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Just following orders, ma'am. Indications are that Rice read Olmert the riot act on her recent visit, ordering Israel to cease and desist actions in Gaza against rocket attacks.
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| By Stan Goodenough March 10, 2008 |
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Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert Monday denied reports that Israel has entered a ceasefire with the Hamas terrorist organization in the Gaza Strip.
"There is no agreement and there are no direct or indirect talks," he declared.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak also described as "wrong" anyone who "thinks that this is the end of the story and that there's already a truce."
But Olmert's "peace partner," PLO chief terrorist Mahmoud Abbas, insisted that such a ceasefire has indeed been agreed to. And after initially denying that a ceasefire was in place, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh concurred.
Reports of a rumored ceasefire began circulating after a noticeable lull in rocket fire from Gaza on eastern Negev towns and communities and on IDF targeting of Kassam launch sites.
A sifting of numerous reports suggest that Israel has in fact agreed to back off instead of press ahead with its defensive attacks in order to allow the Egyptians to mediate with Hamas.
According to The Jerusalem Post, officials in the Prime Minister's Office said earlier Monday that Olmert had instructed the army to halt air strikes and raids into Gaza in response to a drop in rocket fire from the territory.
"The decision came in an effort to allow Egypt to proceed in mediation talks with each side, the officials said on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the talks," according to the Post.
Olmert's government is sensitive to suggestions that it might be going "soft" on Arab terrorists after last Thursday's massacre of Jewish students in Jerusalem.
The Post reported the reaction of Knesset Member Yuval Steinitz who, it said, told Army Radio that Hamas had won and had successfully created a deterrence against Israel.
"This morning I must sadly say: congratulations to Hamas," he said. "The real meaning of this ceasefire is a Hamas victory. It has only one [possible] interpretation: that we are willing to accept a Palestinian state -- at least in Gaza -- that is armed contrary to all demilitarization agreements, and reconcile ourselves with the establishment of an Iranian outpost; because Hamas is a proxy of Syria and Iran."
Stan Goodenough reports for Jerusalem Newswire. |
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