Israeli officials say Israel is ‘not interested’ in ceasefire yet, as they still have many Hamas targets to hit. Besides, a ceasefire at this time only gives Hamas a chance to reload.
Times of Israel Israeli officials said Saturday evening that Jerusalem is not currently interested in a ceasefire in the four-day conflict with Hamas, adding that the IDF’s campaign might be expanded and could continue for weeks, if necessary. Operation Pillar of Defense would only end after Hamas had been dealt a serious blow, they vowed, as the fourth day of the offensive came to an end.
Some analysts, by contrast, said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and several of his top ministers would not in fact be opposed to a rapid halt to the campaign if the other side were to commit itself to a ceasefire.
“In parallel to the military effort, there is a diplomatic effort [to stop the rocket fire on Israel],” an Israeli government official told The Times of Israel on Saturday evening. “But the operation will continue until we can be sure that the people of Israel will no longer live under constant fear of rockets — and that goal will be achieved, one way or another.”
The IDF’s OC Southern Command Tal Russo said earlier Saturday that Israel had delivered a serious blow to Hamas’s rocket infrastructure — and wiped out much of its long-range rocket capacity — but added that the IDF still had many targets left to hit. Hamas, he said, had built up “an impressive” arsenal.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived in Cairo on Saturday, where he met with Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi and Hamas political chief Haled Mashaal in an effort to broker a ceasefire. Egypt is trying to convince Hamas to sign on to a proposal for a temporary end to the rocket fire, but Hamas is currently unwilling to discuss a cease-fire, officials said. Erdogan was trying to mediate between the two sides, but without tangible success thus far.
Egyptian defense officials have had “primary” contact with their Israeli counterparts, but so far Cairo has not engaged Israel on the political and diplomatic level, a Foreign Ministry official told The Times of Israel. “Israel will go ahead [with the military offensive] as long as there’s massive rocket fire from Gaza. It’s not possible to stop unilaterally, while rockets are flying at our towns.”
While Hamas was probably interested in a ceasefire, the Israeli government is keen to continue striking at terrorist infrastructure in Gaza, according to a government official, who was speaking on condition of anonymity.
“Hamas probably wants a ceasefire by now. They want a time out — so that they can rest a bit, and then continue to shoot rockets at us next week. Israel is not interested in that.” “We hope to come out of this operation with a new reality — that people in the south will no longer live with constant rocket attacks.”
Operation Pillar of Defense has three main goals: bringing quiet to the south, establishing Israeli deterrence, and eradicating the long-range missile arsenal of Gaza terror groups, Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman said Saturday. “The only way to live here in peace and security is to create a real deterrent by causing an overwhelming response, so that they don’t test us again,” he said Saturday.
If the IDF found it necessary to launch a wide-scale ground operation into Gaza, “it cannot be stopped in the middle; it needs to go all the way,” he said. The foreign minister and other top Israeli ministers are “absolutely resolute” to continue and even intensify Operation Pillar of Defense, according to a source close to Liberman.
“They are convinced that this can’t just be another Operation Cast Lead, where we only do what’s necessary and then, after three or six months, Hamas rearms itself and we have the same problem,” the source told The Times of Israel. “This has got to stop. We can’t have a million of our citizens under fire.”
Along with the US, Britain, Germany, Canada and several other countries have pinned primary blame on Hamas, the officials noted. The rocket that on Friday night reached the greater Jerusalem area “really takes the mask off Hamas’s face, if anyone still had any illusions,” this official added. “They fired an inexact weapon into city with hundred of thousands of residents, with many holy sites important to three world religions. Netanyahu told the leaders that no country in the world would agree to a situation in which its population lives under a constant missile threat.
I hope the IDF hammers these bastards all the way to the gates of Hell!
No Quarter!
Go Get ‘Em, Bibi! One more time the posturing,lying, donkey diddlers from Hamas ask for a cease fire while they move their launching sites to different hospitals, schools and mosques.
Israel gave them many hints about what would happen by selectively taking their leadership without harming innocent(?) bystanders, but they only became more belligerent.
