A teacher leads chants through a loudspeaker as Palestinians students rally in Bethlehem’s Manger Square to protest Israeli attacks on Gaza, November 20, 2012. Photo by: Ryan Rodrick Beiler/Activestills.org
Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip continued for much of the day (Middle Eastern time) as a ceasefire agreement was announced in Cairo. Earlier today, before the ceasefire agreement, a bus was bombed in Tel Aviv and rocket and mortar attacks continued on Israel.
Both Israel and Hamas have reportedly agreed to a cessation of hostilities. The Associated Press has more details:
Egypt has announced a cease-fire agreement to end a week of fighting between Israel and Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip.
Foreign Minister Mohammed Kamel Amr said the truce would take effect at 9 p.m. local time (2 p.m. EDT.) He made the announcement alongside visiting U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.
In Jerusalem, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed the deal, saying he had agreed after consulting with President Barack Obama.
The text of the ceasefire agreement have been published:
“Israel shall stop all hostilities in the Gaza Strip land sea and air, including incursions and targeting of individuals.
“All Palestinian factions shall stop all hostilities from the Gaza Strip against Israel, including rocket attacks and all attacks along the border.
“Opening the crossings and facilitating the movement of people and transfer of goods and refraining from restricting residents’ free movements and targeting residents in border areas. Procedures of implementation shall be dealt with after 24 hours from the start of the ceasefire.
“Other matters as may be requested shall be addressed.”
“Implementation mechanism.
“Setting up the zero hour understanding to enter into effect.
“Egypt shall receive assurances from each party that the party commits to what was agreed upon.
“Each party shall commit itself not to perform any acts that would breach this understanding. In case of any observations, Egypt as a sponsor of this understanding, shall be informed to follow up.”
The Palestinian death toll has climbed to 145 according to the Ma’an News agency. The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights reports that 91 of the dead were civilians, including 28 children. The Israeli human rights group B’Tselem has also released some of their initial findings about the civilian dead in Gaza. “Initial investigations indicate that at least 40 of those killed were civilians, among them 19 minors, and 10 women,” the human rights group reported. “B’Tselem will continue to investigate the incidents in which civilians have been killed in Gaza, and to review reports coming in even now regarding additional incidents in which civilians have been killed or injured.”
After one week of fighting, the Israeli death toll stood at 5.
The whole thing was a waste of time. Israel should never have assassinated Jabari.
Another Cast Lead- zero progress for Jabotinsky thinking. Bibi takes out his manhood to show to the Palestinians, to cower them into submission once and for all and it flops in the glare of total hasbara failure. Hillary b*tchslaps him into a ceasefire. Nukes once again useless.
Well done to the Masris, the Tunisians and the Turks. Quiet, dignified diplomacy and the region looks slightly different than it did 2 weeks ago.
Israelis freaked out. Well deserved, frankly . The news that Bibi wouldn’t dare make a live TV broadcast from Ben Gurion’s ranch was great. Now they know a little of what life as a goy in Erez Israel feels like.
But back to the status quo not an option.
“zero progress for Jabotinsky thinking”
No. Big time loss for Jabo thinking.
This aggression has revealed to all that the Amerisraeli military is totally unable to contain resistance in caged turkeys while keeping themselves casualty-free, forget Iran. And all this thanks to the makeshift rockets!
Masterful analysis by Dina Jadallah in Counterpunch
http://www.counterpunch.org/2012/11/21/the-limits-of-israeli-belligerence/
The rockets were way more useful than the “anti-Zionists” preaching non-resistance. They may have definitely established the idea that Israelis and Americans are too weak to be reliable allies. Much more useful than morals.
While I am happy that the zionists will stop their war on the people in Gaza, the murderous blockade is still in effect, so Netanyahoo will still bathe in the blood of innocent Palestinians for the indefinate future…
This cease fire is great news.
What a difference a US election makes. Congratulations to Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama (assuming the cease fire holds). A President Romney or a President GW Bush would have continued to mouth ‘israel has the right to defend itself’ till the last Palestinian was killed; while Obama’s rhetoric may have been similar, he acted differently, by despatching Clinton; a Romney or Bush would never have sent their secretary of state in similar circumstances; their only worries would have been to do with the logistics of supplying endless munitions to Israel.
When Clinton and Netanyahu issued their joint statements, you could see that Bibi was furious at her presence on his turf.
I only hope that this is used by Obama and Clinton as an opportunity for some kind of comprehensive peace deal, but who knows?
Despite what Ha’aretz reported earlier, there are some indications that an agreement to reach a ceasefire failed yesterday, not because of Israel, but because the State Department didn’t want Egypt’s new government to gain political capital by brokering said ceasefire.
Hillary sought to marginalize Egypt as an influential regional player by blocking an Egypt-brokered ceasefire deal.
So now the U.S. emerges as the winner in all this, what with having just brokered a ceasefire that would certainly save the lives of many Palestinians.