Israel and Hamas agree to Gaza cease-fire
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) - Israel and the Hamas militant group agreed to a cease-fire Wednesday to end eight days of the fiercest fighting in nearly four years, promising to halt attacks on each other and ease an Israeli blockade constricting the Gaza Strip.
The deal was brokered by the new Islamist government of Egypt, solidifying its role as a leader in the quickly shifting Middle East after two days of intense shuttle diplomacy that saw U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton race to the region. Under the agreement, Egypt will play a key role in maintaining the peace.
Standing next to Clinton, Egypt's foreign minister, Mohammed Kamel Amr, announced the breakthrough and said the deal was set to take effect at 9 p.m. local time. (2 p.m. EDT), capping days of intense efforts that drew the world's top diplomats into the fray.
The agreement will "improve conditions for the people of Gaza and provide security for the people of Israel," Clinton said at the news conference in Cairo.
In Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said he agreed to the cease-fire after consulting with President Barack Obama.
Israel launched the fierce Israeli offensive in Gaza on Nov. 14 to stop months of intensifying rocket attacks, subjecting t. Even after the deal was announced, air raid sirens continued to wail in southern Israel.
In the last-minute burst of fire, Palestinian militants fired several bursts of rockets, Israeli authorities said. One rocket hit a house in the southern city of Beersheba, police said. No injuries were reported.
Israel launched well over 1,500 airstrikes and other attacks on targets in Gaza, while more than 1,000 rockets pounded Israel. In all, more than 140 Palestinians, including dozens of civilians, were killed, while five Israelis died in the fighting.
According to a copy of the agreement obtained by The Associated Press, Israel and all Palestinian militant groups agreed to halt "all hostilities." For the Palestinians, that means an end to Israeli airstrikes and assassinations of wanted militants. For Israel, it brings a halt to rocket fire and attempts at cross-border incursions from Gaza.
After a 24-hour cooling off period, it calls for "opening the crossings and facilitating the movement of people and transfer of goods, and refraining from restricting residents free movement."
Hamas officials said details on the new border arrangements would have to be negotiated.
Israel imposed its blockade of Gaza after Hamas, a militant group sworn to Israel's destruction, seized control of the territory five years ago. It has gradually eased the closure, but continues to restrict the movement of certain goods through Israeli-controlled crossings. Among the restrictions: a near-complete ban on exports, limited movement of people leaving the territory, and limits on construction materials that Israel says could be used for military use.
The deal was vague on what limits Israel would lift, and whether Gaza's southern passenger terminal on the Egyptian border would be expanded to allow cargo to pass through as well. The deal was also unclear about a key Israeli demand for an end to arms smuggling into Gaza in tunnels underneath the border with Egypt.
Under the agreement, Egypt will play a key role. It said "Egypt shall receive assurances from each party" that they are committed to the deal.
"Each party shall commit itself not to perform any acts that would break this understanding," it adds. "In case of any observations, Egypt - as the sponsor of this understanding - shall be informed to follow up."
The deal marked a key victory for Egypt's new Islamist government, which is caught in a balancing act between its allegiance to Hamas and its need to maintain good relations with Israel and the U.S. Hamas is an offshoot of Egypt's ruling Muslim Brotherhood.
The agreement came after Clinton shuttled across the region to help broker an end to the violence. She ended her meetings in Cairo, where Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi mediated between Israel and Hamas. U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon also flew across the region as part of the diplomatic cease-fire push.
Hours before the the deal was announced, a bomb exploded on a bus in Tel Aviv near Israel's military headquarters that wounded 27 people and led to fears of a breakdown in the shuttle diplomacy Clinton and U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon were conducting in the region.
The blast, which left the bus charred and its windows blown out, was the first bombing in Tel Aviv since 2006. It appeared aimed at sparking Israeli fears of a return to the violence of the Palestinian uprising last decade, which killed more than 1,000 Israelis in bombings and shooting attacks and left more than 5,000 Palestinians dead as well.
