Aftermath II

Not only is this just the beginning of things to come, but we're seeing some interesting developments springing from this most recent fighting and none of it looks good for Israel. Egypt and the Muslim Brotherhood has gained enormous clout as a result, and Morsi is being called a "New Pharaoh". Additionally, the fighting has sparked a renewed interest in the West Bank for possible violence - all while Hamas claims "victory". It is also noteworthy that the PA has diminished through this, while the far more radical Hamas seems to have complete control in Gaza. 

Somehow, through all of this, we know that it fits perfectly within God's overall plan. 

Hamas 'Victory' Sparks Fighting Spirit In The West Bank

Nevertheless, celebratory rallies in Gaza called for national unity and an end to the political divide which has pitted Fatah against Hamas since 2006.

Any report of Hamas overtures towards Abbas, true or not, would not have been credible just eight days ago. The perceived victory of Gaza’s armed resistance over Israel has given fighting spirit to many Palestinians, new Israeli data shows.

The IDF reported a steep rise in violent activities in the West Bank during the week of fighting in Gaza. Rocks and Molotov cocktails were thrown at civilian cars and a bus was shot at from a passing car near Gush Etzion junction, south of Jerusalem. In Jerusalem’s Old City, a young woman stabbed a soldier on Thursday.

The Palestinian street is quickly slipping into combat mode, inspired by the fighting words emanating from Gaza. Jibril Rajoub, a former Palestinian security chief who speaks fluent Hebrew, appealed to Israel on Channel 2 News Thursday to stop that process by re-engaging the PA, which has favored negotiations over violence.

Report: Egypt Warned Ground Op Would End Peace

Israel decided to refrain from a ground invasion of Gaza after it was warned that such a move could spell the end of the peace agreements with Egypt and Jordan, Channel 2 reported Thursday.
According to the report, Mossad Head Tamir Pardo, who went to Cairo as Israel's representative in the contacts that preceded the ceasefire, was told in messages from Cairo and from Washington that the peaceful relations between Israel, Jordan and Egypt were at risk.

In addition, Channel 2 reported that the Americans asked Egypt's president Mohammed Morsi to talk directly with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu about the ceasefire – but Morsi refused pointedly.
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman told Channel 1 that some of the considerations behind the unpopular decision to agree to a ceasefire could not be made public. He said, however, that if the government's motivation had been political, it would have made the opposite decision.

Morsi Called A 'New Pharaoh' After Sweeping Powers

And to think that we were told by the MSM that the 'Arab Spring' was a democracy movement. 

Critics of Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi branded him a “new pharaoh” on Thursday, after he assumed sweeping powers, AFPreported.

The move is a blow to the pro-democracy movement that toppled former president Hosni Mubarak, himself derided by many as a pharaoh, and raises concerns that Islamists will be further ensconced in power, the report noted.

"The president can issue any decision or measure to protect the revolution," according to a decree read out on television by presidential spokesman Yasser Ali.

"The constitutional declarations, decisions and laws issued by the president are final and not subject to appeal," he added.

Former UN atomic energy agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei lashed out at the declaration, which would effectively put the president above judicial oversight.
"Morsi today usurped all state powers and appointed himself Egypt's new pharaoh. A major blow to the revolution that could have dire consequences," ElBaradei wrote on his Twitter account.

Barak: It's Not Yet Time To conquer Gaza

Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Thursday that what he terms the "tail" of rocket fire by the terror groups after the ceasefire went into force was relatively short. "I hope that after the experience Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Gaza have undergone, they do not have the appetite to continue attacking."
"Whenever the rounds of fighting get more frequent, as happened now, there is no choice but to mount anoperation," he explained to IDF Radio. "The idea is to postpone the next round as much as possible by hitting the other side hard."

Defending the decision to stop the operation, he said: "The leadership has the appropriate tools.  It is still not time to enter Gaza in a very wide operation and conquer it."

In Israel's Battered South, Little Joy At Ceasefire

To the extent that it is possible to generalize about the national mood, it seems there might be somewhat more optimism in the center of the country. In areas in and around Tel Aviv, residents experienced air-raid sirens for the first time over the last week and have not gone through the south’s dispiriting cycle of rocket fire-military operation-ceasefire-rocket fire over the past decade.

Ofakim residents saw Iron Dome interceptions. But they know the system did not stop all incoming rockets or prevent Gaza’s militant groups from paralyzing their lives and terrorizing them and their children for eight days, as they have on and off for years.
“We shouldn’t have stopped. It was a total failure,” said Avraham Yitzhak, 55, a security guard. “They won.”