Sunday is the anniversary of the symbolic Nov. 15, 1988 declaration of independence by the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
On the Hamas side, despite an earlier decision to keep schools funded by Fatah open on independence day, it was declared that schools would be shut.
Hamas also targeted Israel with words that claimed that “Israel was trying to find pretexts to cover up its previous war crimes with a preparation of another war.”
Maj. Gen. Amos Yadlin, director of Military Intelligence, announced last week that Hamas had launched a rocket some 60 kilometers into the sea. In other words, it meant that Hamas could hit Tel Aviv if this rocket was fired from the northern border of the Gaza Strip. Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said:
These claims are part of the Israeli lies to justify a new aggression on the Gaza Strip.
Such threats are coming under the title of incitement and creating pretexts in order to commit more new crimes against Gaza and cover up the previous crimes that were committed during the last war.
However, another Hamas spokesman Abu Obeida said that he could not confirm or deny that the group had test-fired a rocket, “since such news come from the occupation [Israel].”
On Tuesday, Israeli Maj. Gen. Amos Yadlin, director of Military Intelligence, announced that Hamas had launched a rocket some 60 kilometers into the sea- meaning it could hit Tel Aviv. He also told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that Hamas has accumulated an arsenal of rockets slightly larger than the arsenal it possessed before last winter’s Operation Cast Lead.
Hamas offered two different responses. First, the allegation was not rejected publicly but Israel was blamed for manipulating the international community. In the beginning, a spokesman for the organization’s military wing, Abu Obeida, said: “The occupation can say whatever it likes, and whatever it says is dubious.” Later, Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhum stated that the diplomatic crisis triggered by the report “has led the Zionist enemy to make up excuses in an attempt to instigate public opinion against Hamas.”
So, was this really a tactical manoeuvre to mislead the international community and strengthen Israel’s hand in the face of increasing criticisms, or a confession that the offensive in Gaza was a big failure?
Photo by Sameh Habeeb (see updates at 8:45 a.m. and 10:40 a.m.)
12:50 p.m. A steady as she goes day. Israeli officials kept quiet to judge the reaction their “unilateral cease-fire” — whether the spin that Israeli forces are withdrawing as a present to President Obama will become clear in 24 hours. Arab states chose a surface appearance of consensus over the political issues that are redefining their relations; whether that changes tomorrow will be up to Syria. Some Europeans, far too late, decided to make a push for a settlement.
And all eyes turn to Washington where a new President is inaugurated, with the question of what the US might do to re-define the Gaza equation. My own suspicion is that Obama and his advisors are playing catch-up, so don’t expect much beyond the surface naming of officials and maybe envoys to consider the American approach.
Good night and peace to all.
11:45 p.m. More Better Late than Never, Europe Style: European Foreign Ministers invite their Middle Eastern counterparts to Brussels for a bit of a chinwag later this week.
9:45 p.m. Further to Rafah Kid’s blog on Israeli use of white phosphorous (5:30 p.m.) and the revelations of the mass killing at Khuza’a (yesterday’s updates), The Guardian of London has posted a report, accompanied by a video of white phosphorous and of the effects on civilian victims.
8:40 p.m. Better Late than Never? After Europe’s ineffective performance at the start of the Gaza conflict, the European Union has tried to recover some influence. German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier has proposed, after consultations with EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg, the current EU President, “humanitarian action, the prevention of illicit arms trafficking, re-opening crossing points into Gaza, help with reconstruction, and a resumption of the peace process”.
The significance of the move probably lies not in any potential for success but in the politics behind it: “Steinmeier wanted to ensure the United States alone did not lead diplomatic efforts in the region.”
8:25 p.m. Amnesty International has criticised Israeli deployment of white phosphorous weapons: “Such extensive use of this weapon in Gaza’s densely populated residential neighborhoods is inherently indiscriminate. Its repeated use in this manner, despite evidence of its indiscriminate effects and its toll on civilians, is a war crime.”
An Israeli military spokesman has replied, “”In response to the claims … relating to the use of phosphorus weapons, and in order to remove any ambiguity, an investigative team has been established in southern command to look into the issue.”
8:15 p.m. Ghassan al-Khatib, former Palestinian Minister of Planning says “no ways” for reconstruction aid or materials to get into Gaza under current conditions.
I think rebuilding of Gaza might be a way off.
