Gaza Story of the Day: The Plan to Bring in Fatah?

In today's updates, you may have noticed the diplomatic development of Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas enthusiastically backing the proposal for "international monitors" in Gaza while Hamas is resisting it. Why would that be?

Because, to be blunt, someone is spreading the story that the plan is a Trojan Horse to bring Fatah back into Gaza. From The Times of London, which is not exactly a Hamas-loving newspaper:

A plan to create a new foothold in Gaza for the Palestinian Authority and to bring in international monitors was being drawn up by diplomats yesterday....The plan would allow a return of the authority, led by the secular Fatah faction, to the territory 18 months after it was expelled by the Islamist Hamas.

Frustratingly, the article offers no further detail other than that "a triangle at the southern end of Gaza, including the Rafah crossing to Egypt and the Kerem Shalom crossing to Israel, [will] be policed by Turkish and French military monitors to stop arms smuggling into Gaza". How Fatah uses this to return to the Strip is unclear.

The most likely scenario is that someone in New York has had a word in the ear of James Bone, one of the co-authors of the piece. But whom?

Gaza: Ummmm...."Israel Rejected Hamas Ceasefire Offer In December"

This story, provided it made it beyond the admirable Inter Press Service, might just upset the established one-way narrative of Hamas walking away from peace with Israel. Gareth Porter writes:

Contrary to Israel's argument that it was forced to launch its air and ground offensive against Gaza in order to stop the firing of rockets into its territory, Hamas proposed in mid-December to return to the original Hamas-Israel ceasefire arrangement, according to a U.S.-based source who has been briefed on the proposal.

The proposal to renew the ceasefire was presented by a high-level Hamas delegation to Egyptian Minister of Intelligence Omar Suleiman at a meeting in Cairo Dec. 14. The delegation, said to have included Moussa Abu Marzouk, the second-ranking official in the Hamas political bureau in Damascus, told Suleiman that Hamas was prepared to stop all rocket attacks against Israel if the Israelis would open up the Gaza border crossings and pledge not to launch attacks in Gaza.

The Hamas officials insisted that Israel not be allowed to close or reduce commercial traffic through border crossings for political purposes, as it had done during the six-month lull, according to the source. They asked Suleiman, who had served as mediator between Israel and Hamas in negotiating the original six-month Gaza ceasefire last spring, to "put pressure" on Israel to take that the ceasefire proposal seriously.

Suleiman said he could not pressure Israel but could only make the suggestion to Israeli officials. It could not be learned, however, whether Israel explicitly rejected the Hamas proposal or simply refused to respond to Egypt.

The readiness of Hamas to return to the ceasefire conditionally in mid-December was confirmed by Dr. Robert Pastor, a professor at American University and senior adviser to the Carter Centre, who met with Khaled Meshal, chairman of the Hamas political bureau in Damascus on Dec. 14, along with former President Jimmy Carter. Pastor told IPS that Meshal indicated Hamas was willing to go back to the ceasefire that had been in effect up to early November "if there was a sign that Israel would lift the siege on Gaza".

Pastor said he passed Meshal's statement on to a "senior official" in the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) the day after the meeting with Meshal. According to Pastor, the Israeli official said he would get back to him, but did not....

The interest of Hamas in a ceasefire agreement that would actually open the border crossings was acknowledged at a Dec. 21 Israeli cabinet meeting -- five days before the beginning of the Israeli military offensive -- by Yuval Diskin, the head of Israel's internal security agency, Shin Bet. "Make no mistake, Hamas is interested in maintaining the truce," Diskin was quoted by Y-net News agency as saying

Condi Rice's Cheer-Up Message for Gazans

Anyone who is under the happy illusion that the US Secretary of State might do something of consequence to try and limit the civilian deaths in Gaza might want to turn away now:

"It is very difficult in circumstances like Gaza, which is a very densely populated area," Rice told reporters when asked if Israel is living up to its humanitarian obligations in the offensive which has left more than 780 Palestinians dead.

"I might note it's also an area in which Hamas participates in activities like human shields, using buildings that are not designated as military buildings to hide their fighters. So it's hard."

You know, we could inform Ms Rice --- perhaps via State's Twitter-diplomats --- of the Zeitoun massacre, the Jabaliya school/shelter shelling, and the firing on UN convoys and Red Cross/Red Crescent ambulances. We could drop her a note that the latest evidence is that "human shields" are a specialism of the Israeli military.

But somethow I don't think it's going to make a difference.

The Israeli Invasion of Gaza: Rolling Updates (9 January)

Later Updates: The Israeli Invasion of Gaza (10 January)
Latest Post: Gaza: The Mass Killing in Zeitoun
Gaza: Tasteful Video Game of the Day
Headline Analysis: The United Nations “Cease-fire” Vote



1:35 a.m. We're going to get some downtime. Not a happy end to the day, I fear. The issue of whether a cease-fire will be observed, less than 24 hours after the passage of the UN resolution, is already long-gone. Instead, the overnight question will be how far Israel expands military operations. The United States, not only with its abstention in the UN but with subsequent statements (more on that in the morning), has thrown its weight behind the Israeli course of action. Conversely, with the failure of the resolution to go anywhere, the Arab states --- including the Palestinian Authority --- and the European Union seem to be in disarray.