The blast was from a device placed inside the bus by a man who then got off, said Yitzhak Aharonovich, Israel's minister of internal security,
While Hamas did not take responsibility for the attack, it praised the bombing.
"We consider it a natural response to the occupation crimes and the ongoing massacres against civilians in the Gaza Strip," Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum told The Associated Press.
Bassem Ezbidi, a West Bank political analyst, said it was unlikely Hamas itself was behind the attack, since it would not want to risk losing any of the international support it gained in recent days.
"If Hamas wants to target civilians it would do so by firing rockets, but not by buses because such attacks left a negative record in the minds of people. Hamas doesn't need this now," he said.
The bombing came as 10,000 Palestinians sought shelter in 12 U.N.-run schools, after Israel dropped leaflets urging residents to vacate their homes in some areas of Gaza to avoid being hit by airstrikes, said Adnan Abu Hassna, the U.N. Relief and Works Agency spokesman.
The influx of displaced people came a day after the head of UNRWA, Filippo Grandi, warned that the agency urgently needed $12 million to continue distributing food to the neediest Gazans. The agency runs schools, shelters and food programs for hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees and their descendants in Gaza.
Huge clouds of black smoke rose above the Gaza City skyline Wednesday as airstrikes pounded a sports stadium, used as a launch site for rocket attacks on Israel in the past, and a high-rise office building housing Hamas-affiliated media offices, but also Agence France-Presse.
AFP reporters said they evacuated their fourth-floor office Tuesday, after an initial strike targeted sixth-floor offices linked to Hamas and other smaller factions.
A 4-year-old boy was killed in the second attack on the high-rise Wednesday, Gaza health official Ashraf al-Kidra said. The boy, Abdel-Rahman Naim, was in his family apartment in the building when he was struck by shrapnel and died on the way to Gaza's Shifa Hospital, al-Kidra said.
Washington blames Hamas rocket fire for the outbreak of violence and has backed Israel's right to defend itself, but has cautioned that an Israeli ground invasion could send casualties soaring.
The deal was brokered by the new Islamist government of Egypt, solidifying its role as a leader in the quickly shifting Middle East after two days of intense shuttle diplomacy that saw U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton race to the region. Under the agreement, Egypt will play a key role in maintaining the peace.
Standing next to Clinton, Egypt's foreign minister, Mohammed Kamel Amr, announced the breakthrough and said the deal was set to take effect at 9 p.m. local time. (2 p.m. EDT), capping days of intense efforts that drew the world's top diplomats into the fray.
The agreement will "improve conditions for the people of Gaza and provide security for the people of Israel," Clinton said at the news conference in Cairo.
In Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said he agreed to the cease-fire after consulting with President Barack Obama.
Israel launched the fierce Israeli offensive in Gaza on Nov. 14 to stop months of intensifying rocket attacks, subjecting t. Even after the deal was announced, air raid sirens continued to wail in southern Israel.
In the last-minute burst of fire, Palestinian militants fired several bursts of rockets, Israeli authorities said. One rocket hit a house in the southern city of Beersheba, police said. No injuries were reported.
Israel launched well over 1,500 airstrikes and other attacks on targets in Gaza, while more than 1,000 rockets pounded Israel. In all, more than 140 Palestinians, including dozens of civilians, were killed, while five Israelis died in the fighting.
According to a copy of the agreement obtained by The Associated Press, Israel and all Palestinian militant groups agreed to halt "all hostilities." For the Palestinians, that means an end to Israeli airstrikes and assassinations of wanted militants. For Israel, it brings a halt to rocket fire and attempts at cross-border incursions from Gaza.
After a 24-hour cooling off period, it calls for "opening the crossings and facilitating the movement of people and transfer of goods, and refraining from restricting residents free movement."
Hamas officials said details on the new border arrangements would have to be negotiated.
