Israel Unilaterally Halts Fire

Israel Unilaterally Halts Fire
January 18, 2009
Associated Press

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - Militants in Hamas-ruled Gaza fired salvoes of rockets into southern Israel on Sunday, defying a unilateral cease-fire called by Israel and threatening to reignite three weeks of violence that has killed more than 1,000 Palestinians and turned Gaza's streets into battlegrounds.

The Islamic militant Hamas has been battered badly by the Israeli onslaught, and it was not clear how seriously it intended to try to jeopardize the cease-fire. The rocket fire resumed as a slew of foreign leaders headed to Egypt to try to cement an end to the war.

In Gaza, people loaded vans and donkey carts with mattresses and began venturing back to their homes to see what was left standing after the punishing air and ground assault the tiny seaside territory endured. Bulldozers began shoving aside rubble in Gaza City, the territory's biggest population center, to clear a path for cars while medical workers sifting through mounds of concrete discovered dozens of bodies in the debris.

In southern Israel, residents who have fled rockets for eight years accused the government of stopping the offensive too soon.

Israel quieted its guns and grounded its attack aircraft before reaching a long-term solution to the problem of arms smuggling into Gaza, one of the war's declared aims. And Israel's declaration that it would keep soldiers in Gaza until militants hold their fire raised the prospect of further clashes with Hamas, which has said it would fight on until Israel pulls out.


Rest of article at: http://www.military.com/news/article/israel-unilaterally-halts-fire.html

Will they also stop unilaterally targeting hospitals, schools, UN centers in the process? I have to ask, if only because everything else the Israelis PR spinners have said has been a bloody lie. A unilateral cease fire would be welcome, so long as we get to try their war criminals. Unilaterally.

Hamas for targeting civilian and only civilian targets?

in cold blood, deliberately, murderously, with malice aforethought, and with more than half of them women and children, I suspect that the numbers of those on trial would skew heavily against Israel.

I would also demand a FAIR trial for all criminals on both sides, not like our Gitmo bullshit.

hard to prove during time of war. lots of circumstances to take into account. Do I think Israel was wrong, yes. Does it rise to the level of war crimes, do not know but they should be required to answer for thier conduct.

Both sides should be required to answer for their conduct because firing rockets and using suiocide bombers against civilian targets is also not right.

members of hamas in a war zone is not a war crime. They are called casualties.

yeah, right, whatever, I heard the same BULLSHIT form Livni, with this bloodthirsty leer in her murderous eyes.

What I really fear is that this assassin will be invited into the White House, assuming that this murderer is elected the new PM of Israel.

which Israel pretty much is with Hamas, then members of Hamas are legitimate targets under any rules of war that you wish to apply.

and self-defeating?

Where ever that line might be drawn, Israel has crossed it in Lebanon and now again here. To make matters worse, countries which wish no ill to Israel, which want peace for it and its neighbors are extremely offended that Israel deliberately targets the UN and hospitals. And finally, within Israel itself, there are growing numbers of people who hate what the IDF and their bloodthirsty pols are doing in advance of their election.

Being the cowards that they are, hide behind women and children. Use private homes to store munitions, store munitions in mosques. That is why you get secondary explosions in these targets. Israel warns civilians via leaflets and phone calls that their buildings are being targeted due to the fact that they are being used by hamas, and gives them time to leave.

... is not a "cease fire" -- they're merely RELOADING. Absolutely nothing is being done to stop the SIEGE of Gaza.

needs to 'reload'?

How many of that 1200 are known hamas members? From what numbers I have seen at least half of those palestinians that have died are hamas. It is tragic that civilians have died as well.