There may be some developments in Cairo, where talks on the Mubarak-Sarkozy proposal resume. And one can only hope that there is something positive to report, such as a resumption of UN aid and a true "respite" in the bombing, on the humanitarian front.

Peace to all.



11:10 p.m. Here's one for the Israel Info Guys in Tel Aviv and New York.

You know the "human shields" line that Hamas hides behind civilians, especially women and children, to conduct their nefarious activities? Well, a released Gazan detainee has offered an inconvenient twist --- at least for Israel:

In the first day (of the ground offensive) special forces stormed Beit Lahiya. Maybe a thousand soldiers landed on rooftops then began arresting people....They used us as human shields in military positions they established inside Gaza Strip before they drove us to a prison in Beersheba. They made us sleep on gravel, or on the sand. They stripped us of our clothes.

And here's a little footnote: "They used a bulldozer to pile up the bodies of the dead."

10:45 p.m. One to Watch for Tomorrow. After a meeting at the Israeli Defense Ministry, the United Nations has agreed to resume aid shipments into Gaza. The organisation said in a statement, "The U.N. received credible assurances that the security of U.N. personnel, installations and humanitarian operations would be fully respected."

8:30 p.m. Today's meeting of the Israeli Security Cabinet meeting lasted four hours. There was no announcement of the Cabinet's decision, if any, on ground operations. Instead an Israel statement said that the Cabinet decided to continue humanitarian activity in Gaza and keep up efforts "to prevent the smuggling of war materiel into the Gaza Strip".

8:25 p.m. Updated Gazan health toll: 789 dead of whom 230 are children, 92 are women. Around 60 of the dead were elderly. Six were paramedics, and two were journalists.

8:20 p.m. Al Jazeera says senior Hamas delegation en route to Cairo for talks. 8:05 p.m. One journalist lightly wounded in Israeli attack on building used by media. Israeli spokesman Mark Regev says Israeli military were targeting the "antenna".

7:50 p.m. Finally, a possible explanation for all the Israeli movement around Beit Lahiya a couple of hours ago. The military arm of Hamas, the Al Qassam Brigades, are claiming that they killed eight Israeli soldiers in an ambush in the area. Israeli Defense Forces would have responded by sending in more ground units to push back and attack the ambushers.

6:35 p.m. Israeli forces have apparently hit Gazan headquarters of Iran's Press TV, though no casualties reported.

6:20 p.m. Quality Journalism in Action. CNN's Jim Clancy: "Will [Hamas] keep a cease-fire? Their brand is militancy and their message is rocketry."

5:50 p.m. Tear gas used on demonstrators in Amman. Al Jazeera cameraman injured.

5:30 p.m. A dark spot on the military developments with no significant updates.

5:10 p.m. How to Define an Effective Media: While Israel launches significant ground operation which may be "Phase 3" of invasion, CNN has taken no notice but is letting Israeli spokesman Mark Regev trot out his talking points for several minutes.

5:05 p.m. Now becoming obvious from Al Jazeera and Gazan witnesses that major Israeli ground operation underway, with movement of tanks underneath "smoke (white phosphorous?) bombs" towards Beit Lahiya and Beit Lahoun

5 p.m. Large explosion reported near tunnels in Rafah although tanks have "pulled back slightly" from Khan Yunis. Reports of "intense fighting" in Jabaliya and explosion over Beit Lahoun. Unconfirmed reports of use of white phosphorous.

3:35 p.m. Israel Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's rejection of the UN cease-fire resolution is unequivocal: "The state of Israel has never agreed that any outside body would determine its right to defend the security of its citizens."

3:25 p.m. Gillerman repeats again and again that the civilian casualties are occurring because Hamas has the population "in a hostage situation". Which raises the question: at what point do you stop killing hostages?

3:20 p.m. Classic non-contradiction of the day.  Dan Gillerman, Israel's information coordinator, to Al Jazeera: "This is not a public relations exercise."

3:05 p.m. Al Jazeera analysis: Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni ready to halt operations because Israel has sent sufficient signal, Defense Minister Ehud Barak wants to give diplomacy a chance to work, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert wants to press ahead with military campaign

3 p.m. Israeli bombardment continues, as Gazan death toll reaches 781. More than 30 rockets fired into southern Israel today. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert says cease-fire "unworkable" in light of rocket attacks.

Two of the recent strikes hit a petrol station, sending dark smoke for two hours over Gaza City, and a bus station.

2:22 p.m. Photojournalist Samah Habeeb, who we are following on Twitter, spoke 36 hours ago to The Indypendent of New York City. It is a fascinating and terrifying interview:

There is no bread. There is no sugar. There is no gas. There is no fuel. There is no electricity and there is no wood. There is no cement. Everything you can imagine, we do not have. And this was a problem that started with the blockade and that has accentuated since the attacks began. It was preplanned. It is not only a matter of a rocket being fired here and there. It is a strategy that Israel has followed.