This time, don’t stop until there is not even a bottle rocket left for the bastards to shoot. As for the bystnders, they voted in this bunch of lying murderers. That makes them equally guilty.If they have any sense, they’ll get far away from anything to do with Hamas and their weapons. As a non-combatent, you are not one if you let the rabid ragheads store rodkets under your bed. If I were you, I’d sleep in the goat pen. It may be a little messy, but Isoael has nothing against goats.
No need advising, they were already sleeping with the goats
Any ‘cease-fire’ with Hamas, brokered by Egypt’s islamic government, would only be binding to one side – and therefore a waste of time.
Much better to send in ground forces, armed with grenades, to blow up each and every rocket site. Particularly those in mosques.
Then back to Israel, and close down every single mosque until it has been completely investigated and searched.
I just hope that this time they hold out against the corrupted UN.
With all the comotion going on in the ME, let’s not forget to boycott Butterball, the halal-slaughtered turkeys, in time for Thanksgiving!
I am having HAM-ass!!!!
I don’t know what Israel is waiting for! She missed few chances. Is she going to miss this chance too to wipe out this garbage, Hammas and his criminals.??!!
A ceasefire should only be talked about AFTER Hamas is destroyed.
(What a good chance to blow up the Al Aqsa mosque and blame a stray Hamas rocket. IMO)
Never a better time to wipe them out once and for all.
Just keep it going and don’t stop unit every rocket and ammunition facility has been destroyed.
G-d bless Israel.
On a good note a friend in Israel said
“As a final piece of information, the Fajr 5 rocket that was shot over Jerusalem landed on an Arab village!!!!!”
Now that’s poetic justice
Israel needs to completely remove (Kill’m all) Ham-arse from before even considering talks. That’s just my opinion.
I pray that Bibi does not cave in to the Arab League-Obama-Turkish terror coalition.
Enough is enough….. and please, when this is over, DO NOT send taxpayers money to those Hamasavages for rebuilding!
It’s not the Arab League-Turkish coalition who would stop the Israeli operation; it’s the criminal lying Western “liberals”, including” journalists”, “academics”and petty politicians.
Israeli leaders surrender of Gaza to Islam was suicidal. It was LAND in exchange FOR WAR.
NO ONE can make peace with Muslims! It is always LAND in exchange for WAR!
NEVER SURRENDER TO ISLAM!
Not one more inch of Free World Jewish Land to Islam. Not now! Not ever!
Not one more dollar, shekel, euro or British pound to Gaza/PLO/Palestinian Authority Muslim terrorist Occupation Forces! Or to any Muslim country or organization!
NO SURRENDER, EVER!
With MURDER in their hearts, just how many times have HUGE Muslim crowds in Muslim countries screamed out “Death to America”. “Death to Israel” ? They have screamed this out many, many times. Muslim countries that are given many billions of tax dollars, pounds and euros.
NOT ONE MORE pound, euro or dollar to any Muslim country!
LONG LIVE the FREE WORLD
NO SURRENDER, EVER!
Peace has only ever be achieved through total defeat of the enemy. Israel: Utterly defeat your barbaric enemies! Do it for Israel ! Do it for every non-Muslim! Do it for the entire Free World!
Israel fights on the front lines of global jihad. Fighting for EVERY non-Muslim! Islam’s rockets are meant for every non-Muslim. Israel, thank you so very much for fighting for all of us non-Muslims!
Long live the Free World! LONG LIVE FREEDOM!
My god. How sad..Can you imagine, actually living in a country like Israel? Every day, listening to missiles flying over, wondering where they are going to land..people screaming, the destruction, the death…everyday, every night…I am blessed that religion does not rule any part of my life. On saying that, I respect others beliefs and traditions, but NOT islam. I wake up, enjoy a healthy brekky, enjoy my garden, my animals, my life. There are no people saying I can’t work, I can speak to whom ever I choose, and wear what I want. I can eat any food, and not fear a faceless god is going to condem me to hell. I can walk down my road safely, no missiles, no guns, no death, NO MUSLIMS. I love my life, and I love my country. I feel safe- for now.
