Breaking: Israel declares ceasefire in Gaza

There's no doubt that Israel is being put in this situation by Hamas, Hezbollah and their backers. They fully realize this. The problem is there's no way to retaliate, revise, or anything to agree with that would effectively make the terrorism stop.

If anyone has any ideas on how to bring this about the Israeli Embassy would love to learn of it. If it worked, they've give you a medal and your photograph would be on a lot of Israeli walls.

Walls work two ways. There's an in. And there's a out. Who needs exploding people?

brain dead. LOL

Thank you My... I appreciate the sharing of your 1st hand experiences and observations. What you've said is the truth, as I understand it.

The "Great Game" of world domination is still very much alive and well; and our Russian friends are consummate players. Long before oil became an important commodity, our friends have consistently pursued the acquisition of a warm water port. Arab unrest in the region opens opportunities for them. In Israel's last war, the Egyptian army drove Russian tanks. Israel provides a convenient target to be used in arousing arab passions. Supplying arms to those countries that would see Israels demise is both profitable and in their interests. They're one of Iran's major trading partners.

Regrettably few realize the level this game is played on. Thoughts of empire are attributed only to the US. And the irony is that the US govt is just about the only one that doesn't harbor these thoughts. We do go charging off in bone-headed directions for wrong reasons, usually regretting it afterwards, but the goal isn't empire. If you think about it, that wouldn't serve our interest unless we set up vassal states which flies directly in the face of who we are.

We allow our citizens, and the companies & corporations they form, pretty much a free hand to pursue their profit because that's what we think they should have. More than one of these have proved greedy and this has resulted in abuses of all sorts in foreign countries. But responsibility for this is assigned to our govt. This becomes what the US is doing to these poor people.

There is indeed a solution to this entire thing, but it's not like a switch that you can just turn off. The feeling of a great many Muslims and still some Muslim nations is that Israel has no right to be in Palestine at all. They consider this arab land and don't care what the UN voted. This is an insult to their version of Islam. They want the land back, all of it. The Jews, to them, are nothing more than squatters.

If those nations changed their stance and came to trying to live with the Israelis rather than driving them out; then peace could happen. But even if that happened there would still be individuals and groups that oppose it. Those same govts will have to actively put a damper on their own radicals before it will finally stop altogether. Pursing peace initiatives between Israel and her still hostile neighbors should be where US policy is directed. For the US to stop aid and armaments to Israel now would end up being the same as signing her death warrant. She'd self destruct before she quit; there's no other place they can go any more than there's any other place they'd want to go.

I've read that, and only wish that more people would arm themselves with information and take a stand against being used as an implement for government agendas that completely disregard human life for nothing other than control of an area.

Brenden I agree with your last statement, in that this is better than nothing. The problem I have with it is that I have no belief it will last, or lead to peace. It's been tried time & again and failed. And I also sincerely hope I'm wrong.

If Israel is militaristic it's because they've been given no choice. They've been invaded 3 times, by national armies, in 60 years. They've never been allowed a peace. When they're not facing national armies they have terrorism.

Like the US, but unlike the arabs, Israel has all kinds of political parties and all are allowed. It could be no other way. Again like the US, Israeli citizens come from countries all over the world. They also have their own radical groups, just like everybody else.

As for expansionist, some groups do indeed favor it. But that's a physical impossibility. They're outnumbered and outgunned on all sides.

I'll also point out that throughout the history of man land that was conquered in war belongs to the victor. When Israel was attacked they fought back and won their fight. By all the history that's gone before, that land belongs to them. Yet the Jewish state is the only one is history that because of world pressure actually gave it back. Gaza, the west bank, and most of the Sinai should be rights belong to Israel.

Expansionist? That's a joke right? The root cause of all hostilities in the region is anti-semitism.

your right, Isreal has created for itself a world of enemies...........

Thank you, finally someone who's not playing the blame game.

Read a history book... even those revisionist history books can give you a clue as to how this conflict got started... it dates back ages as far as the two religions go, but as far as the current Israeli/Palestinian conflict goes that started moreso after WWI because of the United Kingdom's conflicting promises brought about by the Hussein/Mcmahon Correspondance & the Balfour Declaration, then it was reiterated in the late 60's and 70's, and was solidified in the 80's with our government's full support of Israel and complete disregard of Palestine .

Inform yourselves with facts that occur in reality, not the bible or some propaganda based on biased media coverage and information put out by our government and other world organizations that speak of Hamas as terrorists, yet we (the United States and even Israel) once supported the Fatah so Israel could get their way in Gaza, which led to formation of Hamas by the Palestinians in retaliation.

Now Israel seems to be backing the Islamic Jihad in order to get Hamas out, point is no matter what government is in place, Israel will always have a problem with anyone living in the area, because of it's strategic location (yes it's strategic) and also since it was deemed "Holy Ground" to them by "God".

The same war mongering god they used as an excuse to secure the land the first time, before we and other countries insisted they not be able to kick out people (Palestinians) who had been living there their whole lives for no other reason than "We are entitled to this land by God, so move out".

