Hamas has emerged from battle with the triumphal sense of a hard-won game change: By stopping its offensive when it did, Israel's hard-line government seems to have grudgingly accepted that the Islamic militant group cannot soon be dislodged from power in Gaza.
Hamas dared rocket the Tel Aviv and Jerusalem areas, then stared down threats of a ground invasion to wipe out the group — emerging with its rule intact, world figures rushing to the region to put out the fire and key Muslim countries openly on its side. In the rush of diplomacy, Hamas also succeeded in overshadowing its main Western-backed Palestinian rival.
Still unclear is whether the Egyptian-brokered truce can deliver the promised end to Gaza's stifling blockade.
On Thursday, the first full day of calm after eight days of fighting, the contrast in mood couldn't be sharper.
Gazans celebrated the cease-fire with fireworks, Hamas militants flaunted their weapons in the streets and a Hamas political leader, Khalil al-Haya, taunted Israel at a victory rally, saying "you can't invade us."
Israel's mood was subdued, with some glad a costly ground invasion had been averted, but others disappointed by the inconclusive end of the offensive. Unlike in previous military campaigns against Hamas, Israel had set the bar low from the start, saying it only wanted to end to Gaza rocket fire, not topple the Islamists in charge of the Palestinian territory since they seized it from their rival Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in 2007.
Read more at Fox News
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Egypt President Morsi grants himself far-reaching powers
CAIRO – Egypt's president on Thursday issued constitutional amendments that placed him above judicial oversight and ordered the retrial of Hosni Mubarak for the killing of protesters in last year's uprising.
Mohammed Morsi also decreed immunity for the Islamist-dominated panel drafting a new constitution from any possible court decisions to dissolve it, a threat that had been hanging over the controversial assembly.
Liberal and Christian members withdrew from the assembly during the past week to protest what they say is the hijacking of the process by Morsi's allies, who they saw are trying to push through a document that will have an Islamist slant marginalizing women and minority Christians and infringing on personal liberties. Several courts have been looking into cases demanding the dissolution of the panel.
The Egyptian leader also decreed that all decisions he has made since taking office in June and until a new constitution is adopted and a new parliament is elected -- which is not expected before next spring -- are not subject to appeal in court or by any other authority. He also barred any court from dissolving the Islamist-led upper house of parliament, a largely toothless body that has also faced court cases.
The moves effectively remove any oversight on Morsi, the longtime Muslim Brotherhood figure who became Egypt's first freely elected president last summer after the Feb. 11, 2011 fall of autocrat Hosni Mubarak. They come as Morsi is riding high on lavish praise from President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton for mediating an end to eight days of fighting between Israel and Gaza's Hamas rulers.
Read more at Fox News
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HAMAS VIOLATES CEASE-FIRE; 70% OF ISRAELIS OPPOSE IT
Hamas has already violated the cease-fire negotiated by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood government. According to sources within Israel, air raid sirens sounded in the city of Beer Sheva as the cease-fire went into effect at 9 p.m. local time, and rocket attacks were reported elsewhere across the south.
In addition, as reported by Israeli blogger Jameel at "The Muqata," a new poll released by Israel's Channel 2 indicates that 70% of Israelis oppose a cease-fire, and only 24% support one. (The poll was conducted before today's announcement of a cease-fire agreement.) 64% of Israelis believe a cease-fire will not last. A smaller majority, 58%, believes that Operation Pillar of Defense strengthened Israel's deterrent; 15% say it is weaker.
The cease-fire agreement came as Israel scored hit after hit on Hamas terror infrastructure, including Iranian-made long-range rockets--but also shortly after a terror attack on a bus in Tel Aviv for which Hamas claimed responsibility. The timing may allow Hamas to claim a political and strategic victory, especially as its rockets reached the outskirts of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem for the first time during the week-long conflict.
In addition, as reported by Israeli blogger Jameel at "The Muqata," a new poll released by Israel's Channel 2 indicates that 70% of Israelis oppose a cease-fire, and only 24% support one. (The poll was conducted before today's announcement of a cease-fire agreement.) 64% of Israelis believe a cease-fire will not last. A smaller majority, 58%, believes that Operation Pillar of Defense strengthened Israel's deterrent; 15% say it is weaker.
The cease-fire agreement came as Israel scored hit after hit on Hamas terror infrastructure, including Iranian-made long-range rockets--but also shortly after a terror attack on a bus in Tel Aviv for which Hamas claimed responsibility. The timing may allow Hamas to claim a political and strategic victory, especially as its rockets reached the outskirts of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem for the first time during the week-long conflict.
Read More at Breitbart
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How Hamas Gets Weapons
I want to stick with the weapons smuggling for a minute - I actually pulled this to post last night and did not get to it.
The flow of weapons into the Gaza Strip continues, according to sources familiar with the Palestinian resistance logistics, despite the ongoing Israeli assault on the Strip and Syria’s compromised role as a conduit for weapons.As the conflict enters its sixth day, Hezbollah and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard units specialized in smuggling weapons from Syria, Lebanon, Iran, Sudan, and other countries into the Gaza Strip are on high alert.
These weapons usually begin their journey in Iranian or Syrian ports. From there, they head to Sudan, where they are transported to the Sinai in Egypt and end up in Gaza.
But such units have other routes they can use to reach Gaza.
Sources say the communication lines between the Resistance in Lebanon and various groups in Gaza, especially Hamas remain open and active.
Resistance factions are currently assessing the damage inflicted on the long-range missile arsenals Israel claims to have destroyed in the raids following the assassination of Hamas military chief Ahmad al-Jaabari.
But it seems that the Palestinian resistance learned its lessons from the 2008 aggression against Gaza and the 2006 war on Lebanon, since a large number of ‘strategic’ arsenals are still safe.
But it seems that the Palestinian resistance learned its lessons from the 2008 aggression against Gaza and the 2006 war on Lebanon, since a large number of ‘strategic’ arsenals are still safe.
Sources told Al-Akhbar that the focus is now on transporting large quantities of long-range missiles, considerable numbers of which have already reached the Strip since the beginning of the Israeli assault.
The strategies for smuggling arms to occupied Palestine have evolved over time. The most notable development came in the 1990s, when Hezbollah decided to create a special unit for the operation. ...
Following the withdrawal of Israel from the Gaza Strip in 2005, resistance factions began increasing their stockpile of weapons.
The strategies for smuggling arms to occupied Palestine have evolved over time. The most notable development came in the 1990s, when Hezbollah decided to create a special unit for the operation. ...
Following the withdrawal of Israel from the Gaza Strip in 2005, resistance factions began increasing their stockpile of weapons.
The biggest difficulty facing the importation of weapons were the Egyptian and Jordanian regimes, which control the borders with Palestine.
Thus a communications channel connecting representatives from the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, the Syrian army, Hezbollah, and Hamas was set up to coordinate the supply of arms.
Additional channels included other Palestinian resistance factions, such as Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), and some members of the al-Aqsa Martyrs and the Salaheddine brigades, as well as the PFLP-General Command.
Since 2005, the weapons transfer units have succeeded in sending numerous types of light and medium weapons, mortars, medium and long-range missiles, as well as several types of ammunition and materials that can be used to manufacture rockets and bombs.
They also worked on transferring hundreds of fighters from Gaza to Syria and Iran, where they were trained on military tactics and the use of special equipment such as anti-armor and anti-aircraft weaponry.In other words, whatever weapons Israel destroyed have already been, or will soon be, replaced. Especially now that Egypt has a more cooperative government than the Mubarak regime. And that makes this 'cease fire' look even worse.
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