I feel deep sadness for the people of Israel. How they must feel being bombarded like this, is overwhelming. Why do these islamic heathens destroy every country they are associated with? Why should we take these idiots into our peaceful countries, and allow them to dominate it, and treat it like a door mat and a free meal ticket?…The leaders of our countries, need to take a big look at the state of middle eastern countries, the poverty, the rancid behaviour, their lack of care for anything- have you ever seen muslims doing the gardening and planting flowers etc? Why do they have to be so awful…they are bringing those traditions and beliefs with them here, and seeding them into our society..I wish they would all just go away…..they disgust me, and I will always look down on them…filthy, lazy, useless scum. That is all.
Israel has no choice. They are up against a people who are dedicated to Israel’s destruction and who aspire to greatness through death in battle, to become martyrs, bla bla bla. All Israel can do is accommodate them. Cease fires and peace talks are unrealistic and inappropriate. Israel need to make up for past neglect and delays. This response should have come 10 years ago when the first rocket came from Gaza.
Israel is damn lucky that Netanyahu, & and not some lily-livered pantywaist, is in charge. Wish Moshe Dayan was still around.
Way to go Israel, finish the job though, wipe out all those muzzie shit bags then make a nice new resort out of the place. Disregard whatever you hear from liberals, they are inconsequential, cowards.
Ceasefire in Gaza?!……Yeah, right!!……Right after every single asslifter standing, OR lifting his ass, has been blown off Planet Earth!!…..AND THAT, friends, is when there will be peace in the Mideast!!…….The kind of peace in which there is “…good will toward men, and the lion lays down next to the lamb………”!
I blame Israel for the current war. Not for the fact that they retaliate but for the fact that they retaliate four years late. If they had only dropped a massive bomb on the site of the first, perhaps even second or third rocket launching site Hamas would have stopped bombing years ago. Only once they know that any attack will get instant and massive retaliation will they stop.
Targets? Hell, take the whole strip and burn it to the ground with everyone of its illegal inhabitants! Cease fire will come when the IDF is finished!!!!!
Go Israel Go ! ! !
I have you linked at my place:
http://marezilla.com/2012/11/israel-defends-against-annihilation-world-tells-them-to-use-restraint/
I hope Israel does whatever it has to do to protect their people and end the ability of Hamas to attack them.
That “woman” crouched in the rubble and cinder blocks reminds me of the Austin Powers line, “it’s a man, baby!” /sarc
Go Israel! Finish the job!
Isn’t she that same media whore who the ragheads send around to take her picture wailing and crapping her burka at lots of different sites? You know the one I refer to, right? And IF our Jewish brothers really took out the trash, Gaza would be empty and Iran would be a big sheet of glass, that hideous big black rock too
Israel killed 1300 in 08/09 Gaza war. 3 years later they fire rockets again.
Israel should double the bodycount to 2600 and warn them the next time they attack, it will be 5200 dead muzzies, and next time after that it will be 10400 dead muzzies.
Johnny Jihad.. It’s not firing them again
They haven’t stopped since Operation Cast Lead..!!!!!!!
In 2011 alone, 630 rockets from Gaza hit Israeli towns. That’s an even higher number than in 2010, when 231 rockets hit Israel. Since 2001, more than 12,800 rockets and mortars, an average of 3 attacks every single day, have landed in Israel.
the rockets are been smuggled through Egypt by way of iran to sudan into the sinai and the hidden tunnels flood the tunnels with concrete mixed with dog shit and pigs blood
Smokie – THAT would be the closes thing to a bath that the ragheads have ever had.
way to go IDF keep it up
This came today from Israel. Long but heart wrenching
(Shirl I posted this on the main page. –BNI)
Thanks. I was going to send it. I am too flat out
Shirl, I truly wish the newspapers where would publish it. But they won’t.
I received a similar email from a cousin of my husband a few days ago. The address was removed by my husband. His cousin in Israel, who is a friend of the writer sent it. There was also a part and an address, from her daughter working in the US, with an Israeli team helping on the East Coast. I have written to her.
Egypt has a decision to make. Do they rearm Gaza or do they play the intermediary for peace?
ICE, this is not Mubarak, they chose the first one.
Now the rearming will begin. This time with bigger missles from IRAN and in larger numbers.
Go Israel, clean up Gaza, of all terrorists and their families. Never ever give it back to them again.