The Israeli Invasion of Gaza: Rolling Updates (8 Jan --- Evening)

Photograph: Mohammed Saber/EPA

Earlier Updates on The Israeli Invasion of Gaza (8 January)
Latest Story: Breaking News: Obama Administration “Prepared To Talk to Hamas”?
Latest Story: How the US is Fighting for “Peace” in Gaza: Bunker-Busting Bombs
Latest Article: Gaza: One Man's Tragedy is Another Man's Marketing Opportunity

1:30 a.m. A bit of downtime. We'll be back in the morning, updating on the discussions at the UN Security Council, on the humanitarian situation, and on any military developments.

12:30 a.m. The Guardian of London is reporting the statement of the head of the Arab League that Arab nations have accepted the US-UK-France resolution to be presented to the United Nations Security Council.

11:20 p.m. Gazan photojournalist and peace activist Sameh Habeeb, who has been blogging on his experience of the conflict, reports via Twitter that his area is under heavy Israeli bombardment.



10:50 p.m. Iran makes it position clear: Speaker of the Parliament Ali Larijani, after meetings in Damascus, calls Mubarak-Sarkozy proposal "honey injected with poison"

9:20 p.m. Now here's a twist: part of Israeli information campaigns has been the charge that Hamas has been using human shields in Gaza. This just in from Amnesty International via the BBC:

Israeli troops had forced Palestinian civilians to stay in their homes after taking them over as sniper positions or bases, [Amnesty] said quoting sources in Gaza. "This increases risk to families and means they are effectively being used as human shields."

It should be noted that Amnesty criticised both sides, blaming Hamas for endangering civilians by firing from their homes. Still, the report should make for uncomfortable reading in Tel Aviv, clearly putting an onus for civilian deaths on the Israeli military:

The army is well aware gunmen usually leave the area after having fired and any reprisal attack against these homes will in most cases cause harm to civilians - not gunmen.

9:15 p.m. United Nations Relief and Works Agency says "lack of cooperation" with Israeli is "completely unacceptable" and they have "lost all confidence" in Israeli authorities.

8:35 p.m. CNN is headlining the press conference of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero. Abbas replayed his endorsement of the Mubarak-Sarkozy proposal as "important to reach a cease-fire", a position supported by Zapatero.

Fair enough. But why, at this important time, is Abbas spending a tangential 24 hours in Madrid? He is due to go to Cairo.

7:45 p.m. Reuters and Al Jazeera offer details, from a Western diplomatic source, of the US-UK-France resolution for the United Nations Security Council. It will "include a call for an immediate ceasefire, action to stop smuggling of arms [to Hamas] and open the border crossings". Trying to overtake the Libyan-drafted resolution, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband, and French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner presented the draft resolution to Arab foreign ministers.

7:20 p.m. Unsurprising Development of the Day: US Senate passes non-binding resolution expressing strong support of Israel. The Republican leader in the Senate, Mitch McConnell, explained, "The Israelis...are responding exactly the same way we would."

6:40 p.m. Curious report by CBS News: 10 Damascus-based Palestinian factions, including Hamas, have rejected the Mubarak-Sarkozy proposal, stating that they ""didn't see in the Egyptian initiative any valid basis for any acceptable solution as it includes articles deemed risky for the Palestinian resistance and its future". The aim of the proposal was "to impose restrict on the resistance movement, blockading it while giving the enemy the free hand. The initiative could only help the enemy achieve the results they are unable to attain so far." To my knowledge, this supposed rejection has not been reported in any other American or British media. It is unclear what effect it has on the talks currently underway in Cairo.

6:17 p.m. Barack Obama now delivering a speech calling for urgent action on an economic stimulus plan. Can't help but notice that, when it comes to economy, he has no problem being Presidential but, when it comes to Gaza, he declares that "America cannot have two Presidents at once".

6:15 p.m. The US-Britain-France resolution has been drafted by the British. My suspicion is that the trio have done this to try and forestall formal consideration of the Libyan-drafted resolution, which would undoubtedly have been unacceptable to Israel.

Afternoon update (6 p.m.): Significant shift on diplomatic front? US-Britain-France reported to be working on binding UN resolution for Gaza cease-fire.

Hamas official says organisation is considering cease-fire options. Will agree to proposal if it includes provisions for "end to Israeli aggression" and lifting of economic blockade.

UN aid agency has suspended operations after one of its trucks was hit by Israeli fire. The Gazan death toll is now 763.

Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora has condemned the firing of rockets into northern Israel and says his Government will strive to find those responsible. Israeli Government believes a group called National Front is behind the rocket launches.

Comments

[Dave]

The Republican leader in the Senate, Mitch McConnell, explained, “The Israelis…are responding exactly the same way we would.”
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The US has responded that way in the past. The difference is that Israel cannot afford to act with a good deal of discretion when it comes to dealing with its neighbors. It has been that way for 60 years. It doesn't have that luxury. It's what led to the Six Day War in '67 (land grabs), '81 bombing of Iraq's nuclear plant, and other drastic, unpopular measures to assure its own security. Israel is small and isolated, after all. The US, due to its geographical position, has that luxury of discrection, but acts in a cavalier and militant fashion anyway -- defending US shores in all foreign countries. ;-)

[eman maslouh]

What for a Great testamoney ...
then we can justfy the genocide in gaza by what happend in Heroshima and Baghdad...
As if these two later incidences were right..
No one had ever said that what happend in heroshima or iraq was right or fair...
actually no one ever will , except those who are feeling that killing hunderds and thousands of helpless civilens is the only way to satisfy there sadism and to cover there failure as soldiers in the battel field
I am sorry to say that the American army with his history in vietnam , heroshima and iraq is the worst example to be followed when it comes to fairness in war or even winning.

[Dave]

Any attempt to equate Hiroshima, Nagasaki, genocide, and the war in Iraq to the current Gaza conflict is nonsensical. After two weeks of modern warfare, 600 out of about 1.5 million people have died, and this is in a region with an average density of about 10,000 persons per square mile. The number of dead INCLUDES combatants.

[eman maslouh]

OH ...
then sould israel have used its nuclear weapon too !!!
i 'll tell you something they wouldn't have hesitated to use it but the only problem is that they are living on the same land.
and i 'd like to remind you that the one who was justifying israel policies by saying that usa would have done the same was you.
actually they proportionally equal if you put in mind the difference in size between usa and israel and the causes of heroshima and iraq and gaza genocide
what are you saying here is this number of victims in iraq and gaza is not impressive enough for me ...
is that really what are you trying to say !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

[Shachar]

I'm really sorry for you, that we don't let Hamas kill more citizens. I'll consider that with the residents of Southern Israel and find out whether they are ready to die in order to make the amount of casualties proportionate and acceptable by you. ok eman?