5:30 p.m. Rafah Kid continues to offer essential reporting from Gaza: his latest entry describes the Israeli attacks, civilian casualties, and the situation in Gazan hospitals. His description of “chemical burns” and “an unextinguished incendiary device” points to the use of white phosphorous. If Palestinians and Israelis do not agree, then an “international mechanism” will have to be found to deliver the aid.
Rafah Kid also describes the killing of a local farmer by Israeli troops after the start of the cease-fire.
5:20 p.m. Update on the Kuwait summit: shadow Arab unity? Sheikh Hamad, the Qatari Prime Minister, issued what was in effect a holding statement, praising “a reconciliation led today by [Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah] with … the emir of Kuwait…. We left with an understanding that undoubtedly a new page had been turned that would benefit and strengthen the Arab position.”
It could well be that Saudi economic clout has brought all Arab countries onto the political fence, but it would be well worth keeping an eye on the next signals out of Syria.
5:15 p.m. Welcome to the Re-Occupation, however. Israeli officials say, “Israel intends to exert control over the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip following its 22-day offensive, and is seeking guarantees that no U.N. projects will benefit Hamas.”
Bottom line: no recognition of Hamas, no lifting of economic restrictions, including the “freeing” of border crossings.
5:10 p.m. Situation is little changed on military front, with no resumption of violence but no further developments on the Israeli withdrawal.
5 p.m. Have just finished set of media interviews on Obama inauguration with Birmingham radio stations and on Gaza with Iranian News Agency
2:35 p.m. Latest from the Kuwait Summit: Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has made his plea to have some role in Gaza, though I am not sure he has thought through his suggestion of “simultaneous” Presidential and parliamentary elections: at this point, he and Fatah might be hard-pressed to win in sections of the West Bank and Gaza.
Abbas does have one vote, however: the hopeless-beyond-hapless United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has urged Arab leaders to support Abbas as head of a Palestinian unity government. And, behind the scenes, a “senior European official” has tried to support the plan by saying that “there will be no international assistance to rebuild Gaza’s infrastructure with Hamas in power”.
All of this appears somewhat desperate, an impression not lost on Syrian President Bashir al-Assad as he pressed his political advantage of support for Hamas. He has called for the declaration of Israel as “a terrorist state”.
Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, sits firmly on the fence. King Abdullah has tried to deflect the political issues by promising $1 billion in reconstruction assistance to Gaza — a declaration that only has salience if Israel, backed by the US and Europe, allows the aid. He has also declared that “one drop of Palestinian blood” is worth more than all the money in the world, which I am sure will comforting any bleeding Gazans who hear the statement.
2:25 p.m. Meanwhile, Turkey has bailed out of the Egyptian proposals. Following Hosni Mubarak’s announcement that Egypt would never accept international monitors on its side of the Egypt-Gaza border, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has withdrawn Turkey’s offer to participate in an international force.
2 p.m. Trying to recover his position, Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas has told the Arab economic summit at Kuwait: “What is required, if we were to agree and I hope we shall agree, is a national unity government that undertakes … lifting the (Israeli) blockade, opening the crossings, reconstruction and holding simultaneous presidential and legislative elections.”
Abbas’s position is tenuous because his term as President of the West Bank expired last week. The PA-controlled Ministry of Justice in Ramallah decided that Abbas’s term would be extended until 25 January to coincide with the end of the legislative term, but Hamas have announced their intentions to declare an “interim” President for the West Bank.
11:40 a.m. Hamas military spokesman Abu Obeida says the organisation will re-arm despite the Israeli agreement with the US and European countries to block shipments: “Do whatever you want. Manufacturing the holy weapons is our mission and we know how to acquire weapons,”
When I asked Mr Ban [UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon] if he would consider a UN war crimes tribunal in Gaza, he said this would not be for him to “determine”. But only a few journalists bothered to listen to him and his officials were quickly folding up the UN flag on the table.
Even in the darkness, we could see the piles of rubble: one had been the police station, destroyed in the heavy bombing on the first day of Israel’s offensive, killing 22 Hamas policemen; another pile accounted for the houses that had been destroyed around Muntasa, a favoured children’s play area and park which the Israelis say militants had used for firing rockets – residents deny the claim. The park is no more, a field of smashed masonry and concrete.
11:10 a.m. Israeli military says that it is withdrawing some reservists but regular units are holding their positions.
11:o5 a.m. “Utter devastation”: With no diplomatic or military developments, Al Jazeera and Press TV are giving extensive coverage to the scale of the destruction from the Israeli assault. Other news services in Britain, including CNN, have moved to other stories.
