Updates From Israel

This five hour, humanitarian "temporary truce" isn't really worth posting about, so we'll get to more important news:

Liberman Repeats Calls For Gaza Ground Offensive

Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman is continuing to call for a ground invasion of Gaza, implicitly criticizing the government's official position during a visit to the embattled southern city of Ashkelon with his Norwegian counterpart.
"A normal summer for our children can only be ensured with a groundoperation in Gaza," Liberman said.
But he qualified his statement by adding that the IDF would not necessarily need to fully "reoccupy" the Arab areas of the Gaza Strip.
"We don't need to rule there, but to ensure that the terrorists of Hamas will flee or die," he added.

Following the strike terrorists continued to fire rockets at Israeli civilians, directing a barrage of missiles at southern communities, including the city of Be'er Sheva. The Iron Dome missile defense system intercepted at least seven rockets over the town of Ofakim, and three more rockets landed in open areas, according to military sources.

Another barrage was directed towards the Sedot HaNegev region bordering Gaza, with one rocket striking a house in a Jewish village close and two more falling in open areas. Considerable damage was inflicted on the house, but fortunately there were no injuries.

At approximately 9:20 Wednesday morning Hamas fired a large salvo of rockets at the GreaterTel Aviv area in central Israel. Four rockets were intercepted by the Iron Dome.

Sirens and explosions sounded throughout Tel Aviv, Bat Yam, Petah Tikva, Herzliya, Raanana and Kfar Shemaryahu.

Liberman: West Bank Status Quo Can be Model For Gaza Reoccupation 

[What he says makes a lot of sense. We have to wonder if this the direction Israel will move towards. If so, we can begin to hear the mantra "occupied land" again, but on second thought, we've been hearing that anyway, despite the fact that Israel left the land years ago, so what difference does it make?]

The status quo in the West Bank could serve as a model for Israel’s reoccupation of Gaza, Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman said Wednesday, urging the government not to rush toward a ceasefire with Hamas, but instead to send ground troops into the Strip to uproot terrorism there.

Asked by American Jewish leaders to explain his demand that Operation Protective Edge end with the Israeli army taking control over the coastal enclave, he referenced the situation in the West Bank before and after Operation Defensive Shield in 2002.

“As you remember, in Judea and Samaria, there was a real mess. Before we started Defensive Shield, the situation was a disaster,” he said, referring to a series of suicide bombings and bloody terrorist attacks emanating from the West Bank. At some point, Israel decided to send troops into Palestinian towns to root out terrorist cells there, and the security situation improved greatly, he said.

“After Defensive Shield, we destroyed the entire terrorist infrastructure. And we provided Abu Mazen [Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas] with the ability to take the administration in his hands and to act in Judea and Samaria,” Liberman said. “Now we enjoy security in all of Judea and Samaria.”

As opposed to the status quo in Gaza, in the West Bank, no new terror cells are being created, there are no rockets and there are no tunnels, he said. Abbas understands that the coordination between IDF and his security forces helps him stay in power, the foreign minister added.

This “combination” — Abbas running administrative affairs for Palestinians and Israel having a “free hand” to uproot terrorism – is only one of several plans for a post-invasion Gaza discussed in the security cabinet, Liberman said. He refused to provide any details about the other options.

“From a military point of view, no doubt for us it is not a big challenge to take control of the Gaza Strip,” he said.

Briefing a solidarity mission of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations at the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem, Liberman rejected the idea of speedy ceasefire in Gaza.

“For me it was clear that Hamas would never accept any ceasefire, any truce,” he said, speaking in English. Of course the idea of an end to the hostilities sounds tempting, he added, but history has shown that Hamas uses such ceasefires only to rearm – with ever-improving weaponry.

“During the first [Gaza] operation, Cast Lead, they only had short-range missiles; only Sderot was under rocket fire. During the second operation, Pillar of Defense, missiles reached Rishon Letzion, and they had over 18 [long-range] rockets. Today, they reach Zichron Ya’akov and Hadera, and have more than 300 long-range missiles.”

All of these rockets are produced locally in Gaza, Liberman said. “They don’t anymore need to smuggle their weapons. I think if they achieve this ceasefire it is clear that they will use [the time] to produce more rockets, to dig more tunnels and to prepare themselves for the next clash with Israel.”

Jerusalem is interested in “peaceful coexistence” with the Palestinians, “but it’s clear to everybody that if the end of this operation will be very similar to Pillar of Defense, the next operation, the next clash is only just matter of time — maybe 10 months, maybe 15 months. And then they will have more rockets, more weapons, more drones,” he said. “It’s really for us a crucial time to take crucial decisions.”

Hamas Caught Using Photo From Hollywood Horror Film To Libel Israel

There is so much wrong with this, it’s difficult to know where to begin. The desperation of Hamas is becoming increasingly apparent when it takes a screen shot from a 2009 Hollywood horror film (Final Destination 4) and blames the Jews for the pseudo-carnage while portraying it as real.

So far…

1.) Hamas has dredged up an old photo that exposes a staged scene in which a Palestinian dressed like an Israeli solider and held his foot down on little girl’s chest while pointing a gun at her face.

2.) Hamas has taken out a Gaza power plant that services 70,000 Palestinians.

3.) Hamas spokesman admits to leading Palestinians to their death.

4.) Hamas orders residents to stay in homes Israel has warned will be bombed.

France Braces For More Protests Over Gaza

France braced Wednesday for more protests against Israeli airstrikes in Gaza just days after demonstrators in Paris tried to storm two synagogues to the concern of Muslim and Jewish community leaders.

Some 50 political parties, unions and activist groups have called for rallies across France on Wednesday evening to seek an “immediate end” to the Israeli offensive that has left 208 dead and to demand sanctions against the Jewish state.

Paris police meanwhile are trying to ban a large pro-Palestinian rally in the French capital on Saturday “in a context of increased tensions,” a source close to the situation said.

The Israeli offensive has stoked passions in France — which has the largest Muslim population in western Europe as well as a 500,000-strong Jewish community.