I am not for or against anyone in this conflict, just not for hearing bullshit and accepting it as complete and total proof of why I should be "Pro-Israel". Governments don't give a shit about people, they give a shit about their agendas, and this agenda has nothing to do with peace, it has everything to do with "location, location, location".

They want Palestinians out of that area like some governments wipe out complete populations of wild animals to build a highway, road, or an expressway. Convenience and control and expansion of an area.

Just to set the facts straight, I'm not a person with ties to any organized religion. I have my own relationship with the Lord and it's a personal one. None of my opinions are based on religious teachings of any sort.

I'm aware that the Jews do regard Palestine as their homeland and that this is based on their belief. This is the reason Palestine was the destination of the several waves of immigrants that were seeking to escape pogroms in Europe & Russia starting around the period of WWI. The original groups didn't acquire their land by "warmongering". The land used for settlement was purchased, legally, from effendi (landowners) families and they were sold only the worst of it. Several influential European Jews provided the funds for this. They drained swamps and made the land fruitful. They shared their methods with neighboring arab villages.

The Balfour declaration stated Britain's support for the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine. Having made it, they then reneged on it not wanting to alienate the arabs. This because the arabs had oil and the Jews didn't. This about face directly led to the creation of splinter groups of Jews who then fought the British occupation in the Mandate. If you read your history you'll discover the Jews temporarily dropped the hostilities at the outbreak of WWII in order to serve in the British forces. The arabs sat on the fence and only declared for the allies at the very end, and this only to gain a vote in the UN.

After the war the holocaust victims tried to escape Europe for Palestine and were blocked by the British, but aided by the French. This to include a naval blockade which intercepted barely seaworthy refugee vessels and towed them to Cypris where the Jews were again placed behind barbed wire. Palestine again rocked with violence. The British finally gave up and turned the matter over to the UN which voted to partition Palestine & OK'd a Jewish state.

Israel has had to defend this state against massed national arab armies 3 times in their 60 years. When the state was declared the arab residents were invited to become citizens with full rights. Many of those are Israelis today. The ones that choose to fight, or simply ran away are what we now call the Palestinians.

For your information Hamas is part of Islamic Jihad. Read their charter. To their own chagrin Hamas came into power with the financial help of Israel. This to counter Arafts PLO in hopes of creating a less radical neighbor.

The PLO is now called Fatah and regarded as the good guys simply because they're willing to talk instead of shoot. Hamas is now the radical group and refuses negotiation.

I don't really have a "side" in this either. I'm neither Jewish nor Israeli. But because I DO read history I've reached the conclusion that the Jews are getting the dirty end of the stick. If the arabs would simply leave them alone peace would rein. You'll see this again in the upcoming months. Hamas will again start their terrorism. I won't have to tell you I told you so; I'm telling you now. This has happened time & again. The arabs consider Israel their land and don't recognize the UN's vote. THAT'S what's behind all this. Until that changes, this will continue.

For someone who recites history well, you sure are unable to factor it into what is currently happening in our time.

SOMEBODY needs to do it. We have all these innocents shocked by scenes of war, carnage they've only seen pictures of, and no interest, or knowledge, in the cause behind what's happening. These gory pictures elicit a knee jerk reaction, they see big guys/little guys and that's enough for them. Spurred on by antisemitic rhetoric from Jew haters, Hamis, and their own peace loving view they recoil in horror. "When in danger or in doubt, run in circles scream and shout."

I know better; and I'm neither Jewish nor Israeli. I'm a former Marine and Viet vet. I'm also a reader, which obviously many of the posters are not. If they had my inclination and experience they'd look at things a bit differently. But one gets tired of shouting down a well. The pro-terrorist crowd feel so right in their convictions this "discussion" has degenerated into an effort to out-post and out-shout opposing view points.

Realizing the futility of trying to present the facts to minds that have already been made up I can't even bring myself to be a regular poster. I refuse to play the out-shout game. What I do is jump in occasionally and try to throw some water on the flames of righteous indignation. It's mostly a wasted effort. But somebody needs to do it.

Ignorant racists? I'll point out that YOU'RE doing the name calling. And what is the need for that? Are you not RIGHT?
Or are you just trying to shout down opposing opinions? Do you have anything that could back up your opinion? Do you even know the definition of the word "neocon"? Give me a break.

I detect a lingering hostility that Brendan_M has toward his holy shiiteness. We do have common ground sir. I too like to use a picture of a very ugly man as my logo.

Truth.

And what excuses 8 years of rockets and mortars; preceded by shootings, stabbings, abductions and suicide attacks?

truth. But a Hamas tactic. Not one of Israel. Nothing would please them more than to have the truce hold. After all, who needs rockets or exploding people?

Pod, a reasoned response. I'll add that "variable" will be determined by the actions of Hamas- not Israel. Bank on it.

You call others idiot for picking sides when you say "Psst - they;'re pretending not to be the aggressors?" Just what do you call that?

your all as bad as each other, both sides, Hamas & Isreal, your both a pack of blood thirsty bastards, the only victims here are the innocent women and chilred who have been murdererd .
You people sicken me

Aka, they don't even need to do that simple thing. They haven't agreed to squat, and won't. They''re probably claiming victory right now.