10:40 a.m. Sometimes Internet activism works….We updated two hours ago on the removal of photojournalist Sameh Habeeb’s album from the Google-owned Picasa website for “violation of Terms of Service”. Well, after a lot of cyber-chatter, the album has reappeared.
Unlike Hizbullah, [Hamas] cannot credibly claim to have fought bravely against the IDF. Its fighters, rather, melted away into the deepest recesses of civilian protection. And while the likes of Marzouk and his colleague Khaled Mashaal sounded consistently indomitable from the comfort and safety of the Syrian capital, the local Gaza leadership simply hid….
But will the people of Gaza, who chose Hamas as their leadership three years ago, internalize any of this?…. Will Gazans get the message? Or, confronted with the ruins all around them, will they instead redouble their hostility to Israel, forgive Hamas what was either cynicism or foolishness, and rededicate themselves to helping their elected Islamist leadership to eventually prevail over the Zionists?
8:45 a.m. More on photojournalist Sameh Habeeb, whose reports from Gaza have been a vital first-hand source during the conflict. Picasa has bravely removed his entire album of photographs because “the content…violates our Terms of Service”.
8:10 a.m. More background on the run-up to the conflict, this time from the humanitarian front. The UN’s chief humanitarian co-ordinator in Israel, Maxwell Gaylard, says that Tel Aviv that “deliberately blocked the United Nations from building up vital food supplies in Gaza that feed a million people daily”.
A spokesman for the Israeli Foreign Ministry replied that the claim is “unqualified bullshit”.
Morning update (8 a.m. Israel/Gaza time): Little military action overnight, as both Israel and Hamas settled into their political and military positions. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert says there will be a pullout “with highest possible speed” if “the cease-fire remains stable”. Hamas leaders are claiming victory in their resistance to the Israeli invasion.
Almost 100 bodies were pulled out of the Gazan rubble yesterday, including 23 from the site of the Zeitoun mass killing of members of the al-Samouni clan. Despite statements from survivors that “it was an intentional massacre”, the Israeli military continues to deny any responsibility: “”The [Israel Defense Forces] is not familiar with any order to civilians to enter any particular building. The IDF does not give those orders.”
With the Israeli destruction and bulldozing of more than 4000 buildings and houses, ten of thousands of Gazans are homeless. Ambulances and aid, including medical supplies, are still blocked at the Egypt-Gaza border, and only a few dozen wounded Gazans were brought into Egypt for treatment.
2:55 a.m. Downtime until the morning. Thanks for all your support and comments today.
2:30 a.m. The lull continues but, as former Israeli Ambassador to the UN Dan Gillerman denies on Al Jazeera that a “National Information Directorate” exists (which is a bold move, given that the NID was “outed” in The Observer of London on Sunday), signs that Israel’s information campaign may not be able to hold open the window for military operations very long.
CNN International is not only leading with footage of the hospitals crisis in Gaza but pointedly noted they obtained this footage despite an Israeli-imposed ban on journalists inside the territory.
Israel tried to counter this by playing up their permission for 80 truckloads of aid (just over 1/10 the pre-conflict amount) into southern Gaza on Monday. On this evidence, this won’t be enough to hold back mounting criticism.
1:25 a.m. Developments on the diplomatic front: Arab Foreign Ministers have met in New York but it is already clear that a Libyan-sponsored resolution, blocked by the US last weekend, is “dead”. Instead, talk is of a French-drafted resolution, which Paris is hoping will be supported by Arab representatives. United Nations sources say this will include calls for an immediate ceasefire, a “humanitarian corridor” for aid, and a “monitoring mechanism”. With the manoeuvring needed for any hope of passage, the resolution will not be brought up for a vote on Tuesday.
The Gazan death toll is now at least 548. UN officials in Gaza continue to emphasise that this is “a humanitarian crisis”.
11:30 p.m. A bit of a lull in developments on military and diplomatic fronts. Al Jazeera reports that the fighting around Gaza City seems for an elevated area just outside the city which provides a vantage point across northern Gaza.
9:30 p.m. Al Jazeera’s Ayman Mohyeldin on the current Israeli bombardment: “Almost every building in Israel’s definition is a Hamas building.”
Sunday is the anniversary of the symbolic Nov. 15, 1988 declaration of independence by the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
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On Tuesday, Israeli Maj. Gen. Amos Yadlin, director of Military Intelligence, announced that 
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