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Israel and US openly at odds over Gaza ceasefire terms | The Times of Israel
Israeli ministers unanimously reject Kerry proposal, and government sources say it leans heavily toward Hamas, wouldnt enable Israel to keep tackling Hamas tunnels
BY TIMES OF ISRAEL STAFF July 25, 2014, 11:04 pm
Israel and its key ally the United States were in open disagreement Friday night, after the Israeli cabinet unanimously rejected a ceasefire offer drawn up by Secretary of State John Kerry to halt 18 days of Israeli-Hamas conflict
Kerry, speaking in Cairo, vowed to keep working on a ceasefire, and said Israels Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was committed to working to narrow the gaps that were preventing a seven-day humanitarian ceasefire intended to lead to a longer-term deal. He also said Netanyahu had accepted an idea, proposed by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, of a 12-hour humanitarian time out. Israeli sources said the idea was under consideration.
But Israeli government sources told Army Radio the ceasefire terms proposed by Kerry were completely unreasonable. An unnamed senior Israeli government official flatly disputed Kerrys assertion that his offer was built on the Egyptian initiative which Israel accepted last week and Hamas rejected. In fact, the official was quoted saying, the Kerry offer is not built on the Egyptian proposal and tilts heavily toward Hamas.
The Army Radio report highlighted that the US on Monday signed an $11 billion arms deal with Qatar, and noted that Qatar is championing Hamass demands in the ceasefire negotiations, and is also alleged by Israel to be financing Hamass rocket production, tunnel digging infrastructure, and other elements of its military infrastructure. The radio report also claimed that Ban Ki-moon is flying around the region on a Qatari plane.
Indications from the lengthy Israeli cabinet meeting that rejected Kerrys offer Friday are that the ministers were incensed that the terms of the deal would not have enabled Israel to continue to locate and demolish a network of dozens of tunnels that Hamas has dug, up to a mile or more long, from under Gaza residential areas all the way beneath the Israeli border.
Israels relations with Kerry, strained for a long time, were not helped when he was caught on a hot-mic earlier this week apparently sneering at Israels insistence that it is trying to tackle Hamas terror targets in Gaza with pinpoint accuracy. Comments made by the secretary in the same incident also indicated that Israel had not invited him to embark on this ceasefire mission, presumably because Israel wanted more time to tackle the Hamas tunnels.
The Israeli armys southern commander, who is overseeing Israels ground offensive in Gaza, confirmed earlier Friday that he felt the army needed more time, although it had located what it believes are most of the tunnels.
The formal text of the ceasefire proposal offered by Kerry and rejected by Israel had not been released as of Friday evening. Earlier, though, The Times of Israel reported on what Arab sources said were its key elements.
The Kerry proposal, they said, provides for an immediate halt to hostilities to be followed 48 hours later by the start of five to-seven days of contacts between Israel, Palestinian and Egyptian delegations in Cairo, with the Palestinian delegation including Hamas officials. The talks in Egypt would include discussion of Hamass call for the lifting of the so-called siege of the Gaza Strip, and other demands.
In his comments on Friday in Cairo, Kerry said that Egypt had indeed offered to bring the Palestinian factions, and other interested parties, and Israel, to Cairo for such talks. We still have some terminology to work through, Kerry said. But we are confident that we have a fundamental framework that can work.
The Arab sources said the Kerry terms would provide for all military activity by the sides to halt immediately. On the Palestinian side, this provision was interpreted as meaning that Israels activities to find and destroy Hamass cross-border tunnels would also immediately be halted. But Israel has reportedly pushed for terms that would enable it to continue tackling the Hamas tunnels after a halt to hostilities.
The Arab sources said the discussions in Cairo would cover Hamas demands relating to: opening border crossings between Gaza and Israel; opening the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt; the release of recently rearrested prisoners from the Shalit deal; the release of some 30 convicted terrorists, including Israeli Arabs, who were set to go free under the collapsed Israeli-Palestinian peace talks in late March; widening Palestinian fishing rights off the Gaza coast, and the establishment of a Gaza seaport.
Read more: Israel and US openly at odds over Gaza ceasefire terms | The Times of Israel Israel and US openly at odds over Gaza ceasefire terms | The Times of Israel
Follow us: [MENTION=32814]Tim[/MENTION]esofisrael on Twitter | timesofisrael on Facebook
I would like to congratulate the American Jews for voting in Israel's worst nightmare. The obama administration.
Things, are about to get really fucked up.
