Israel: Fallout from ceasefire

I understand from the Israeli press that there are divisions within the Israeli cabinet.

Israel prepared to resume attacks on Gaza if truce fails: Barak

Israeli Minister for Military Affairs Ehud Barak has threatened that the Tel Aviv regime is prepared to resume deadly attacks on the Gaza Strip if the Egypt-mediated ceasefire fails to hold.

Press TV,

22 November, 2012

The ceasefire “can last nine days, nine weeks or more, but if it does not hold, we will know what to do, and then of course we shall consider the possibility of resuming our (military) activity in case of shooting or provocation,” Barak said on Thursday.

He also stated that the ceasefire agreement was not a formal treaty between the Israeli regime and the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas. “It is not an agreement, it is an unsigned paper.”

An Egypt-mediated ceasefire agreement, which took effect at 1900 GMT on Wednesday, ended eight days of Israeli attacks on the besieged Gaza Strip that killed more than 160 Palestinians and injured about 1,200 others.

Meanwhile, Israeli sources said the Iron Dome missile shield intercepted about 420 out of some 1,500 rockets fired by the resistance fighters into Israeli cities in retaliation for the deadly Israeli attacks on Gaza.

Netanyahu gave in to Hamas: Israeli mayors
Mayors of the southern Israeli cities have criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for accepting the Egypt-mediated truce deal to end violence on Gaza, saying the premier gave in to Hamas.

Press TV,

22 November, 2012

Yehiel Lasri, the mayor of Ashdod, said that he was disappointed by Netanyahu’s decision to accept the ceasefire to end the operations against the Gaza Strip.

"This wasn't the conclusion we prayed for," Lasri said.

David Buskila, the Mayor of Sderot also in southern Israel, echoed dissatisfaction at the truce, saying he felt “no pride” in the ceasefire.

"The fighting should have been concluded with an accord indicating Israel's clear supremacy and with the Israeli deterrence being restored to its former level," Buskila also said.

The Israeli regime and the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas reached a ceasefire agreement on Wednesday.

The leader of the Israeli opposition party Kadima, Shaul Mofaz, admitted on Wednesday that Hamas emerged stronger than the Tel Aviv regime during the recent Israeli war on Gaza, saying ceasefire was a mistake.

“A cease-fire at this point is a mistake; Hamas has the upper hand. We should not have stopped at this stage. Hamas got stronger and we did not gain deterrence,” Mofaz said.

A number of other Israeli politicians also described the ceasefire as a defeat for Netanyahu, calling on the premier to resign as he failed to achieve the goals of aggression against Gaza.

Kadima member Ronit Tirosh censured Netanyahu over cynically using the residents of the southern Israeli cities and making the equation “the higher the number of victims, the higher the number of Knesset seats.”

Over 160 Palestinians, including women and children, were killed and about 1,200 others were injured in the Israeli attacks on Gaza that were carried out during the eight-day period of November 14-21.

Palestinian resistance fighters incessantly poured rockets and missiles onto the Israeli cities, killing at least five Israelis, including one soldier, in retaliation for the deadly attacks on Gaza.

Bus bombing, rocket strikes shatter illusion of security in Tel Aviv: Report

A Wednesday bus bombing in central Tel Aviv and a handful of Hamas-fired rocket strikes on Israel’s largest city in the past week has reinforced a new belief within the regime that no one within the occupied territories is safe any longer, a US daily reports.

Press TV,

22 November, 2012

“Stress throughout Israel's population has surged and that's likely to continue even if the cease-fire holds,” said a Los Angeles Times report from Tel Aviv on Thursday, citing Israeli “mental health experts.” 

According to the report, although some Israelis try “desperately” to cope with the reality that rockets fired by the Hamas resistance movement can now reach any area under control of the Tel Aviv regime and “maintain the illusion of normality and sense of control,” trauma expert Yehudit Bar Hai says, “Others avoid taking showers, fearful they couldn't react fast enough in a rocket attack. Others have slept on porches, believing that being that much closer to a shelter made them safer.”

The report further adds that repeated trips to air raid shelters, sometimes two or three times a night, “have left many Israelis short on sleep.” 

"Between the sirens, bombings and a 4 a.m. attack that really shook my house, I'm so tired my body feels like it's night right now," said Orly Gal, executive director of Natal trauma center for victims of “terrorist” attacks. "But we're getting by on adrenaline. Everyone's a bit cranky, but what can you do?" 

Although Israelis welcomed the news of Wednesday's cease-fire, many expressed pessimism about how long it would hold, given the poor record of such agreements in past years. 

Meanwhile, the report adds, Israeli police forces stepped up security in Tel Aviv after the noontime bombing, which occurred as the bus rounded a corner near the ministries for justice and military affairs. Buses were noticeably empty as word spread, however. 

Tel Aviv has long enjoyed a reputation as a party town somewhat insulated from the airborne attacks seen in areas of Israel closer to the Gaza Strip, the daily further underlined. 

Despite the hope that the ceasefire will halt rocket strikes, the report notes that some Israeli analysts believe that the Palestinian weapons will “only increase in range and accuracy over time.” 

"They're learning and making progress," said Meir Elran, an analyst with the Institute for National Security Studies, a think tank. "Some of their people are innovative and entrepreneurial."