Gaza talks on hold, Israeli delegation stays home

[bemildred]

JERUSALEM (AP) -- Egyptian-brokered talks between Israel and Hamas on a new border deal for Gaza were thrown into doubt Saturday after senior officials said an Israeli team would not rejoin negotiations in Cairo unless rocket fire from Gaza stops.

A day after the end of a temporary truce, cross-border attacks continued Saturday, though at a lower intensity than on most days in the past month of fighting.

Gaza militants fired 28 rockets at Israel, the army said, while Israel struck about 50 targets in Gaza that it said were linked to militants, including mosques and homes.

The indirect talks in Cairo - which began earlier in the week with Egyptians shuttling between the Israeli and Palestinian delegations - were meant to produce a sustainable cease-fire and new border arrangements for Gaza.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/ML_ISRAEL_PALESTINIANS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2014-08-09-14-58-24

[bemildred]

1. Gaza truce talks resume Sunday: Palestinian official

CAIRO: Indirect negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza are expected to continue in Cairo on Sunday (Aug 10) with an Israeli delegation scheduled to arrive in the Egyptian capital, a Palestinian official said.

Hamas, the militant group controlling Gaza, had refused to extend a 72-hour ceasefire on Friday (Aug 8), accusing Israel of stalling in the talks that the Palestinians say must lead to an end of Gaza's blockade. The Palestinian official, one of the negotiators in Cairo, did not rule out the announcement of a temporary lull ahead of Sunday's talks.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/gaza-truce-talks-resume/1305616.html

[bemildred]

2. Israel 'Offers 25 Terrorists in Exchange for Soldiers' Bodies'

A source in the Palestinian delegation to Cairo said that Israel offered to hand over 25 terrorists that it arrested during Operation Protective Edge and 18 bodies of terrorists who were killed, in exchange for the bodies of Lt. Hadar Goldin and First Sgt. Oron Shaul hy”d.

According to report in Al Masry Al-Youm, Israel demanded that the bodies of its soldiers be returned as a condition for the negotiations to proceed. The report was not confirmed by any official Israeli sources.

Egyptian mediators met a Palestinian delegation again Friday evening and were waiting to hear back from the Israelis after the Jewish Shabbat ended at sundown Saturday.

Acting US Middle East peace envoy Frank Lowenstein, who has been in Cairo for some days, "is still trying to help the parties get a permanent ceasefire", a US embassy official said.

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/183871

[bemildred]

3. 4500 new births in Gaza during Israel's offensive

GAZA CITY

Around 4500 births were registered in the Gaza Strip during the 30 days of Israel's attacks on the tiny Palestinian territory, the Palestinian Health Ministry said Saturday.

Gaza Interior Ministry spokesman Eiad al-Bozum, meanwhile, said that his ministry had not made a survey of the number of new Gazans yet.

He expected, however, the number of births to exceed 5000, saying that some children were born, but they had not been registered yet because they were born in either schools or shelters.

Gaza's population had reached 1.9 million in the first quarter of this year, including 947,000 males and 922,000 females, the Interior Ministry said.

http://www.aa.com.tr/en/rss/371081--4500-new-births-in-gaza-during-israels-offensive

[bemildred]

4. We will hunt down Hamas terror chief Deif, vows Lapid

Just as the United States hunted down al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden in the aftermath of the 9/11 terror attacks, so Israel will track down the heads of Hamas’s militant wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Finance Minister Yair Lapid vowed.

In a statement given Saturday afternoon, Lapid said, “To [Muhammad] Deif and his gang, I want to say clearly: just as the United States did not rest until it found [Osama] Bin Laden and eliminated him, we will find you and bring you to justice for what you have done to the children of Israel and of Gaza.”

Deif heads the Qassam Brigades, and is believed to be overseeing Hamas military strategy in the conflict against Israel.

As Egyptian-mediated talks seemed deadlocked in Cairo over a permanent ceasefire between Israel and the Gaza Strip, Lapid said, “We have accepted ceasefires five times — and five times Hamas broke the ceasefire and went back to doing what it does, which is firing rockets and trying to kill our children while tying its own children to the altar and using them as human shields.”

http://www.timesofisrael.com/we-will-find-qassam-brigades-chief-lapid-warns/

[bemildred]

5. UNRWA urges end to Israeli blockade of Gaza

Baku-APA. The United Nations has called on Israel to lift its seven-year blockade on the Gaza Strip and end the ongoing deadly attacks against the Palestinian enclave, APA reports quoting Press TV.

