For a second time during the week long conflict with Israel, Palestinian rockets have targeted Jerusalem at a time when regional and international efforts to enforce a ceasefire have gathered significant momentum.
An air-raid siren sounded in Jerusalem at the 2.15 pm local time, shortly after U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, arrived in the city to reinforce a ceasefire call. One of the rockets, which did not explode, landed near a Palestinian village, while another slammed into an open area near Hebron.
These projectiles did not cause any injuries, but their firing imparted a sense of Palestinian brinkmanship — especially at a time when chances for a ceasefire, that would avoid a full scale Israeli invasion of Gaza, seem to have improved markedly over the past 24 hours.
After maintaining a discreet profile on the margins, the Americans have jumped in with full diplomatic force to prevent an Israeli land incursion into Gaza, in tandem with seeking a complete halt in rocket firings from the coastal strip. While in Cambodia, President Barack Obama called his Egyptian counterpart Mohamed Morsy and Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. By morning on Tuesday, a decision had been taken that U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton would travel to West Asia, to first meet Mr. Netanyahu, and then Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah. She would then set off for Cairo, the focal point of ceasefire talks.
Evaluating options
As diplomacy accelerated rapidly, Mr. Netanyahu huddled with his top nine ministers late into the night on Monday to evaluate options, including the structuring of a truce or a land invasion.
Israel is apparently inclined to support a 24-to-48-hour truce that would allow time for long term ceasefire, rooted to an end of rocket firings into Israel and possible easing of the embargo on Gaza, enforced since 2007.
Apart from western opposition, Israel also risks its ties with Egypt, anchored in the 1979 peace treaty, if it expands its military campaign.
Unlike 2008 when Israel had attacked Hamas, the group has now broken out of its relative isolation, with strong and visible support coming from Egypt, Turkey, Tunisia, Qatar and the Arab League.
On Tuesday, Foreign Ministers from Egypt, Morocco, Palestine, Iraq, Sudan, Qatar, Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey headed for the city of al-Arish, en route Gaza.
Buoyed by the support and a much better demonstration of its military capability, Hamas leaders have adopted a tough posture — a stance that can help them claim “victory” in a post-ceasefire scenario. At a Monday press conference, Hamas chief in exile Khaled Meshal asserted that it was Mr. Netanyahu who had requested a ceasefire — a position that a senior Israeli official swiftly denied.
Mr. Meshal added: “The people of Gaza are not asking for an end of the war, they are asking for their rights, they are asking that Israel end its assassinations and its raids and lift the blockade of Gaza.”
Separately, Mohammed Deif, the head of Hamas’ military wing appeared in a Hamas video on Tuesday. Addressing members of the Izz al-Din al-Qassam, he said: “You must prepare yourself. Put your faith in Allah and in your ability to win. Israel has underestimated Hamas. We’re on constant alert. This path will lead us to paradise.”
Call for solidarity
Mr. Meshal also called for solidarity in Arab and Palestinian ranks, signalling the shifting power hierarchy among the Palestinian factions. Nabil Shaath, a former Palestinian Foreign Minister, belonging to the secular Fatah, echoed calls for unity by saying that all Palestinians are “with the resistance against the enemy and with the truce that would stop the aggression and lift the siege of Gaza”.
Despite the escalating calls for a ceasefire, there has been no perceptible letup in the fighting so far. Israeli air strikes have struck 1000 targets during the week long conflict, while the Palestinians have fired more than 800 rockets into Israel. According to the Gaza health ministry, the death toll on Tuesday morning had climbed to 112, with civilians and children suffering half the casualties.
Keywords: Hamas attack, Israeli air strikes, Gaza bombing, Middle East conflict, Israel-Palestine conflict, West Asia crisis
WHY Obama/Hillary did not intervened from the day one to stop killings
and destruction? Only because, the attack was planned jointly,
executed jointly and now may be stopped jointly after obtaining
desired goals. But, it looks like a faulty and very damaging strategy.
By killings innocents, several children in hands, America and Israel
has doubtlessly breed not only hatred among the millions of Muslims
around the globe but made easy for the Jihadis to enroll their camps.
However, everything is not lost for Obama/Hillary and Israel, if they
can take a deep breath and device a long term solution for Gaza's 4
million human beings who are living worst human lives under iron fist
occupation and of course million of Israelis who have to hear false
rocket sirens day and nights and wear guns on their body even during
sleeping.The painful inhumane conditions in the 21st century is
unacceptable and must be ended soon.
According to media news Gaza children are the worst affected from
recent violence in Gaza. Just two days sixteen children lost their
lives. Media is showing horrific pictures of killed and terrifying
children. One eleven year old baby killed with her mother when
missile hits her home. BBC own local bureau chief lost his four years
old child due to heavy bombardment in his area. Washington Times
published picture of crying father holding the body his dead child on
its front page. Five year old girl lost her all fingers due to sharp
nails of exploding bomb near her house. One father shows dead body of
his four year old son to Egyptian prime Minster who kissed his dead
son head during his visit to Gaza Shifa hospital. True reality is that
Gaza children are paying heavy price for Israeli war adventure in
Gaza. These innocent children don’t have iron dome system, bomb proof
shelters, air defense warning system and emergency shelters on roads
and markets like Israel’s. Crowded Gaza hospital are trying hard to
deal worst injured women and children. True reality is that Israelis
air strikes are not surgical and not for specific war targets Israel
is deliberately targeting densely populated areas full of children.
Now people of Pakistan are astonished to see the double standard of
UNO and so called champion of human rights. Only days ago UNO
celebrated Malala day for Pakistani girl she was slightly injured in
so called terrorist attack in Sawat Pakistan. From UNO chairman
Bankimon to pop star Madonna and UK Prime Minster Gorden Brown to
Hollywood star Angelina Jolie ever one was worried and upset for
Malala and now want to nominate her for noble prize. Several days
Malala story was leading news in western media. Astonishingly these
all personalities and media are sitting silent, seeing everything with
blind eyes and never say single word for dozens of children who lost
their lives in Gaza due to constant bombing and long siege of Gaza.
Most of them children were killed because of US made F16s and other
sophisticated weapons supply to Israel. True reality is that due to
this type of double standard UNO is losing its credibility in third
world countries which is very unfortunate.
This is not good. This is so not good.
The conditions are more or less the same as that were before the 1st and the 2nd world wars.
If this israel-palestine war escalates, it will be a clear failure of United Nations, the same fate that the 'League of nations' had before the 2nd world war.
More and more countries may join either sides and mankind will fall.
I would like all the media and any human being for that matter to contact the prime minister and president of India as well as the USA(online through their official websites) and urge them to look into this matter personally.
Please Email the Editor