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Israeli President Plans to Ignore International Calls for Peace

Posted by Steve Benen, Washington Monthly at 10:56 AM on January 4, 2009.


Those waiting for a ceasefire in Gaza are likely to be waiting for quite a while.

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Those waiting for a ceasefire in Gaza are likely to be waiting for quite a while. ABC News' George Stephanopoulos spoke to Israeli President Shimon Peres and said his government planned to ignore international calls for a pause to the violence.

"The idea that Hamas will continue to fire and we will declare a ceasefire..it does not make any sense," Peres told me on "This Week."

Heavy fighting continues today after thousands of Israeli ground troops moved into Gaza last night. More than 500 Palestinians have been killed and 2400 wounded since airstrikes began last week. But that has not stopped Hamas from firing rockets into Israel killing four and injuring more than 70 Israelis. [...]

Peres added, "They are now beginning to feel the weight of their mistakes." But the Israeli president said the government of Israel has no intention of occupying Gaza.

"We don't intend to occupy Gaza or crush Hamas but crush terror," Peres said, "Hamas needs a real and serious lesson. They are now getting it."

As for what this "lesson" might be, and how/whether it will serve anyone's interests, this remains unclear.

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Tagged as: war, israel, palestine, middle east, attacks, gaza


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Peres, too?
Posted by: Quannah on Jan 4, 2009 11:43 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Is there no one in the Israeli government with any sense?

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» RE: Peres, too? Posted by: VZEQICVA
Thumbs-Up
Posted by: QQOblivion on Jan 4, 2009 12:08 PM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Of course, Israel will ignore international calls for peace. The one other country whose opinion matters (USA! USA!) gave them the thumbs-up regarding keeping up the slaughter.

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» RE: Thumbs-Up Posted by: mikeben1
what scares me....
Posted by: babs on Jan 4, 2009 12:21 PM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
... is that given the Bush regime's silence on this situation, are they in league with the Israeli government and military to escalate the attacks on Gaza infrastructure and civilians thereby provoking a response from another Arab country to create an all out war?

Israel is right now resisting calls for a cease-fire from U.S. allies (Britain to name one, and other members of the security council), so is this a parting shot from Cheney and Bush? Will they declare a state of emergency before the inauguration and keep power?

I would not put it past Bush/Cheney/Olmert to do just that. Are the hard-line Zionists afraid of Obama? Is this their way of keeping the status quo for AIPAC and all of America?

The situation makes me sick and I'm not alone in that. What gives me the creeps however, is what may lie underneath.

Happy new year my ass!

(and yes, I posted this earlier on another forum)

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» RE: what scares me.... Posted by: weathered
» RE: what scares me.... Posted by: Lauren
Cluster-Fuck
Posted by: QQOblivion on Jan 4, 2009 12:50 PM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Israel is now being accused of using cluster-bombs in Gaza.

Remember when the US was one of the very few countries not to sign a ban on cluster-bombs?

I remember this little fact from that debate:
The group Handicap International says that 98%(!) of cluster-bomb deaths are of civilians.

Cluster bombs are banned by many countries because the bomblets sometimes don't explode. But then later, sometimes years after a conflict has ended, children or other people may pick up the bomblets, causing them to explode.

Keep in mind the Gaza is one of the most densely populated areas on Earth, making the problem of un-exploded bomblets particularly serious.
(Hell, the problem of bomblets exploding when they first are suppose to explode is a particularly serious problem in a populated area!)

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» RE: Cluster-Fuck Posted by: Quannah
JUST READ AN INTERESTING ARTICLE
Posted by: VZEQICVA on Jan 4, 2009 1:41 PM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
A Dr. Mas Gilbert of Norway is working in Gaza along with other volunteer medical staff and placed a call to Tzipi Livni to invite her to see what he's looking at. "All the civlians that the Israeli bombs are NOT hitting". They are mean SOB's and it's embarassing to know where they learned it all. Cluster bombs and land mines are banned by almost every other country in the world except us and Israel. Both countries worship their children. But murdering someone else's is fair game. Israel has given new meaning to 'shock and awe'. Thanks, ANNA

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the more things change,
Posted by: sonofloud on Jan 4, 2009 2:40 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
the more they stay the same.

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The UN resolutions..
Posted by: EncinoM on Jan 4, 2009 7:04 PM   
Current rating: 1    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Are so one sided that they aren't worth the paper they are written on. While everyone gets their panties in a bunch about Israel, they are forgetting Hamas, brought this on themselves with the rockets they launch into Israel on a daily basis.

The UN resolution calling for peace only mentions Israel, no mention of Hamas, or calls for Hamas to stop firing into Israeli towns, not that progressives give a damn about the safety of Israelies. The last few days proves this.

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» RE: The UN resolutions.. Posted by: Quannah
ATH
Posted by: ATH on Jan 5, 2009 5:11 AM   
Current rating: 3    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
I wonder if the Israelis realize how much they are damaging their own self-image. Maybe the next time a Hitler comes along, people will think "well, it's just Karma." or "they did the
same thing to the Palestinians."

Maybe their ordeal with Hitler was Karma due to their demand to kill Christ?

Perhaps the Jews are like children who are beaten as children and then grow up to beat up on their own children?


I don't think these things, but there will be people who do...

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» RE: ATH Posted by: Xynyx
Sick of Israel...Pray for 3 Lightening strikes,That'd be humbling.
Posted by: Purple Girl on Jan 5, 2009 6:18 AM   
Current rating: 4    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
First let me say I have nothing against the people (Israeli's or Palestinians), being an American I realize citizens are often ignored by Corrupt Gov't officials (Cheney's "So" and W's 'So What'...Treasonous responses).
What I am sick of is the unfettered freedoms the Israeli Gov't is granted by OUR gov't.I'm also sick of hearing opinions from people who don't dare live in the region, but demand their views be honored.Live in Boca Raton or Dearborn, Sit down and Shut the fuck Up, It's not your Ass on the Line!
What truely infuriates me is the FACT that there are NUMEROUS Public Servants (elected & appointed) who have Duel citizenships, esp with Israel!How can this Not be a conflict of interest. How can you serve the people of the US and still retian an allegience to another Country??? That was at one time called a Double agent, a covert Operative.
And if Our 'holy' rollers want to be 'friends of Israel' then pack yourself and your kids up and go over and fight!
They keep talking about 2012 and the Destruction which will result, Let US pray it means Three lightening bolts will finally come down simulataneously and destroy ALL three 'Holy' sites in Israel!That fucking scratch of dirt has been a plague on Humantiy for 2 millenia.Would that finally get their attention, would they finally realize they have been Idolizing Brick & Mortar over the 'word of God'?Personally I would find the obliteration of those Sites 'Rapturous'

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Their little yellow star
Posted by: AMERICAN VETERAN on Jan 5, 2009 6:54 AM   
Current rating: 4    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
has been moved from hanging on a string on their chests to being arms bands in the 30's style.
The jews are the NEW armband wearers.

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Back to basics
Posted by: sawdust on Jan 5, 2009 10:42 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
My Webster's says that the definition of "obstinate" is:
1. unreasonable, determined to have one's own way; not yielding to reason or plea; stubborn;dogged;mulish.
2. resisting remedy or treatment.

Sound familiar?

And I looked up "mulish", too. "like a mule, specifically': a)sullen;stubborn; b)sterile or hybrid.

The odds are not stacked in favor of the PM.

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