Israeli ministers unanimously reject Kerry proposal, and government sources say it leans heavily toward Hamas, wouldnt enable Israel to keep tackling Hamas tunnels
BY TIMES OF ISRAEL STAFF July 25, 2014, 11:04 pm
Israel and its key ally the United States were in open disagreement Friday night, after the Israeli cabinet unanimously rejected a ceasefire offer drawn up by Secretary of State John Kerry to halt 18 days of Israeli-Hamas conflict
Kerry, speaking in Cairo, vowed to keep working on a ceasefire, and said Israels Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was committed to working to narrow the gaps that were preventing a seven-day humanitarian ceasefire intended to lead to a longer-term deal. He also said Netanyahu had accepted an idea, proposed by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, of a 12-hour humanitarian time out. Israeli sources said the idea was under consideration.
But Israeli government sources told Army Radio the ceasefire terms proposed by Kerry were completely unreasonable. An unnamed senior Israeli government official flatly disputed Kerrys assertion that his offer was built on the Egyptian initiative which Israel accepted last week and Hamas rejected. In fact, the official was quoted saying, the Kerry offer is not built on the Egyptian proposal and tilts heavily toward Hamas.
The Army Radio report highlighted that the US on Monday signed an $11 billion arms deal with Qatar, and noted that Qatar is championing Hamass demands in the ceasefire negotiations, and is also alleged by Israel to be financing Hamass rocket production, tunnel digging infrastructure, and other elements of its military infrastructure. The radio report also claimed that Ban Ki-moon is flying around the region on a Qatari plane.
Indications from the lengthy Israeli cabinet meeting that rejected Kerrys offer Friday are that the ministers were incensed that the terms of the deal would not have enabled Israel to continue to locate and demolish a network of dozens of tunnels that Hamas has dug, up to a mile or more long, from under Gaza residential areas all the way beneath the Israeli border.
Israels relations with Kerry, strained for a long time, were not helped when he was caught on a hot-mic earlier this week apparently sneering at Israels insistence that it is trying to tackle Hamas terror targets in Gaza with pinpoint accuracy. Comments made by the secretary in the same incident also indicated that Israel had not invited him to embark on this ceasefire mission, presumably because Israel wanted more time to tackle the Hamas tunnels.
The Israeli armys southern commander, who is overseeing Israels ground offensive in Gaza, confirmed earlier Friday that he felt the army needed more time, although it had located what it believes are most of the tunnels.
The formal text of the ceasefire proposal offered by Kerry and rejected by Israel had not been released as of Friday evening. Earlier, though, The Times of Israel reported on what Arab sources said were its key elements.
The Kerry proposal, they said, provides for an immediate halt to hostilities to be followed 48 hours later by the start of five to-seven days of contacts between Israel, Palestinian and Egyptian delegations in Cairo, with the Palestinian delegation including Hamas officials. The talks in Egypt would include discussion of Hamass call for the lifting of the so-called siege of the Gaza Strip, and other demands.
In his comments on Friday in Cairo, Kerry said that Egypt had indeed offered to bring the Palestinian factions, and other interested parties, and Israel, to Cairo for such talks. We still have some terminology to work through, Kerry said. But we are confident that we have a fundamental framework that can work.
The Arab sources said the Kerry terms would provide for all military activity by the sides to halt immediately. On the Palestinian side, this provision was interpreted as meaning that Israels activities to find and destroy Hamass cross-border tunnels would also immediately be halted. But Israel has reportedly pushed for terms that would enable it to continue tackling the Hamas tunnels after a halt to hostilities.
The Arab sources said the discussions in Cairo would cover Hamas demands relating to: opening border crossings between Gaza and Israel; opening the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt; the release of recently rearrested prisoners from the Shalit deal; the release of some 30 convicted terrorists, including Israeli Arabs, who were set to go free under the collapsed Israeli-Palestinian peace talks in late March; widening Palestinian fishing rights off the Gaza coast, and the establishment of a Gaza seaport.
Read more: Israel and US openly at odds over Gaza ceasefire terms | The Times of Israel Israel and US openly at odds over Gaza ceasefire terms | The Times of Israel
Follow us: [MENTION=32814]Tim[/MENTION]esofisrael on Twitter | timesofisrael on Facebook
I would like to congratulate the American Jews for voting in Israel's worst nightmare. The obama administration.
Things, are about to get really fucked up.
.
you and your "FEEEEEEEEL" bullshit.., THAT is what he
