Renewed trouble in Gaza?

I think the situation is that Israel admits vehicles following 24 hours without fire. With the attack on Sderot that won't be today. Supplies can enter from and via Egypt, if Egypt allows it.

For many the state of the interim government and its failure to confront the barrage is an embarrassment.

its unfortunate and I guess the relative calm was much better than what happened before.

Saying that the level of violence is much less than before, and to probably better to be occupied and alive than free and dead... or I may be wrong.

On the other hand a subsistence level of life could be forced onto the people so that they are more willing to accept less when there is some settlement in fairytale-land.

(Does the main pwerplant have power atm? I remember reading a month or so ago that it ran out of fuel... nothing since. I doubt if that is ongoing)

Lets see what happens next.

Hamas declares Israel truce over

The Islamist militant group Hamas says it has ended its six-month ceasefire with Israel in the Gaza Strip.

As the ceasefire expired at 0400 GMT, Hamas issued a statement blaming Israel which had not "respected" the truce.

Israel's foreign ministry spokesman said the militants, who control Gaza, "had chosen violence over truth".

The Egyptian-brokered deal began on 19 June but has been tested regularly by Palestinian rocket attacks on Israel and Israeli operations in Gaza.

Hours after the announcement, Palestinian television carried pictures of militants conducting exercises.

The Israeli military reported a minor shooting incident in the fields of a kibbutz farm near the Gaza border and two rockets exploding in southern Israel, but there were no reports of casualties.

Israel's Haaretz newspaper reported that the Israeli military had cancelled weekend leave for all troops stationed near the Gaza Strip and instructed units to prepare for mobilisation.

Humanitarian aid

Hamas said Israel had failed to ease its blockade of Gaza.

Israeli officials insist that there was no commitment to ease the siege, under which Israel has allowed little more than basic humanitarian aid into Gaza.

Israel says the blockade - in place since Hamas took control of Gaza in June 2007 - is needed to isolate Hamas and stop it and other militants from firing rockets across the border at Israeli towns.

The UN's relief agency says the situation has created a "profound human dignity crisis".

The Israelis are in the middle of an election campaign, and political turmoil on the Palestinian side is set to worsen amid intensified rivalry between Hamas and Fatah.

Hamas, which controls Gaza, is religiously conservative and more hardline in its view of the conflict with Israel, feeling peace talks have achieved little.

Fatah is a secular party which favours dialogue with Israel, but was voted out of government in 2006 in favour of Hamas.

Our correspondent says the failure to extend the truce is hardly surprising, given the fact that the deal has largely failed to achieve what each side originally wanted from it.

Israel thought that it could lead to the release of Cpl Gilad Shalit, captured by militant groups over two years ago.

Hamas hoped it would give it breathing space to consolidate its grip on the Gaza Strip and end the joint Israeli-Egyptian blockade.

The Egyptians hoped it could help to end the deepening rift between Hamas and Fatah.

However, analysts say that many Palestinians feel the fight between the two factions has become less about ideology, but more about power, control and, ultimately, revenge.

BBC News

War is coming...

Chants of "Death to America" and "Israel is the enemy of Muslims" rang out
across the Middle East yesterday...

Hezbollah shows it has power to pull the masses.

Thousands join Hezbollah rally in Beirut against Gaza siege

AFP - Friday December 19, 2008

Tens of thousands of people gathered in Beirut on Friday for a mass protest organised by Lebanon's Shiite Hezbollah movement against Israel's crippling blockade of the Gaza Strip.

Streets in the southern suburbs were cordoned off as demonstrators waving Palestinian flags and yellow Hezbollah flags poured into the Hezbollah stronghold as loudspeakers blasted out a speech by its chief, Hassan Nasrallah.

"We are are responsible, like all Arabs and Muslims, to completely liberate Palestine, from the river to the sea," Hezbollah's deputy head Naim Kassem told the crowd.

"The Palestinian cause is a just cause," he said from a platform on a main road in the area.

Hezbollah boy scouts and women in black chadors carried two huge Palestinian flags while Hezbollah security personnel marched carrying photographs of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, founder of Iran's Islamic republic.

Some protesters chanted "Death to Israel! Death to America!" as others carried placards reading "No peace if it leads to humanitarian catastrophe" and "May God protect our leader Nasrallah."

"Demonstrations aren't enough. Military action is required to eliminate Israel," said Mosbah Karout, 42, in Beirut from south Lebanon for the event.

Similar smaller demonstrations wereheld in cities in the south, north and in the Bekaa Valley, east of the capital.

Hundreds protested in the centre of the southern port city of Sidon, where a dummy of US President George W. Bush with a shoe tied round his neck was paraded after this week's incident in Baghdad when an Iraqi journalist threw his shoes at him.

"No thanks Mr. Bush. We don't want your democracy" and "We want justice" read signs carried by the demonstrators, who also burned American and Israeli flags.

In Bahrain, between 3,000 and 5,000 people demonstrated in Manama on Friday in response to an opposition call to show support to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and demand the lifting of Israel's blockade on the enclave.

The protesters -- 5,000 according to the organisers but 3,000 according to police -- marched along a main road in the west of the capital shouting "Death to Israel," "Death to America" and "From Gaza to Bahrain, one people."

20 million jews subdue 1 billion muslims! That would be funny but its what you deserve?!!!

Its not Jews against muslims.

Some jews also suffered due to the creation of Israel - they were (wrongly) deported from arab countries, places that were their homes and where their families had lived on relative peace and prosperity for centuries.

Does anybody else get the impression this "aplyyyy" person is a bit dim?

Or 7 years old.

But then again my mental age can be like 5 and I get along fine 10% of the time!

BeastDoes anybody else get the impression this "aplyyyy" person is a bit dim?

Little boy. Do try and keep up. If you don't understand or want people to think you're smart then remarks like that will help, especially with a fickle audience like you have here!

Dim and pompous in equal measure. Hmm...

lol^^

But seriously. If you have something to say just say it. No need to be an arse about it.

Salam

appplyyyy20 million jews subdue 1 billion muslims! That would be funny but its what you deserve?!!!

Maybe.

But Israel cannot "subdue" Hezbollah.

In fact, Israel is today scared of Hezbollah.

Why?

British reporters say Israel got a "thrashing" from Hezbollah in 2006 war.

Omrow

OmrowSalam

appplyyyy20 million jews subdue 1 billion muslims! That would be funny but its what you deserve?!!!

Maybe.

But Israel cannot "subdue" Hezbollah.

In fact, Israel is today scared of Hezbollah.

Why?

British reporters say Israel got a "thrashing" from Hezbollah in 2006 war.

Omrow

Do you have sunlight on this planet you live on?

Beast - I said what I had to say..... but if you're willing to listen I could tell you the story of a little girl with a red cloak?

applyyyyyyyyyyy
Beast - I said what I had to say..... but if you're willing to listen I could tell you the story of a little girl with a red cloak?

When I said "just say what you have say" I meant be sensible. Be grown up about it. Appreciate that we might want to have a constructive dialogue with you if only you didn't make imbecilic comments.

If you are unsure about something or if you want to know more about something then ask sensibly.