On Saturday, Chris Gunness, the spokesman for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, said the blockade must end to allow the reconstruction of the Palestinian coastal territory.

“The blockade must end. We are beyond the realm of humanitarian action alone. All those directly and indirectly responsible for the carnage and destruction must engage,” he noted.

Gunness said huge swathes of Gaza have been razed to the ground, adding that the reconstruction of Gaza cannot be carried out without doing anything.

http://en.apa.az/news/214980

[bemildred]

6. Minister Uzi Landau: Israel must say no to Hamas demand for Gaza seaport

Tourism Minister Uzi Landau told Channel 10 on Saturday that Israel "cannot under any circumstances" agree to Hamas' demand to allow it to operate a seaport in Gaza.

"Hamas' operating a port would essentially free it to smuggle in sophisticated weaponry that could threaten Israel," Landau said.

http://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/Minister-Uzi-Landau-Israel-must-say-no-to-Hamas-demand-for-Gaza-seaport-370573

[bemildred]

7. Israel May Be Forced to Reoccupy Gaza, Netanyahu Ally Says

The Israeli army may have to reoccupy the Gaza Strip to disarm militants if they don’t stop assaulting Israel, a cabinet minister said, a day after a three-day truce broke down amid renewed rocket fire.

Should the missile fire continue for weeks, “we won’t have any choice but to defend ourselves and win this battle,” Minister of Intelligence and Strategic Affairs Yuval Steinitz told Channel 10 television. “And this means that we will have to seriously consider the possibility of taking full control of Gaza for a number of weeks, maybe a month or two.” During that time, Israel would strip Gaza of its rockets and weapons-manufacturing capabilities, he said.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-08-09/israel-may-be-forced-to-reoccupy-gaza-netanyahu-ally-says.html

[bemildred]

8. Egypt ceasefire plan fails to meet Gazans' demands: Hamas official

Baku-APA. An Egypt-brokered ceasefire plan for an end to Israel’s war on Gaza has failed to meet demands of Gazans and Palestinian resistance forces, says the representative of Palestinian resistance movement Hamas in Iran, APA reports quoting Press TV.

Speaking to reporters in Tehran on Saturday, Khaled al-Qaddoumi said resistance groups have presented their own proposals for a lasting truce to the Israeli side without getting any response so far, adding that the Tel Aviv regime is only killing time.

The Palestinians are not after killing time and they only want their logical demands to be met, he added.

The Israeli military aggression against Gaza, which began on July 8, has claimed lives of more than 1,900 Palestinians, including more than 400 children, and injured over 10,000 others.

http://en.apa.az/news/214979

[bemildred]

9. Israel-Gaza conflict: 150,000 protest in London for end to 'massacre and arms trade'

Thousands of people opposed to Israel’s bombardment of Gaza have taken to the streets in London in a mass demonstration to try and intensify pressure on the British government.

Arranged by a compendium of anti-war campaigners and religious organisations, the march, from the BBC’s headquarters near Oxford Circus to Hyde Park, was claimed by organisers to have had as many as 150,000 in attendance.

The Met Police told The Independent that it was entirely peaceful and no arrests were made.

Protesters’ travelled past the US Embassy en route to the central London park, waving “Free Palestine” placards and flags,

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/israelgaza-conflict-thousands-protest-in-london-for-end-to-massacre-and-arms-trade-9659180.html

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10. Possible Larnaca role in Gaza sea route

A EUROPEAN source has told Palestinian media outlets that Europe was willing to establish a sea route between the Gaza Strip and Larnaca meant for both people and merchandise, an Israeli news outlet reported on Saturday.

Quoting Palestinian media, Ynetnews said that, according to the initiative, European observers would be present both in Gaza and Larnaca in order to prevent security violations.

The source noted that Europe was interested in finding a comprehensive, permanent solution in order to save from having to rehabilitate the Strip every few years.

“We want to find a solution to the Gaza problem by reactivating the 2005 agreement on the crossings – including the crossing between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.” The source said that Europe has consulted with all relevant parties on the matter – including the Palestinian Authority, Israel, and Egypt – and is still waiting for their response.

http://cyprus-mail.com/2014/08/09/possible-larnaca-role-in-gaza-sea-route/

[bemildred]

11. . nt

[Jefferson23]

14. I am up to date now..thanks.

Egypt holding with Israel, Abbas still looking for Hamas to back down.

The rest is interesting...150,000 protesters in the UK, and there it is, the soldier swap,
and interested parties looking for a means to open an appropriate sea port avenue.
Obama's interview with Friedman..not good for Bibi, either.

