out entirely.
Hamas are the bad guys and Israel are the good guys. Go Israel!
Daryl Herbert (b65640) — 1/17/2009 @ 6:11 pmDid that moron Olmert have a “Mission Accomplished” banner behind him when he made this announcement?
Ed (39e6e8) — 1/17/2009 @ 6:13 pmIt doesn’t hurt when Hamas starts firing their missiles/rockets/whatever from Lebanon during Israel’s work to stop them from coming from Gaza, a piece of Israeli land Israel should never have relinquished.
John Hitchcock (fb941d) — 1/17/2009 @ 6:14 pmIf Israel went for capitulation, chances are that 100 countries would declare war on Israel.
Unlikely–for a lot of reasons including that Israel has a big army and a nuclear arsenal, and most of those countries would lose a war to a Wal-Mart.
M. Scott Eiland (5ccff0) — 1/17/2009 @ 6:21 pmUS citizens are losing the war with Wal-Mart, but that’s a different discussion. 😉
John Hitchcock (fb941d) — 1/17/2009 @ 6:24 pmWow, the timing is just perfect. They definitely don’t trust Obama.
Or is it the IDF knew best to do Obama a favor and “get er done” under Bush’s last days. Obama gets a pass and is thankful (kinda like he is thankful to Blago for avoiding a special election by picking Burris).
Joe (17aeff) — 1/17/2009 @ 6:40 pmOlmert has lost his nerve again, just like he did in Lebanon against Hizbollah.
If the rockets keep landing, it’s going to make him a laughingstock. Or at least I hope it does. Why is that man still prime minister?
Steven Den Beste (99cfa1) — 1/17/2009 @ 6:43 pmThe IDF might have done BHO a favor by getting this done under B-43’s watch,
AD (c28272) — 1/17/2009 @ 7:59 pmbut now President Obama will have to deal with Prime Minister Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu,
who does not suffer fools well.
If this was done as a favor to Obama, it was a screw-up.
What could be better for the Messiah than to take office, dispatch HRC immediately, and declare that Israel agreed to a ceasefire after her/his diplomatic initiative? This would have been reminiscent of when Reagan took office and the hostages in Iran were released forthwith. Since the IDF was going to stand down anyway, this would have been a slam dunk for world perception of The One as peacemaker.
Knowing of Olmert, he screwed this up royally.
Ed (39e6e8) — 1/17/2009 @ 8:15 pmThis would have been reminiscent of when Reagan took office and the hostages in Iran were released forthwith
Except, the media had been touting the “Cowboy” image of RR throughout the campaign (thinking they were doing him damage, when they actually were reinforcing his image with the electorate), and IIRC backchannel comms to Teheran never downplayed the “Cowboy” angle just to put a little fear into the minds of the Mullahs. They promptly released the hostages to eliminate any possibility of RR being true to his “Cowboy” image, and subsequent damage to them.
AD (c28272) — 1/17/2009 @ 8:23 pmIsrael should surround the hospital in Gaza where the Hamas leaders are cowardly hiding and when the next missal lands in Sderot, declare the cease fire over, evacuate the patients and level the building if the leaders don’t come out.
MU789 (c852bc) — 1/17/2009 @ 8:59 pmAnd in the mainstream, dinosaur media do we hear of Israel’s unilateral cease fire? Or do we hear the sounds of crickets chirping? Mostly crickets chirping. I like MU789’s plan re: the Hamas leaders hiding in the hospital. Take them all out after the very next rocket sent to Israel from Gaza. Remember Machiavelli? Kill them, kill them all, kill them quickly and be done with it. The people will get over it and move on with things. And should more enemy leaders arise in their place, do the same thing to them, kill them, kill them all, kill them quickly and be done with it. These Arabs are so in love with death and martyrdom, lets help them along their way to their 72 waiting virgins before they kill another innocent, life loving person.
J. Raymond Wright (e8d0ca) — 1/18/2009 @ 8:26 amOne of the most encouraging things is what did *not* happen. The West Bank Palestinians did not launch their own attacks on Israel to help the Hamas terrorists.
Bradley J. Fikes (0ea407) — 1/18/2009 @ 9:19 amThe IDF is reportedly furious with the government for caving to public opinion. I agree that they did this before Bush left office because they could count on him. Obama is a cipher. The “unilateral” aspect of the ceasefire was a policy decision as Israel has no intention of “negotiating” with Hamas as long as their charter is unchanged.
Mike K (2cf494) — 1/18/2009 @ 9:33 amI thought it was mainly the brave frontline Hamas leadership fighting from their bunkers in Damascus proclaiming that Hamas would not quit, whereas their people getting the shit kicked out of them in Gaza, not so much.
daleyrocks (5d22c0) — 1/18/2009 @ 10:06 am