Israel imposed its blockade of Gaza after Hamas, a militant group sworn to Israel's destruction, seized control of the territory five years ago. It has gradually eased the closure, but continues to restrict the movement of certain goods through Israeli-controlled crossings. Among the restrictions: a near-complete ban on exports, limited movement of people leaving the territory, and limits on construction materials that Israel says could be used for military use.
The deal was vague on what limits Israel would lift, and whether Gaza's southern passenger terminal on the Egyptian border would be expanded to allow cargo to pass through as well. The deal was also unclear about a key Israeli demand for an end to arms smuggling into Gaza in tunnels underneath the border with Egypt.
Under the agreement, Egypt will play a key role. It said "Egypt shall receive assurances from each party" that they are committed to the deal.
"Each party shall commit itself not to perform any acts that would break this understanding," it adds. "In case of any observations, Egypt - as the sponsor of this understanding - shall be informed to follow up."
The deal marked a key victory for Egypt's new Islamist government, which is caught in a balancing act between its allegiance to Hamas and its need to maintain good relations with Israel and the U.S. Hamas is an offshoot of Egypt's ruling Muslim Brotherhood.
The agreement came after Clinton shuttled across the region to help broker an end to the violence. She ended her meetings in Cairo, where Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi mediated between Israel and Hamas. U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon also flew across the region as part of the diplomatic cease-fire push.
Hours before the the deal was announced, a bomb exploded on a bus in Tel Aviv near Israel's military headquarters that wounded 27 people and led to fears of a breakdown in the shuttle diplomacy Clinton and U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon were conducting in the region.
The blast, which left the bus charred and its windows blown out, was the first bombing in Tel Aviv since 2006. It appeared aimed at sparking Israeli fears of a return to the violence of the Palestinian uprising last decade, which killed more than 1,000 Israelis in bombings and shooting attacks and left more than 5,000 Palestinians dead as well.
The blast was from a device placed inside the bus by a man who then got off, said Yitzhak Aharonovich, Israel's minister of internal security,
While Hamas did not take responsibility for the attack, it praised the bombing.
"We consider it a natural response to the occupation crimes and the ongoing massacres against civilians in the Gaza Strip," Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum told The Associated Press.
Bassem Ezbidi, a West Bank political analyst, said it was unlikely Hamas itself was behind the attack, since it would not want to risk losing any of the international support it gained in recent days.
"If Hamas wants to target civilians it would do so by firing rockets, but not by buses because such attacks left a negative record in the minds of people. Hamas doesn't need this now," he said.
The bombing came as 10,000 Palestinians sought shelter in 12 U.N.-run schools, after Israel dropped leaflets urging residents to vacate their homes in some areas of Gaza to avoid being hit by airstrikes, said Adnan Abu Hassna, the U.N. Relief and Works Agency spokesman.
The influx of displaced people came a day after the head of UNRWA, Filippo Grandi, warned that the agency urgently needed $12 million to continue distributing food to the neediest Gazans. The agency runs schools, shelters and food programs for hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees and their descendants in Gaza.
Huge clouds of black smoke rose above the Gaza City skyline Wednesday as airstrikes pounded a sports stadium, used as a launch site for rocket attacks on Israel in the past, and a high-rise office building housing Hamas-affiliated media offices, but also Agence France-Presse.
AFP reporters said they evacuated their fourth-floor office Tuesday, after an initial strike targeted sixth-floor offices linked to Hamas and other smaller factions.
A 4-year-old boy was killed in the second attack on the high-rise Wednesday, Gaza health official Ashraf al-Kidra said. The boy, Abdel-Rahman Naim, was in his family apartment in the building when he was struck by shrapnel and died on the way to Gaza's Shifa Hospital, al-Kidra said.
Washington blames Hamas rocket fire for the outbreak of violence and has backed Israel's right to defend itself, but has cautioned that an Israeli ground invasion could send casualties soaring.
I have a bad feeling this will not bode well for Israel. Cease fire means the bad Muslims terrorists just have more time to reorganize and get more weapons from Russia and China.
