Israel ready for ceasefire, Hamas rejects it

[Boston Critic]

Miri Eisin, a spokeswoman for Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, said the offer to trade a partial cease-fire for a suspension of all Israeli military operations in Palestinian territories was "ludicrous" and "a media stunt."

"Israel would respond very positively to the idea of a complete cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, which is what we hoped for in September 2005 when we left every inch of the Gaza Strip," Eisin said. "If the Palestinian factions have a proposal which is supposed to bring about the complete stopping of fire from the Gaza Strip, Israel would be very happy to stop all, all -- and I'm going to say it again -- all fire from the Gaza Strip."

A Hamas spokesman in Gaza, Ismail Radwan, watered down Haniyeh's talk of a cease-fire, saying the Palestinian factions had agreed to "alter their strategies of resistance" if Israel halted fire.

http://www.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2006/11/25/israelis_dismiss_offer_by_hamas/


Israel is ready for a "complete ceasefire." All Hamas promises is to stop firing missiles from Gaza and in exchange Israel is to completely stop defending itself. Is there any one who is not an idiot -- or blinded by their anti-Israel rhetoric -- who can't see which side is ready for peace and which side is simply looking for advantages so they can continue their war?

[iamthebandfanman]

1. glad

im very glad they extended such an offer, and because of it progress can be made because the world can see who is preventing the peace.

i disagree with your assumption that anyone who speaks out against Isreal is 'anti-isreal' though.
Personally, i fault both sides for their conflicts.
i mean seriously, this has gone on entirely to long.

*sigh*

people will never wake up and realise that nothing is accomplished through death. its the only thing guarenteed to us so why rush it over differing opinions.

humans are sad.
lol.

[Boston Critic]

3. Not anyone

But there are those who blast Israel out of hate for the Jewish state, and there are those who foolishly pretend the two sides are morally equivalent or equally to blame.

Israel has just said they will agree to a complete and total ceasefire. Hamas has rejected that and said that they will stop firing missiles on civilians but continue all other attacks, and in return Israel must completely stop defending itself. Then they'll be willing to "talk" about stopping other attacks.

That's why I said one had to be an idiot or hate Israel to see this as Israel "rejecting" a real peace offer.

[breakaleg]

7. Can you show one example of where someone blasted Israel out of hate and not

well deserved criticism? I would like to know how you can tell the difference on a message board.

[Boston Critic]

8. Well, we have your posts elsewhere for an example

... and remember, this is a thread about how Israel is ready to support a complete ceasefire while Hamas is not, yet you are still quick to blame Israel and are utterly silent about the terrorists.

Funny how suicide bombers and deliberate missile attacks on civilians don't earn "well-deserved criticism" in your book, but Israel defending itself does.

[breakaleg]

9. OK. I was expecting that. Can you be more specific?

If you are going to accuse me of something, then you should be able to quote me exactly.

[Name removed]

10. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

11. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[msmcghee]

12. I have yet to see a reasonable . .

.. accusation from you regarding the morality of any of Israel's actions. You offer plenty of empty anti-Israel talking points but when asked to actually justify your positions - you run away.

There is no substance to your position. And it doesn't even bother you. It is simply an emotional anti-Israel position.

I am very willing to condemn Israel - as soon as I see them attack Arabs for reasons other than the defense of Israel and its citizens. So far you have failed completely to show that Israel has ever done that.

Conversely, you have completely failed to show that Israel's enemies have ever attacked Israel in defense of an Israel initiated attack against them - and not simply as another attempt to destroy Israel and/or kill Israel citizens.

Of course, it's pretty hard to do that when Israel's enemies all admit upfront that that's what their intention is.

[breakaleg]

13. If you can learn to

make a point without being insulting, condescending and riddling your posts with personal insults, we can have a conversation.

You claim to be of the older generation, but I often feel like I've stepped into romper room around here. And if you know anything about how adults interact, then you will know that most of us don't have time for childish games.

[Name removed]

14. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[breakaleg]

15. And what exactly do your posts say?

That it's ok to kill Palestinians because they brought it on themselves? That extreme use of force by Israel is ok? Israel at any and all cost?

But that's not bias by any chance is it?

If I have any bias it's in preventing the massive number of deaths of civilians by the mighty Israeli army. Something that doesn't appear to be a blip on your radar.

[Boston Critic]

16. Actually, no

I've said that Israel has a right to defend itself, and noted that when things go wrong and innocent civilians are harmed they DO try to do something about it, as opposed to the Palestinians and their apologists who either celebrate or dismiss concern over Israeli victims.

The IDF strives to avoid civilian casualties. They warned communities in Lebanon before bombings even though that warned helped Hezbollah as well. They fought door to door in Jenin instead of just blasting, at added risk, to try to minimize casualties.

You may have just read about Palestinian human shields being used to protect terrorist homes. It worked, because Israel DOESN'T try to kill civilians. Imagine the reverse. Can you cite a single example of Palestinians warning Israeli civilians? Of course not. They TARGET them. Can you imagine what would happen if someone like the Palestinian suicide granny found her target surrounded by civilians? She would have danced for glee at the opportunity to kill more.

So your mischaracterization of my views are way off target, while my noting the hypocrisy of your views seem to be scoring a bull's eye.

[Boston Critic]

18. Bias strikes again

Your posts speak for themselves, no matter how many times the moderators delete my noting that.

[idontwantaname]

2. israel ready for ceasefire but not done taking west bank land...

is how the headline should read.

[Boston Critic]

4. Israel ready to negotiate over West Bank

And if the Palestinians don't want to negotiate, they will lose it.

As was shown in the Sinai and Gaza, existing settlements are not a bar to the return of land.

BTW, why do you think the West Bank should be scrubbed free of all Jews? Do you think all Arabs should be forcibly removed from Israel?

[Waya]

5. Exactly..........

[Boston Critic]

6. Exactly wrong...

...would be more to the mark.

[Scurrilous]

17. Israel accepts Palestinian groups' offer of ceasefire

<snip>

"Israel accepted a Palestinian cease-fire to go in effect Sunday morning, and will stop military operations in Gaza in return for an end to all Palestinian violence, including rocket fire, tunneling, and suicide bombers, the Prime Minister's Office announced Saturday night.

The dramatic announcement followed a telephone conversation between Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas.

According to the Prime Minister's Office, Abbas phoned Olmert and told him that he had received an agreement from all the different Palestinian factions to the cease fire, and in response "requested that Israel would stop all military operations in the Gaza Strip, and withdraw all its forces from there."

The statement said that after speaking to his senior ministers and top security officials, Olmert told Abbas that Israel would respond favorably "since Israel was operating in the Gaza Strip in response to the violence."

Olmert, according to the statement, told Abbas "the end of the violence could bring about the end of Israeli operations, and his hope that this would bring stability to both sides."

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1162378480111&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull