Posted on 12/30/2008 5:22:38 PM PST by Mr. Mojo
UNITED NATIONS – Key world powers trying to promote Mideast peace urged Israel and Hamas on Tuesday to immediately stop fighting in Gaza and southern Israel, the United Nations announced as international efforts to calm the conflict picked up pace.
The Quartet of Mideast peacemakers — the United States, United Nations, European Union and Russia — appealed "for an immediate cease-fire that would be fully respected," U.N. deputy spokeswoman Marie Okabe said.
The statement came four days after Israeli warplanes started bombing in Gaza, targeting Hamas-related installations and homes in an attempt to force a halt to militant rocket attacks on towns in southern Israel.
The Quartet also "called on all parties to address the serious humanitarian and economic needs in Gaza and to take necessary measures to ensure the continuous provision of humanitarian supplies," Okabe said.
"They agreed on the urgent need for Israelis and Palestinians to continue on the road to peace," she said.
U.N. officials said Quartet members were following up individually with Israel and the other parties.
Robert Serry, the U.N. special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, canceled a video news conference from Jerusalem with reporters at U.N. headquarters to pursue the issue. French President Nicolas Sarkozy planned to meet with Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni on Thursday.
Israeli officials said earlier Tuesday that Israel was considering a 48-hour suspension of its punishing air campaign to see if Palestinian militants would stop rocket attacks.
Okabe said the Quartet's appeal was agreed on during a teleconference involving U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, whose country holds the EU presidency, and the group's Mideast envoy, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Why is there a push for a truce only after Israel fights back?
Boy! That'll do it for sure!
Pound sand to all three and Israel should go on the offensive.
Ms Rice doesn’t speak for many Americans anymore.
U.S.?
Hmmm...let me go get a post.
Because there is no problem until Israel fights back (defends itself).
Gee—this is a big surprise (not). If the Israeli leadership had any backbone, they’d tell them to go pound sand. Unfortunately, they don’t and will probably agree to a one-way cease fire. This is how wars are lost—by preventing one side from winning while they have the means to do so. This is so predictable, its tragic.
You’ve got that right. But they won’t. It’s the same ol’ same ol’....
Same old story line as the past 60 years. Ongoing Arab violence and intifadas bring no criticism or calls for a end to it. But as soon as Israel begins to fight back, the international calls for restraint and truces soon become deafening.
I was hoping Israel would ignore them this time.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2156378/posts
QUOTE:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2156378/posts?page=27#27
http://www.defenselink.mil/transcripts/transcript.aspx?transcriptid=4296
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Note: The following text is a quote:
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=52512
U.S. Military Team in Israel Reported Safe Despite Attacks
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Dec. 30, 2008 – About 100 U.S. European Command soldiers, airmen and Marines deployed to Israel to help set up an early warning radar system reported no close encounters with air strikes or retaliatory attacks along the Gaza Strip, a Eucom spokesman said.
The Palestinian militant group Hamas refused to renew a ceasefire agreement with Israel when it expired Dec. 19, and began stepping up rocket attacks on civilian targets in Israel. Israel, in turn, began launching airstrikes against Gaza Strip targets Dec. 27 in an effort to eliminate Hamas’ ability to fire rockets into Israeli territory.
Air Force Lt. Col. John Dorrian confirmed Stars and Stripes’ report that the Eucom team is operating on an Israeli air base nowhere near the targeted areas.
The Eucom troops deployed to Israel to help set up an Army/Navy Transportable Radar Surveillance system, Dorrian confirmed. The Israeli government requested the system to help defend against a potential missile attack from Iran.
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates signed off on the deployment order in mid-September, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell confirmed during a Sept. 30 news conference.
Once fully operational, the system will be capable of tracking and identifying small objects at long distance and at very high altitude, including space, according to U.S. Missile Defense Agency officials. It also will integrate Israel’s missile defenses with the U.S. global missile detection network.
“This will enable the Israelis to track medium- and long-range ballistic missiles multiple times better than their current radar allows them to,” Morrell said. “It will … more than double the range of Israel’s missile defense radars and increase its available engagement time.”
This, he said, will greatly enhance Israel’s defensive capabilities.
“There is a growing ballistic missile threat in the region, particularly from Iran,” Morrell said. “And no one in the region should feel more nervous about that threat than the Israelis. And they clearly do, and they have asked for our assistance. And we have now provided it in the form of this … X-band radar equipment.”
About 120 U.S. servicemembers initially deployed to Israel to set up the system, a number Dorrian said is now down to about 100.
Morrell estimated that the system will take about half that many U.S. personnel to operate once it is up and running. “This is and will remain a U.S. radar system,” he said. “This is not something we are giving or selling to the Israelis.”
The system, he said, is another sign of U.S. commitment to Israel. “We are committed to the Israelis, to Israel’s defense,” Morrell said.
Meanwhile, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice expressed concern about escalating violence in Gaza.
“We strongly condemn the repeated rocket and mortar attacks against Israel and hold Hamas responsible for breaking the ceasefire and for the renewal of violence there,” Rice said in a statement. “The ceasefire must be restored immediately and fully respected. The United States calls on all concerned to protect innocent lives and to address the urgent humanitarian needs of the people of Gaza.”
Related Sites:
U.S. European Command
Rice Statement
Morrell Briefing Transcript
27 posted on December 30, 2008 4:42:35 PM PST by Cindy
It's been going on for sixty years.
Ban Ki-moon, Rice, Lavrov, Solana, Kouchner, Blair
all avowed proIslamic terrorists -— Silent as
Christians are crucified and Jews are gassed and rocketed.
I can understand UN, EU & Russia, but US?
For 3 years bombs have been raining on Israel and nothing was said. Now they call for a truce. Are they out of their minds?
Netanyahu was right - lets see what happens if, heaven forbid, missile were launched at Paris, or London, SF.
No, but thats different,..you see Israel is the aggressor, the occupier, the terrorist state.
This war is the only solution. There is no negotiating with terrorist. There is no more time for discussion. Hamas has one goal, and one goal only - the annihilation of Israel.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
I disagree. It really started with the first Gulf War, when James Baker pressured Israel not to retailiate for the Scuds and they listened. Since then, Israel has let us have a veto over them.
During the last truce the arabs fired 3000 missiles into Israeli neighborhoods. And nobody said boo.
Anyone who was silent when the Israelis were under attack has no standing in the discussion now.
Israel must not stop until the Hamas org chart has been shredded. The top dozen should be dead or with a dedicated hit team looking for them where ever they run, in Damascus, Paris, Des Moines, where ever.
And they must exact a price in territory. Do they have a half-kilometer security zone along the Gaza side of the border? Increase it to a full kilometer. And if they fire another volley, increase it again. Keep increasing it until the rockets stop for good. Then establish that as the new and formal boundary line.
This is not over until Hamas has surrendered or ceased to exist. As far as I know they haven’t surrendered yet; on the contrary, their spokesmen in the capitals of Europe and North America are just getting wound up.
No, absolutely not. Don't stop until they have no more missiles to launch, and no one willing to launch them.
No F’in Hudna. Hamas will only use this time to rebuild their rocket supplies and reorganize their terrorists for the next round of salvos.
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