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On all accounts, Israel as usual kicked some serious butt. I would not blame them to go all out and rid themselves of this insanity. They have been more than patient.
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Enough is enough. The entire nation of Israel will fit inside of eastern Washington. That might give you some idea of how stupid this is. How about peace and leave Israel alone you Muslim idiots?
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Enough death to everyone unlike you. Folks can only take that for so long, then it will come right back.
Let them fight it out in the school yard and get this over with once and for all.
I'm not an Israel basher, but honestly the country should have never existed. Â Gaza is one of the most densely populated places in the world and Israel basically treats it like a large prison. Â Israel needs to incorporate those areas and people and give them hope or give the land back to Egypt/Jordan. Â
 @lakeview Check your history, they do have a historic right to be there.
 @thebigteacher Oh yeah?  Explain that to me then if you know so much.  Sounds to me like you don't understand the history of that area.  Just because there were native Jews living there that looked like other middle easterners (like Jesus) doesn't mean a European country has the right to drawn arbitrary borders and invite millions of European Jews to occupy those lands. Â
 @lakeview  @thebigteacher There is this thing called "conquest." Pretty much every border in the world has been established by someone using force of arms to kill, displace, or subjugate the previous peoples. The only "unique" claims are the now extinct "original" peoples, and the current claimants. The "nation" of "Palestine" has no historical existence, like the various nations and empires that have ruled the area have, and like the Jews have. So, you may not like it, but you can't give it "back" to the "Palestinians," because it was never theirs, either.
who gives a crap anymore
Hamas is merely reloading.
I'll be very surprised if the cease fire holds even for a few hours.  When Hamas starts launching rockets again, the world should simply back away from it all and let Israel do whatever is necessary.
 @Anselm Some times it almost appears as if Palestine is trying to self exterminate... Such a needless waste. I dont believe the peace will last since in order to have peace there must be some semblance of trust between the two, which in my opinion seems unlikely.
Israel Announces Ceasefire, Hamas Keeps Firing Ceasefire brokered by Egypt, U.S., went into force at 9:00 p.m. but Hamas keeps on firing rockets. Barak said this is to be expected. By Gil Ronen First Publish: 11/21/2012, 7:46 PM
U.S. President Barack Obama spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu Wednesday evening and asked him to agree to abide by a ceasefire with Hamas. Netanyahu gave his consent.
The terms of the ceasefire are not yet known in full but a partial text has been published.Â
Netanyahu, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman held a joint news conference Wednesday evening announcing the ceasefire. However, Hamas kept on firing rockets, and a siren sounded at 9:15 p.m. in Ashkelon and other locations.Â
Netanyahu said: "Eight days ago, Israel launched Operation Pillar of Defense, after attacks from Gaza that were carried out at a growing rate the last few months.
"The terror organizations assumed that we would abstain from an aggressive action, but they were wrong. We hit senior leaders, we destroyed thousands of rockets that were aimed at the South, and most of the rockets that were aimed at the center of Israel. We hit Hamas's control mechanisms.
Netanyahu said that Israel and the U.S. agreed to work together against smuggling of weapons that originate in Iran into Gaza.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak said that while terrorists are to stop their rocket fire, he expects there to be a "small tail," like in previous ceasefires. By this he means that there will be some more rocket fire for a while before the attacks stop.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohammed Kamel Amr, speaking at a joint news conference in Cairo with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, said the cessation of hostilities would begin at 9:00 p.m., local time (1900 GMT).
"The United States welcomes the agreement today for a ceasefire. In the days ahead, the United States will work with partners in the region to consolidate this progress," Clinton said.
Prime Minister Netanyahu's office confirmed the news earlier Wednesday evening, but its statement leaves room for the use of greater force if Hamas fails to abide by the terms of the ceasefire.
