Cycles of Violence with Gaza Rooted in Israel's Rejection of Palestinian Unity
ANTON WORONCZUK, TRNN PRODUCER: Welcome to The Real News Network. I'm Anton Woronczuk in Baltimore.
A ceasefire proposed by the Egyptian state has come and gone in a matter of hours, with Israel re-escalating airstrikes over the Gaza Strip after Hamas rejected the proposal and continued rocket fire. Hamas says it was not consulted on the plan or on the terms for a ceasefire by the time it was accepted by Israel, though Hamas had previously stated its key demands for ending rocket fire, which included the lifting of the eight-year blockade on the Gaza Strip, the opening of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, and the release of Palestinian prisoners who were rearrested during IDF raids throughout the West Bank last month. And although the Israeli Security Cabinet approved the Egyptian ceasefire, many high-ranking Israeli officials, including Foreign Minister Avidgor Lieberman and Economy Minister Naftali Bennett, had voted against it, with Lieberman calling again for the reoccupation of Gaza.
At least 185 Palestinians have been killed, and the first Israeli, a civilian, died on Tuesday from shrapnel released by a rocket at the Israeli border with Gaza. The most recent update from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the occupied Palestinian territory stated that at least 77 percent of those killed in Gaza were civilians, that tens of thousands have fled their homes following warnings of Israeli bombardment, and that a third of the population in Gaza now risks losing access to water due to the deterioration of services since Operation Protective Edge began last week.
Now joining us to give an update on the situation is our Middle East correspondent Lia Tarachansky.
Thanks for joining us, Lia.
So, Lia, can you give us an update on what has happened since the ceasefire failed?
LIA TARACHANSKY, TRNN CORRESPONDENT: So late last night there were rumors that a ceasefire was going to be proposed in the coming hours, brokered by the Egyptian government, the Israeli government, and the self-appointed envoy for the Middle East, Tony Blair, who has even less credibility here than even Hamas. And it was supposed to take into effect either at six or at nine a.m.--there were conflicting reports. And last-minute, the conditions of the ceasefire, which [incompr.] just that, the end of fire, were given to the Hamas leadership. Immediately, the Islamic Jihad, Hamas's biggest political opposition in the Gaza Strip, rejected it. Half of Hamas voted in support, the other half against, and they were pressured into rejecting the ceasefire as well.
http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=12114
Palestinian, pan-Arab media blast Egypt's failed cease-fire offer
Commentators say cease-fire proposal put Hamas in no-win situation, gave prize to Israel.
By Haaretz | 20:40 16.07.14 |
Palestinian and other Arab commentators are blasting Egypt's cease-fire offer this week in the Israeli-Gazan fighting, saying it was a gift to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who accepted it, and a trap for Hamas, which rejected it.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/.premium-1.605549
