Israel’s cabinet is discussing a pause in their attack on Gaza – apparently, they feel decimating Gaza during Obama’s Inauguration would be embarrassing. This decision is being described as a “unilateral cease-fire” which means they refuse to negotiate any cease-fire agreement with Hamas – but they sure have been negotiating with Condi Rice. Now it looks like Condi and Livni have made a deal.

Some of the clauses in the memorandum, that will bind the incoming US administration as well, include measures against Iran, Hamas’s main backer as regards funding and armament.

During an interview to Channel 10 shortly after concluding her meeting with Rice, Livni hinted that some US forces, as well as NATO and other regional countries, will work directly with Israel "in land and at sea" to combat weapons smuggling.

Ha’aretz has a copy of the agreement – you can read it here and:

It also commits Washington to use relevant components of the U.S. military to assist Mideast governments in preventing weapons and explosives flows to Gaza that originate in or transit their territories.

I wonder if those troops are going stop the shipments of "weapons and explosives" we are in the midst of shipping to Israel for use there?

Amnesty International says the UN Security Council must act now and impose an immediate, comprehensive arms embargo on all parties to the conflict in Gaza to prevent any further flow of arms to the warring parties.

“We know that the Wehr Elbe, a German-owned cargo ship, left the USA on 20 December 2008 with a large consignment – 989 containers – of high explosives and other munitions,” said Malcolm Smart. “Hired and now legally controlled by the US Military Sealift Command, it is destined for the Israeli port of Ashdod and was due to transit via Greece, though its latest reported position indicates that the shipment’s route may have changed.”

Tenders for two other arms shipments totalling 325 containers of US munitions were approved by the Pentagon on 31 December, four days after the start of Israel’s current attacks on targets in Gaza. These two consignments were due to be shipped to Ashdod, Israel, from Astakos in Greece, but that particular tender has now been cancelled, according to information provided to Amnesty International by the US Military Sealift Command. Tender documents show that these shipments contain white phosphorous, known for its potential to cause severe burns and an indiscriminate weapon when used as an airburst in densely-populated civilian areas as now alleged in Gaza. The US Department of Defence says it is now looking at other means to deliver the munitions to a US stockpile in Israel. A US-Israel agreement has allowed US munitions stockpiled in Israel to be transferred to the Israeli Defence Force in "an emergency."

You might note that Hamas is not a party to any of this, even though Hamas has made it quite clear that they are willing to agree to a cease-fire under reasonable terms.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s preference was to conclude a ceasefire "over Hamas’s head" regardless of the terror group’s position, working with Egypt and the US, the station reported.

So let’s see:

Israel breaks the existing cease-fire on November 4, and then launches an extraordinarily vicious invasion of Gaza killing over 1,150 people, including over 400 children, leaving over 5,000 wounded, destroying all civic buildings, including schools, health clinics, UN facilities, and countless houses, kills medics and journalists, and drops uncounted cluster bombs and white phosphorous over the densely populated Gaza Strip. . .

and in return, Israel gets US troops and ships full of more white phosphorus.

Of course, this deal-making is not causing Israel to ease-up on the massacre:

Another UN school was hit by Israeli bombs overnight in Beit Lahiya– killing a woman and child and wounding 25.

Sameh Habeeb reports:

4-Child Esa Ermilat, 14, killed and 6 children wounded in Rafah due to an Isaeli artillery shells.
5-Four Palestinian children wounded in Dair Al Balah City.
6-A child killed in artillery shelling near Jablaia town, northern Gaza Strip.
7-Bombs destroyed al Qouqa’ mosque eastern Gaza City.
14-Massive devastation in Tal Al hawa area western southern Gaza City. Hospitals, offices and charities beside houses destroyed yesterday.
15-Israeli tanks opened its heavy gunmachine fire into the houses ofpeople eastern Gaza City.
17-A mother from al Batran family and five from her children killed, several wounded in Israeli strike central Gaza Strip.
18-Fire still ongoing in the UN stores in Gaza.
26-Medical sources: Around 25 Palestinian bodies were found dead in Tal al Hawa by Israeli fire yesterday.

Israeli audiences heard one father’s pain when a Gazan doctor who had practiced in Israel before the blockade, and who has given interviews to an Israeli TV station on local conditions during the Israeli attack, called in to the station begging for an ambulance after his own house was hit and his three daughters were killed. You can see the broadcast call here.

Dr. Izz el-Deen Aboul Aish is heard asking:

“My girls were sitting at home planning their futures, talking, then suddenly they are being shelled,” he said in a voice shaking with emotion. “I want to know why they were killed, who gave the order?”


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