"A short while ago Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu spoke with (US) President Barack Obama and agreed to his recommendation to give a chance to an Egyptian proposal for a ceasefire and thereby give an opportunity for the stabilize and calm the situation before there is a need to use greater force. The Prime Minister expressed his deep appreciation to the President for his support of Israel during the operation and for his contribution to the Iron Dome system. The Prime Minister reiterated that Israel would take all necessary steps to defend its citizens," said a statement.
The White House also issued a statement: "The president commended the prime minister for agreeing to the Egyptian ceasefire proposal, which the president recommended the prime minster do, while reiterating that Israel maintains the right to defend itself," the White House said.
Demonstrators in Israel's South called on Netanyahu not to agree to a ceasefire, but to restore deterrence and security. A Channel 2 political analyst noted that the demonstrators are largely Likud voters and said Netanyahu will have a problem with these voters if he agrees to a ceasefire at present.
Sounds like Hamas isn't much for keeping up on it's promises....or it doesn't have control of it's own people. Either way, Israel needs to show a strong front and bring the pain on these terrorists if they continue to lob rockets into Israel.
Looks like the troops on the ground in Gaza didn't get this memo.
 @TreeTopFlyer All fired up and ready to rumble.... Hard to extinguish hate, discontent and mistrust. I would imagine Israeli's in the southern region aren't ready to go away quietly. After all those Israeli's are expected to contend with Hamas terrorism.
Grown adults had to have a meeting to decide whether or not they should stop murdering people with chunks of exploding metal...and even set a specific time to stop doing it.
Let's hope it holds
 @TruthinAdverts "A rocket fired from Gaza after the ceasefire took effect at 9 p.m. explodes outside the town of Shaar Hanegev, causing no injuries, Israeli media report."
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http://www.timesofisrael.com/several-casualties-in-explosion-in-central-tel-aviv/
 @al_wa  @TruthinAdverts oh I understand the odds against this ceasefire holding... and I appreciate Israel has every right and justification to defend herself... still... warfare won't bring benefits to anyone. Let's hope for peace.Â
The cease fire is supposed to take effect about now. Keep your powder dry, Israel.
I don't understand why everyone is so pro-Israel around here. Â As far as I am concerned, they are just another terrorist organization, one who happens to be friendly with the US....does that make it OK?
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I am not taking the side of Hamas either, these are just idiots killing idiots.
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and what gives Israel the right to have nuclear weapons? Â didn't they sign the Nuclear Non-proliferation Act back in the 70's...
 @virtual anomaly Speaking for myself, and some of the people I know, it's because Israel is a liberal democracy, it has a diversified economy and a good education system, they do good high-tech work, they made the desert bloom where there was little but dust before, and OTOH the Palestinians have shown little ability aside from destroying things (but they are not even good at that), sucking up money from other peoples, spouting "death to the JOOOZ!", and cause other people problems with terrorism, vandalism, and hatred. The only mystery is why Israel has been so tolerant and not pushed them and the national borders back to more defensible locations already.
 @virtual anomaly "I don't understand why everyone is so pro-Israel around here."
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Because they were told through social training that they should be.
 @Sovereign  @virtual anomaly The evangelicals are pro-Israel because of their twisted beliefs concerning Rapture.  And a lot of our politicians are either evangelical Christians like Bush or Jewish.  They have a shared interest in protecting Israel.Â
 @virtual anomaly "As far as I am concerned, they are just another terrorist organization"
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You don't walk in Israeli shoes.
 @al_wa safe to say that none of us here walk in Israeli or Palestinian shoes...
idiots killing idiots, while innocent women and children are killed...
One last thought: It would seem Obama will allow Iran to gain a nuclear core that can be affixed to a warhead. In addition Obama seems to have complete disregard for Israel's safety and so does Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. Could be 100% wrong, but I don't think so.
With the lack of precision (about a quarter of the rockets launched from Gaza landed IN Gaza), the other Arab countries were probably worried that they would aim for Jerusalem and accidentally take out the Dome of the Rock - that would be ironic.
