Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Nantoz
I remind you that prior to the recent Israeli campaign in Gaza, Hamas had declared a more than year-long unilateral cease-fire. They upheld this stance untill the Gaza Beach Bombings that kiled seven civilian Palestinians and left several more severely wounded.
|
On April 17, 2006 nine people were killed and at least 40 wounded in a suicide bombing near the old central bus station in Tel Aviv. The blast ripped through Falafel Rosh Ha'ir (the same restaurant that was hit by an attack on January 19). The Islamic Jihad and Fatah’s Al Aksa Martyrs Brigades both claimed responsibility for the attack. The Hamas led PA government defended the suicide bombing, calling it an act of "self-defense." Hamas official spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri called the attack "a natural result of the continued Israeli crimes against our people." On March 30, 2006 four people were killed in a suicide bombing outside Kedumim in the northern West Bank. The Al-Aksa Martyrs Brigades took responsibility for that attack. During the Hamas "cease-fire," many hundreds of Kassam rockets were launched at Israeli towns.
Hamas has done nothing to stop these attacks since they've been in power and in fact they defend them. What kind of cease-fire is this?
This is has been the pattern in the past. One Palestinian faction declares a truce or cease-fire with Israel while other factions continue their attacks. Eventually, Israel retaliates and Palestinians claim Israel has 'violated' the truce. Rinse, repeat.
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Toccata & Fugue
This article siggests that the Israeli's real aim to install a more compliant lebanese government and that they had just been waiting for an excuse to deploy forces that had been in place for months.
|
Dude, Israel has a small standing army. They don't have large invasion forces to put in place months in advance. They've only just started mobilizing their reserve forces now (three battalions activated yesterday; more, I'm sure, to follow).
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by JonnyBGood
My proposal is this. The UN, backed by the armies of NATO, demands all sides to cease fire and an immediate pull back of Israeli forces from the Gaza strip, an end to naval blockades of Lebanon and the Gaza strip, an end to any new settlers moving into the West Bank and pullback of all Israeli air forces from the aerospace above Lebanon and the gaza strip. In the meantime any and all offensive operations, airstrikes, rocket launches, suicide bombings from all sides are to cease within a period of six hours.
|
I'm curious how you're going to achieve this. Especially stopping the rocket attacks and suicide bombings. The Israelis, with equipment as good as NATOs and twice the motivation, haven't been able to do it. What carrots and sticks do you think will be effective, and why? Peacekeeping forces also risk becoming targets themselves (see U.S. Marines, Beirut) which is why I think few, if any, countries will be stepping up to offer their troops for such a mission.
Also, the UN has been in the middle east before. They maintained a buffer zone between Israeli and Egyptian forces from 1956 to 1967 and from 1973 to 1979. They were not able to stop terrorist attacks (or for that matter, the Six Days War). Hell, there are UN peacekeepers along the Lebanese/Israeli border
right now. They didn't stop Hezbollah from attacking across the border and capturing two Israeli soldiers. All they can/will do is watch Hezbollah missiles and Israeli jets fly by overhead and wave at the troops going by.
N.B. A collection of links to Israeli, Palestinian and Lebanese bloggers at
The Truth Laid Bear.