Image by: Carlos Latuff

Israel Rejects Hamas Truce Offer, Continues Attacks on Gaza (via: Washington Report)

As Muslim and Christian Arabs, Europeans, and Americans celebrate Eid and Christmas-and Jews having recently celebrate Hanukkah-Israel is attacking Gaza. In less than a week-since Tuesday, Dec. 18-Israeli air strikes and ground troops have killed 20 Palestinians, and injured many more (including at least one journalist).

Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other Palestinians in Gaza have proposed a truce, but Israel isn’t interested in examining their cease-fire proposals. According to a Dec. 21 AFP report, while two Israeli senior cabinet ministers urged Israel to examine any serious cease-fire proposal from Hamas, the government ruled out direct political negotiations with the Islamist movement unless it recognizes Israel.

“If a serious offer for a truce from Hamas reached us, I think we should examine it seriously,” Transport Minister Shaul Mofaz told reporters.

“If Hamas comes to us with a serious proposal for a long-term truce, in my opinion Israel should not reject it. For that, it would not be vital for Hamas to recognise Israel first,” said Infrastructure Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer. “Making recognition of Israel a precursor to negotiations would be the best way of torpedoing it from the beginning,” said the former defense minister. (See the entire AFP article printed in Middle East Times: ()

What is President Bush’s administration doing about the Israeli attacks, occurring so soon after it professed to want peace at Annapolis?

Nothing.

According to an article by Nathan Guttman in the Dec. 19 Forward (”Israeli Operations in Gaza Meet Little Resistance in Washington; Billions in Aid Pledged to West Bank”): “As Israel stepped up air attacks on Gaza this week, the Bush administration refrained from blocking any measures or criticizing Israel’s activity. Israel, according to diplomatic sources in Washington, was not asked to scale down its actions or to refrain from a ground operation. ‘I haven’t heard of any red light,’ an Israeli official said.” ( http://www.forward.com/articles/12306/ )

Hamas proposes
A mutual cease-fire:
An end to the launching of Qassams,
An end to incursions and assassinations.

Israeli security experts
Support the acceptance of this offer
But dare not speak up.

The security establishment
Does not want to stop.
As always.

Olmert answers:
“There is nothing to speak about.”

That is a crime against
The inhabitants of Sderot,
Against the inhabitants of Gaza,
Against all of us.

There is somebody to speak with!
-Gush Shalom ad published in Haaretz, Dec. 21, 2007

ACTION ALERT

Write or telephone those working for you in Washington:

President George W. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.
Washington, DC 20500
(202) 456-1414
White House Comment Line: (202) 456-1111
Fax: (202) 456-2461

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
Department of State
Washington, DC 20520
State Department Public Information Line:
(202) 647-6575

Any Senator
U.S. Senate
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-3121

Any Representative
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-3121

E-Mail Congress and the White House:
Congress: visit [www.congress.org] for contact information.
President Bush: president@whitehouse.gov
Vice President Cheney: vice.president@whitehouse.gov

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