More than 1,000 of their people, that they could care less about are dead, large portions of their cities are in rubble, and they'll be dancing in the streets chanting "God is Great, we won !!"

Israel is really screwing up. They would have been far better off to simply drive the entire population into the Sinai desert and built a fence on the border. Let somebody else foster the wacco's, taken whatever political backlash there was, but BE DONE WITH IT.

Instead they've signed up for yet another round. Better to be rid of them. As Iran and Syria love them so much let them take care of them.

This is a mistake. I understand the political problems, but it's still a mistake.

Why not just kill em all? oh, thats right, you've been doing that for quite some time now. Israel will not be satisfied until they have finished the genocide.

Petarro is the only one making any sense.

This invasion was a RESPONSE, not an aggression, however much you care to dance around the truth. 8 years of rocket attacks is something NO nation state would tolerate.

So now, it's goals unfulfilled, Israel has once again, as the world demanded, stopped. Did you catch that? STOPPED.

So, now you have what you want. All along you've sided with the people that started this. Now there's a cease fire and the people that started it haven't given up a thing. Dont tell me about casualties; if they didn't want casualties they shouldn't fire rockets at their neighbors.

But we ALL know what's going to happen; don't we?

As SO MANY times before, we'll have a period of RELATIVE CALM. Then it will start again. Hamas will start it; NOT ISRAEL.

And once again all the bleeding hearts will fault the Jews and ignore the culprits. This makes me sick. Justice? You don't comprehend the meaning of the word. What you do comprehend is that the Jews are wrong. Period. They're Jews. They're wrong. It's crap.

And I though Americans were open minded. wrong.

And once again, we'll hear about Israeli atrocity while ignoring what's happening to them.

With all due respect cabintaggs , I not sure if you have a clue what is going on over there.

I think I do.

just because hamas fired rockets, and will not stop firing rockets, doesnt mean Israel has to respond the way they do, if Israel had any intelligence, they would revise their plans of invasion and their rules of engagement. If they are so ignorant not to understand the tactics Hamas has been using over and over, and still not change their way of retaliating, then they are criminals, and should be treated as criminals. Ignorance and stupidity is not an excuse, especially if you bomb the same house in many different conflicts and still injure the same kid everytime.

You'll have to excuse me but you sound as if there's actually a way to negotiate an end to this. There isn't. Have you read the Hamas Charter? They're dedicated to regaining the entire of Israel for future Islamic generations. Period. Why do you think they keep shooting and refuse negotiation? They do not recognize the UN's vote that gave the OK to partition Palestine. Only 3 arab countries have reached a peace with Israel and those countries and their governments have had no further problems since. If the rest of the arab world would acknowledge Israels right to exist this could stop. Negotiation will only work if it includes those countries that are supporting, supplying and funding the jihad. Hamas is merely the latest group "at bat." Hezbollah is probably next in the lineup again.

If by Haphazard you mean contacting all the people in the building and all the people in the surrounding area by phone and telling them to evacuate the area because there is about to be an airstrike, then yes, it is haphazard.

So it is a'OK for large military powers to bomb civilian buildings?

Guess the warning didn't help this family.

The euphemism is "asymmetrical response."

it doesn't. Israel won't have to spend one minute in international court. The joke is that Hamas isn't going to abide by the ceasefire.

I do not see how you can say the US and Israel are half the fault. I do believe the Hamas were the ones that started shooting the rockets into Israel first.

First, I don't think this will ever be resolved by claiming "he/she started it." What matters is ending it.

Second, if you do want to play that game, then you can't be nearsighted. Hamas was founded in 1987. Do you think that's when this started?

Aye it is, matey.

Sounds like a good response to me. I think they called the cease fire to resupply.

muted- Racism rooted in the bible? Racism against what race? By which race?

The Old Testament is full of examples of genocide by war, as ordered by God. Revelation also states that the entire world's armies will array themselves against Jerusalem. Fire from the God will destroy them and there will then be a new heaven and new earth. Satan will deceived the whole world and convince Gog and Magog to attack the beloved ctiy.

Think about what you are saying in the big picture. You say, 100-1 is disproportionate. Yet you accuse Israel of behaving like Nazis, who killed 20 million people not including soldiers. 1200, (even mainly civilians which they are not by anyones estimate) to 20,000,000 now that is a ratio that sounds disproportionate. Where was your anguish when hundreds of thousands were killed in Sudan? When civilians get hit, Israel pays reparations every time, does Hamas? Who will pay Fatah reparations for their lost civilians killed by Hamas? Hamas is also accused of war crimes. If Israelis are guilty, and go to trial for using a bad bomb, would you be willing to ask that Hamas pay for the damage they caused, including the two Palestinian girls they killed with a Qassam the day before this even started. If you really believe in justice, let's try everyone equally, proportionately, starting with Bashir of Sudan who is long over due. Then, Israelis won't be the only ones condemned for their, "mistakes." Your war crimes calls are reminicent of a certain Durban anti-racism conference that was based upon being racist against Jews.