Jerusalem – Israel on Wednesday rejected a French proposal for a 48-hour cease-fire in the Gaza Strip to allow the flow of humanitarian aid into the bombarded coastal territory.
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The decision was reached by the members of the “kitchen cabinet,” which includes Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Defense Minister Ehud Barak, and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni.
Meanwhile, Israel has decided to open the Kerem Shalom crossing to the Gaza Strip on Wednesday afternoon to allow 106 trucks filled with humanitarian aid supplied by foreign aid groups to enter the coastal territory.
Some 100 trucks carrying basic food and medical supplies entered Gaza on Tuesday through the same crossing. The supplies were donated by Jordan, Turkey and international organizations. Five ambulances were also permitted to enter.
Israel has promised Red Cross and United Nations relief organizations that it would assist the transfer of humanitarian aid as necessary.
In Jerusalem on Wednesday, the cabinet discussed the French proposal for a 48-hour “humanitarian” cease-fire, after failing late Tuesday night to reach a decision. The cabinet is also reportedly discussing whether to expand the Israel Defense Forces operation in the Gaza Strip.
Earlier on Wednesday, Israel described the French proposal as unrealistic.
“That proposal contained no guarantees of any kind that Hamas will stop the rockets and smuggling,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said. “It is not realistic to expect Israel to cease fire unilaterally with no mechanism to enforce the cessation of shooting and terror from Hamas.”
But Palmor said Israel had not rejected the proposal, one of several under consideration, outright. Another Israeli official said France might propose amendments to its plan.
French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, meanwhile, said he and President Nicolas Sarkozy are considering extending their Middle East trip next Monday to visit Israel amid European efforts to end the violence in Gaza.
Kouchner chaired an emergency meeting of EU foreign ministers in Paris on
Tuesday over the Gaza fighting. The 27 EU nations urged Israel and Hamas to accept an immediate and permanent cease-fire. France holds the EU presidency until midnight.
Speaking on RTL radio Wednesday, Kouchner said he hoped Israel does not launch a ground operation in Gaza. A humanitarian truce is “not enough and any cease-fire must be lasting,” he added.
‘No such thing as a humanitarian cease-fire
The Cabinet met on Tuesday as well, following a day in which a Hamas rocket struck Be’er Sheva for the first time and the Israel Defense Forces completed preparations for a possible ground operation in the Gaza Strip. The Education Ministry decided to keep schools in Be’er Sheva closed on Wednesday.
In discussions with Olmert and Livni on Tuesday, Defense Minister Ehud Barak recommended seeking an exit from the fighting within the next few days, using one of the various international initiatives currently being worked on.
Barak also favors the French proposal for a 48-hour truce that would be used to examine Hamas’ willingness to agree to a long-term cease-fire, in addition to its stated purpose of providing humanitarian assistance to Gaza’s population.
Olmert and Livni are said to be less enthusiastic about the French proposal.
“There’s no such thing as a ‘humanitarian cease-fire’,” an Olmert aide said Tuesday. “Gaza is not undergoing a humanitarian crisis. We’re constantly supplying it with food and medications, and there’s no need for a humanitarian cease-fire.”
When Olmert visited IDF Southern Command headquarters in Be’er Sheva Tuesday, most of the senior officers with whom he met urged him to authorize a ground operation. People at the meeting said their impression was that Olmert agreed.
Moreover, even a temporary cease-fire is liable to take some time to arrange, and during this time, ongoing fire and further casualties could spark renewed escalation.
IDF troops have been massed along the Gaza border awaiting a ground operation for two days already, exposing them to rocket and mortar fire. And on Monday, a mortar shell killed a soldier at the Nahal Oz base.
In addition, the bad weather provides cover for Hamas rocket-launching crews, because it is hard for Israeli aircraft to spot them through the clouds.
The air force and navy bombed dozens of targets in Gaza, including smuggling tunnels along the Gaza-Egypt border, and 40 Palestinians were killed, including at least five civilians. In addition, Barak sought cabinet approval for calling up another 2,510 reservists, on top of the 6,700 called up on Sunday.
