Hamas Announces Cease-Fire in Gaza

New York Times ^ | 1/18/09 | Reuters

[Nachum]

GAZA, Jan 18 (Reuters) - Hamas said on Sunday it would cease fire immediately along with other militant groups in the Gaza Strip and give Israel, which already declared a unilateral truce, a week to pull its troops out of the territory.

[Nachum]

Just in time for the new president.

[70th Division]

Hammas Cease Fire = Reload time! Don’t do it

[JudyinCanada]

It must mean there is only one of them left....and he wants to live.

[JasonC]

Actually it means they ran out of rockets because the IDF got them all. So they need the IDF to leave, so they can import more rockets from Egypt, before firing any again. Which they will, as soon as the IDF leaves them alone long enough to get some more rockets.

[brewcrew]

That and a buck-fifty will get you a cup of coffee.

[Logical me]

Lebanon taught the Israels nothing. That I fear.

[screaminsunshine]

The Rats are giving the Cat a week to retreat.

[screaminsunshine]

Liberal leaders=PC warfare=defeat.

[chuck_the_tv_out]

nyt’s angle:

hamas is the one making the ceasefire, while israel did some “unilaberel” thing or something crazy like that yesterday.

/remove-nyt-goggles

[schu]

It seems to me that the reason for Israel to announce the unilateral cease fire was to let the Obamination know that they were in charge. One can imagine the bleating that he would do the day after “demanding” that Israel remove themselves from Gaza.

Hamas did this to save face, they were caught off guard by the Israel action.

What effect it will have long term remains to be seen. I cannot imagine Israel is looking forward to conversations with Barry and Hillary ....

schu

[ANGGAPO]

I suspect that the IDF isn’t going to fall for this ploy. The Hams and the Pals have used this scheme to regroup and reload before.

[gandalftb]

One week, or what? Hamas is making demands? If they didn't need dying so much it would be funny.

BTW, kudos to the IDF, much improved warfighting this time than Lebanon. Night-vision goggles & attacking at night; phosphorus seeding for smoke-screening movement and to inhibit anti-tank missile tracking; Hamas decapitation priority; GPS counter-fire mortars; ELINT intercepts of all Hamas phones; thorough HUMINT/informants/targeting before attack; IDF body armor; winter attack and operational surprise; nicely done.

[JasonC]

Of course they are going to "fall for it", they were born to fall for it. It has happened a thousand times, why would the thousand and first be special?

Livni and the Kadima party did their "we can be tough" act for the voters just before facing Bibi in a general election. They will stop, hope it is enough to last a month or two, and turn to appease the peaceniks, trying to get their votes too as at least not Bibi-esque.

They aren't trying to defeat Hamas. They are trying to defeat a man who might actually try to defeat Hamas, and more to the point, Iran. Which in case everyone just forgot, is getting nuclear weapons this instant, while Kadima and Israel stand back and let them.

That is what this was all about. Avoiding doing anything "drastic" (i.e. effective) about Iran. Every scrap of it.

[jjotto]

You’ve got it about right.

Only thing is, Bibi is just jealous that he can’t be in charge of the surrender instead of Livni.

And I predict that Obama will use US forces to attack Israel along with UK and UN forces. Mock all you want. Bookmark it, it will happen.

[JasonC]

I'll mock silly, you are an utter loon. Go back to reading about your lakes of boiling blood and call it justice.