2:12 p.m. Military analyst Theodore Karasik on Al Jazeera: Israel "definitely" using white phosphorous bombs in Gaza. Inevitable that, in crowded area such as Gaza, civilians will be affected, receiving "third-degree burns".

2:08 p.m. Al Jazeera reports live from demonstrations in West Bank in Bili'n. Israeli troops now chasing the demonstrators deeper into the town.

Demonstrators are wearing striped shirts in reference to the concentration camps of World War II and have also compared today's Gaza to the Warsaw Ghetto.

Demonstrations have also taken place after Friday prayers in East Jerusalem.

2:05 p.m. Today's "respite" is a sham. Israel has been attacking without pause --- Al Jazeera's correspondent on Israel-Gaza border reports with smoke billowing behind him --- and Hamas is sending rockets across. No possibility of aid coming in.

1:05 p.m. Israel says it hopes to get 60 trucks with aid into Gaza today. The announcement is pointless, apart from public relations, as the United Nations has said it will not carry out shipments unless it has assurances of security from Israeli attacks.

1 p.m. Israeli raids on more than 50 targets today, while 25 rockets launched into southern Israel.

12:30 p.m. A follow-up to our report on yesterday's mass killing in Zeitoun is now posted.

12:10 p.m. If there's a three-hour respite, it's not a very good one. Two explosions, one live on Al Jazeera, in northern Gaza in last 10 minutes.

12:05 p.m. Why no word today on the talks in Cairo on the Mubarak-Sarkozy proposal?

12 noon: Israeli bombardment continues. Loud explosions in Jabaliya and Beit Hanoun. Confirmation that six people killed in Beit Lahiya.

Confusion as Israeli military says there will be three-hour respite today but will not confirm the time.

11:35 a.m. Photojournalist Sameh Habeeb, on Twitter from Gaza: "tired from Israeli war.....I can't sleep".

11:25 a.m. Israeli forces have "locked down" the West Bank for 48 hours, with no movement in or out except for emergencies and special cases. Thousands of police officers have been deployed in East Jerusalem in response to Hamas' call for a "day of wrath". Friday is prayer day for Muslims.

11:10 a.m. Al Jazeera: Unofficial Israeli comment about UN Security Council vote is largely negative. One official calls it a "victory" for the "terrorist lobby".

Israeli Security Cabinet now meeting to discuss its next steps. Israeli military commanders reportedly complaining that they are in a "holding position", making them easier targets for Hamas --- three Israeli soldiers were killed on Thursday.

10:55 a.m. Jerusalem Post: "Iran's top leader [Ayatollah Ali Khamenei] banned hardline Iranian volunteers on Thursday from leaving the country to carry out suicide bombings against Israel, but he warned that Iran would not spare any effort to assist Hamas in other ways." The newspaper reports that Khamenei told IRIB television, ""I thank the pious and devoted youth who have asked to go to Gaza ... but it must be noted that our hands are [tied] in this arena."

10:45 a.m. Just One More Tragedy: A new Web-based project, "Alive in Gaza", was due to be launched this week. Its aim was to bring stories of Gazans, as it had done with Iraqis with the earlier project "Alive in Baghdad", to those outside the country.

Yesterday, news came through that the cousin of the project coordinator had been killed in an Israeli airstrike, apparently on a Gaza City market. So Alive in Gaza's first post is "Omar Ali Abumghaiseeb killed in Israeli Airstrike".

10:20 a.m. Palestinian Authority (West Bank) Foreign Minister Riad al-Maliki expressed caution, even scepticism, about the United Nations Security Council vote for a cease-fire: "I'm really worried...that Israel will takes it time before it recognises the fact that it has to adhere to the resolution."

At the same time, al-Maliki is guarded in his criticism of the US abstention, framing his surprise in the context of praise for the US contribution "to the formation of the resolution....It has been an integral part...from the beginning."

Morning Update (10 a.m. Israeli/Gaza time): Israeli bombardment continues throughout Gaza. Reports of clashes in neighbourhood just northeast of Gaza City.

Hamas official Ghazi Hamid, speaking in Rafah, Egypt, tells CNN that the organisation's fighters are "still strong": "I want to say that we as Palestinian people want to live in peace, security -- but I think [Israel's] occupation force will not give us the chance."

"Several rockets" have hit southern Israel overnight.

Gaza: Tasteful Video Game of the Day

Enduring America has a proud tradition (in its two-plus months in existence) of combining international news and video games. We were proud, for example, to feature the Muntazar al-Zaidi tribute games last month and not-so-proud to report the US Army's use of video games to get American teenagers into military service.

Now, however, we may take a step back. How can anyone compete, for taste and decency, with "Save Israel?": "You need to save Israeli citys. First, click on the city, to turn on the alarm. Now you can click on the rocket, to blow it up."