If Bibi does not go in further on the ground,( which he does not want to do ) how does
he ever expect to manage a victory out of this fiasco? He has given enough fuel for a militant
resistance in the future with or without Hamas.

Maybe he can medicate his cabinet, and call it a day.

[bemildred]

15. Well, like I said, a rock and a hard place.

Bibi has got himself into a war of attrition with Hamas. A rather perverse one, but that's what it is. Does Bibi run out of money, ammo, fuel, and political credibilty before Hamas runs out of rockets?

Who has to back down first? Right now I don't see anything that will force the issue.

There seems to be wild disagreement about what is and is not part of the truce negotiations too.

[Jefferson23]

17. Honestly I don't think it matters, bemildred. Every supporter of Hamas knows they can't

go the limit as can Bibi but that they'll give it there all for what they feel is a
do or die position..they'll feel the victor. They may be correct, too.

I can't make heads or tales of the negotiations..but little I've read doesn't
look encouraging for Bibi..he wants those soldiers back.

[bemildred]

18. I'm just saying I don't see anything that makes it stop soon.

If I had to guess, I think it goes on for a while like this now. Hamas shoots a few dozen rockets every day, the IDF bombs a few dozen targets every day.

[Jefferson23]

19. Yea, I understood and what will stop Hamas depends on their stockpile,

not sure their will is ever going to be broken or if they'll feel pressure from the Palestinians to make
it stop...who knows. Tragic too is how much relief aide will get in or not while they continue.

[JDPriestly]

20. Israel has stated a condition for negotiation.

No rockets from Hamas and Israel and the Palestinians meet to discuss land.

That means Israel has thrown the ball into Hamas' court.

We shall see how Hamas responds.

[bemildred]

21. Thanks for clearing that up. nt

[bemildred]

12. Hamas threatens major escalation in rocket strikes on Israel

Hamas officials in Gaza have threatened a "major escalation" of rocket strikes against Israel, raising fears of a return to the intense violence of recent weeks.

Ihab al-Ghussein, the Islamist organisation's deputy information minister, said that "if on [Sunday] we have no response to our demands, our defensive measures will be intensified".

Sporadic rocket fire from Gaza into Israel continued on Saturday, along with air strikes by the Israeli military. Five people were reported to have been killed in Gaza, including three when a mosque in the town of Nuseirat was destroyed at 3am. Twenty more have been injured, health workers in Gaza said. Israeli officials had telephoned inhabitants of homes around the mosque to tell them to evacuate, but men were thought to have been preparing for dawn prayers in its basement when the strike occurred, witnesses said.

No Israeli casualties were reported on Saturday. Two Israelis were hurt by a mortar attack on Friday.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/09/gaza-hamas-threatens-escalation-rocket-strikes-israel

[bemildred]

13. Israel denies targeting hospitals in Gaza strip as White House joins UN in condemning collapse of tr

- Israel denies deliberately targeting hospitals in the Gaza Strip, saying attack is focused on 'terror sites'
- Government spokesman said they had struck military targets 'in the vicinity' of hospitals during airstrikes
- Said Hamas should be 'held accountable' for using humanitarian bases as places from which to fire rockets at Israel
- Comments come as White House joined the UN in condemning the collapse ceasefire, saying it is 'very concerned'
- UK to deploy world-class team of NHS staff to region within next 48 hours to help treat those affected by the crisis

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2720618/Israel-denies-targeting-hospitals-Gaza-strip-White-House-joins-UN-condemning-collapse-truce-following-rocket-strikes.html

[JDPriestly]

16. The condition that Israel placed on the talks -- that the rocket-firing stop -- makes me

optimistic that with perseverance and time, the talks will take place.

It is quite normal, even when settlement talks are in the context of a lawsuit, that there are at least a couple of approaches about settlement before serious negotiations begin. It's like a dance.

This makes me very optimistic.

Once parties talk about under what conditions they might talk, then they are getting serious about trying to negotiate.

I was thinking this morning about what a powerhouse economy, what a great place to live Palestine and Israel could be if they worked out their differences, shared technology and labor and good will and lived in harmony. There are a lot of talented, brilliant, good people in that part of the world. The war has to end. The talks have to begin.

This is very good news. If you have never done settlements or negotiations, you may not recognize the signs that something is moving toward the good. It's very precarious at this point. It could just as easily slip into a really ugly war in which lots of civilians are killed (because of the crowded conditions in Gaza), but this new development holds some promise.