And this like many times before accomplished not a damn thing. This will go on again and again as there is a deep seated hatred for each other. It doesn't help in the matter that Israel stole their land to begin with. The only long term agreement that will result in peace is an agreement that results in 2 states.Â
@HallandOates  Israel didnt "Steal thier land". The nation of Israel was created for the Jews after World War II (1948) by the United Nations.Â
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Historically, the "Children of Israel" (Hebrew people or Israelites), were given this "promised land" by God. They took it from the Canaanites who occupied the land at that time. While this proves that the land did not ORIGINALLY belong to Israel, it certainly belonged to them BEFORE the Palestinians.
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In May of 1967, Syria, Egypt and Jordan amassed troops along the Israeli borders and Egyptian radio broadcasts talked of a coming genocide (they were going to wipe out Israel). On June 5, 1967, the Israeli air force launched pre-emptive attacks destroying first the Egyptian air force and then later the same day destroying the air forces of Jordan and Syria. Israel then defeated (almost successively) Egypt, Jordan and Syria. By June 11 the Arab forces were routed. This was the "6 day war". Israel gained control of the Sinai Peninsula, the Gaza Strip, the Golan Heights, and the formerly Jordanian-controlled West Bank of the Jordan River.On November 22, 1967, the Security Council adopted Resolution 242, the "land for peace" formula, which called for the establishment of a just and lasting peace based on Israeli withdrawal from territories occupied in 1967 in return for the end of all states of belligerency, respect for the sovereignty of all states in the area, and the right to live in peace within secure, recognized boundaries. Fighting has been going on ever since.Â
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Not sure how you equate any of that to stealing thier land.
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 @scared_citizen The British stole the lands and then gave into demands to give some of their occupied lands to the European Jews.  Of course the land was stolen, just like we stole land from the Native Americans, Mexico, Spain, etc.  It's called conquest.  But the lands were certainly taken/stolen.  Â
 @lakeview Israel is a democracy. The Palestinian Mandate was HUGE compared to Israel, and the other Arab / Islamic nations didn't accept the Palestinians either, and forced them into these "refuge areas," then got the UN to pay them to breed like anything (payment per child born) so they outnumber the Jews in Israel. to allow them to return as full voting citizens, when many have few skills and education but massive voting numbers is for Israel to commit suicide. The Jewish use of military force is a fundamental matter of survival.
@lakeview @RN1  Israel has TRIED to incorporate the Palestinians into their country but that isnt what they want. They SAY they want their own State (Country) but if they would stop fighting, they could have it. If they spent the money that they currently spend on missiles on infrastructure, they could be a modern nation. That wont happen because Syria, Iran and other middle eastern countries want them to be a battlefield. That way they can have a proxy war with Israel that does not impact their countries. The OCCUPATION is to stop the attacks. I guarantee that Israel would rather be left alone in peace than to constantly be attacked.
@lakeview  I believe my reply stated that it wasnt ORIGINALLY Israel's. A case could be made that EVERY land has been taken from its ORIGINAL inhabitants. SOMETIMES that is called conquest. Sometimes another race will immigrate and BREED another people out (such is the case with the Hispanics in America).
 @RN1 So your argument is that I'm stupid? Â
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If you read what I wrote, I said that Israel either needs to incorporate the Palestinians into their country with political equality or they should give the lands that they took in the war back to Egypt and Jordan so that the Palestinians can be brought into the system. Â Treating Gaza as an occupied territory where the people have no rights isn't working. Â
 @lakeview  @scared_citizen And of course the Brits took it from the Ottoman Turks (BTW - look of the size of the Palestinian Mandate, which is a LOT more than just modern Israel), who took it from the Byzantine empire, which came out of the Roman Empire, which came from the Roman republic, which took that land from.... well, along the way it's been controlled by the Phonecians, Macedonians, Egyptians (several times), two Islamic empires, Syrians, Assyrians, Persians, any MANY more. Every one of them took it by force, or the threat of force. So, saying "you need to give it back" is kind of, well... stupid. Try this for a starting point:
http://www.mapsofwar.com/ind/imperial-history.html
Israel, don't fall for that BS. If the Palestinians ever fire another round at you from anywhere, finish it.