The Prime Minister’s Office and defense officials also worked on finalizing Israel’s terms for a permanent cease-fire. These include a complete cessation of all rocket and mortar fire from Gaza by all Palestinian organizations; a ban on armed men approaching the border fence with Israel, since there were several incidents near the fence during the six-month truce that collapsed this month; complete Israeli control over the Gaza border crossings; Egyptian efforts to stop the weapons smuggling into Gaza from the Sinai Peninsula; and some kind of supervisory mechanism to ensure that Hamas is meeting its commitments.
A cease-fire will not be conditioned on the return of kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit, but Israel hopes a truce deal would increase the chances of concluding a prisoner exchange with Hamas.
International efforts to broker a cease-fire gathered steam Tuesday as well. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice telephoned her counterparts around the world, including a conference call with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner and European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana.
In addition, Turkey, France and the UN all urged Syrian President Bashar Assad to use his influence to get Khaled Meshal, the Damascus-based head of Hamas’ political bureau, to agree to a truce. So far, Assad has refused, saying Israel must first halt its operation in Gaza.
But Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan flew to Damascus Wednesday to continue this effort, along with Qatari Prime Minister Hamad al-Thani, with whom Erdogan met in Ankara Tuesday. Erdogan will then proceed to Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
Later Wednesday, Arab League foreign ministers will meet in Cairo to discuss the situation in Gaza.
No Shalit- no deal! How can they call it a “humaniterian cease fire” and Not include the minimally humanitarian action of returning a kidnapped soldier. INTENSIFY THE BOMBING-BRING IN THE 10,000 GROUND TROOPS-Whats the point of them hanging around at the border- a scare tactic, a show of force??, or are you just waiting to make static targets out of them. You have learned your lebanon war lessons well, and are determined to repeat the same losing tactics-disgusting government of appeasers, cowards, and anti-semites.
“Some 100 trucks carrying basic food and medical supplies entered Gaza on Tuesday through the same crossing. The supplies were donated by Jordan, Turkey and international organizations. Five ambulances were also permitted to enter. “
I wouldn’t be at all suprised that those trucks contained rockets and ammunition.
The only way is to continue and blow them away till the operation is not done ur waisting ur time. Do it,the world will condem for 3 days and once and for all we will get ridof these rotzchim
kill em’ all!
Why not let Israel just finish her job, for once and for all. She needs to display her military might to teach Hamas and other Islamic militants a lesson. They pushed too far. No other nation would accept the constant threats of these militants, it’s easy for France and the rest of the EU to call a cease fire when it’s not their people who are constantly under attack by these radical fundamentalists. These people spend their lives planning for the destruction of Israel, think of how much good they would do their own people if they would put that much effort into building their economies, educational systems and improving quality of life. Unfortunately, these fundamentalists don’t have the same goals as other people of the world. The international community needs a reality check. Israel has the right to defend herself. No one will help us at the end of the day, history has proven we must help ourselves. May Hashem help us and may His name be glorified through victory and the ultimate redemption.
I read an interesting opinion article in the Wall Street Journal by Bret Sevens in there he writes why Hamas has an advantage over Israel . In the passed wars Israel had one goal survival while the Arabs had many goals in their wars. This war it is the reverse Hamas want one thing the destruction of Israel and Israel as many goals like economic, favor in the eyes of the nation and more. Therefore Israel should stay focus and go for winning the war not just something in the middle which is essentially nothing.
Anon 9:18 “The international community needs a reality check.”
Oh, they are very realistic, they all hate jews, thats the only explanation – Ham’ven Y’ven.
It is unfortunate, but if Hamas feels that they are on the vurge of destruction, they will R’L C’V kill Shalit.
israel should’ve agreed to the truce, and then bomb the daylights out of hamas anyway. will show the world & hamas that a deal with hamas is worthless and it works both ways.
Of course they shouldnt cease fire! Hamas Yemach Sh’mom has missles that go farther into EY and the Izzys should stop the assault??? That makes no sense whatsoever. Oylam Goylam!
ein mool far alehmoohl. zolen zei visen