 @johnbe Must be nice to be an Israeli leader protected from Hamas. In addition very nice of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to put more citizens at risk. (sarcasm off)
 @Funky-Munky  @johnbe What makes Israel right and Hamas wrong?  Didn't Israel take over the land by force not too long ago?  Displacing thousands of refugees in the process?  Haven't they killed more women and children than Palestine over the years, and over the last few days...?
It is only ambiguous to those that aren't directly impacted by the death caused by the airstrike. To those that are impacted the legalities offer little consolation. I find it rare that people would be willing to make the sacrifice they force upon others, especially if the others are the citizens of a country they are at war with.
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Iâm not siding with either Hamas or Israel in this engagement both are clearly targeting citizens and both are wrong in doing so.
 @Justaguy If a terrorist pust a rocket launcher next to a playground, and an airstrike on the launcher kills some of the children, it may not be "good", but it *is* legal, if you care about such things. As for "right," that is to ambiguous a word to use in that case.
@Susabelle I assume that you are referencing the flyers they dropped from sky in populated areas. Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't that happen days after Israel started rocketing heavily populated areas?
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It is easy to say you would move but perhaps that isn't an option for all
 @Justaguy You might just consider either getting the rocket out of your neighbors yard or moving, I doubt I would myself live next to a rocket.......I would prefer to move myself and my family to a tent if need be on the other side town...The Israeli government has been warning citizens that they are living in targeted areas......I dont believe the Palestinians have done the same. So they are now blamed for upsetting these people and displacing them, but are slammed when they have hit neighborhoods with civilians in them. Seems like a no win situation to me.
 @SydthepiperÂ
So if your neighbor puts a rocket launcher in their back yard, are you comfortable with your family being killed by rocket meant for them?
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Just because the terrorist hides behind a woman or a child doesn't make it right to kill the woman and child just to get to the terrorist.
 @Sydthepiper Tell me something I don't know already...idiots killing idiots...but what gives Israel the right to be there? Â
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They started this whole bloody mess when they took over by force and displaced thousands of people
 @virtual anomaly ...well then, have Palestine stop putting their rocket launchers in the middle of a neighborhood...they do that with intent ya know....so they can cry rivers of foul when a woman or child is killed so they can elicit sympathy from folks like yourself....unlike a terrorist bomber who with intent goes directly into Israeli neighborhoods WITH INTENT to kill women & children.
Hope that adds a stark bit of reality to your virtual perception.
 @johnbe I agree, but I am going as far to say finish it right now. Why drag out the same old crap year after year? Allowing Hamas one more day is foolish. Israel needs to vanquish Hamas completely or face it again. How many times does it take to get bitten by a rabid dog before you put it down? My thought one time....
Hate to be negative but Hamas is just buying time to rearm and we'll see this all again. You can't hold certain entities to a binding agreement when their religion tells them to lie to 'infidels' to gain advantage.
And if Hamas does not agree to the cease fire, I will not shed a tear if Israel turns that little strip of land into glass. Israel has gone above and beyond to provide humanitarian aid to an area under control of a sworn enemy. If Hamas lays down its weapons and stops threatening and promising to eradicate Israel, the Israeli gov't would gladly lift its blockade. If Israel simply lays down its weapons - it will continue to be shot at.
 @acmariner99 Many in Israel don't want to negotiate with Hamas whatsoever, but I am inclined to believe a ceasefire only allows Hamas to regroup, increase their weaponry and the cycle will repeat itself. sad.
 @Funky-Munky Agreed - and with the new government in Egypt, it will only continue to get worse. I staunchly believe Israel is defending itself - but when it gets shot at and responds in the manner it has, it is subject to international condemnation.
 @acmariner99 That's because apparently the United States leadership pressures others into negotiating with terrorists. In addition someone pointed out our leaders attempt to negotiate with terrorists. :( barf....