That's crazy, EaO.....
Hamas never stopped the rocket fire, and the opening of borders was conditional on that.
Israel struck at Hamas tunnelers.......that is self-defence.
Neither side is completely trustworthy....only individuals are trustworthy, or not.
Israel is us........a western liberal democracy.
Hamas is them.......
We have something worth defending, a civilization that has brought liberty and wealth to billions of people. That includes Israel.
They are medieval madmen, the enemies of liberty.
That simple.
It's a war, pick a side.
You've picked the wrong one.
There is a third side: innocent civilians on both sides of the conflict. I don't support the Zionist State of Israel or the Muslim Fundamentalist Hamas. They are two sides of the same coin. Both of these sides resort to war crimes to achieve their objectives so I can't in good conscience support either of these sides.
I disagree that Israel is a democracy. Israel isn't even as democratic as Apartheid South Africa:
Jimmy Carter: Israel's 'apartheid' policies worse than South Africa's - Haaretz - Israel News
You know very well Hamas never fired a single rocket or mortar during the ceasefire until they were attacked by Israel. Even Israel admits Hamas didn't fire a single rocket or mortar during the ceasefire:
YouTube - Who Broke The Cease Fire - Hamas or Israel 2008
So you are playing word games. What you reference is the dozen or so rockets
fired by the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade in defiance of Hamas. That makes those attacks crimes, not ceasefire violations. Hamas would be in violation of the ceasefire if they did not react appropriately to this criminal activity. I'd say arresting those involved is appropriate:
...Hamas arrested three Palestinians who fired rockets into Israel from the Gaza Strip on Thursday, a militant faction said, in the first such detentions since the Islamist group and Israel agreed on a cease-fire last month.
Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, a militant offshoot of President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah faction, said Hamas men pursued its members after the attack and "abducted them" in Jabalya refugee camp...
Hamas arrests Gaza rocket squad after two Qassams hit Negev - Haaretz - Israel News
This group which fired the rockets and mortars at Israel in defiance of Hamas is aligned with former President Abbas (now Dictator of the West Bank) and armed by the US and Israel:
...Egypt transfered
a large quantity of arms and ammunition to PA security organizations in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, with Israel's approval.
The Palestinian security forces are largely allied with Abbas, and draw their numbers from his Fatah movement...
...The shipment included 2,000 AK-47 rifles, 20,000 magazines and two million rounds of ammunition. The arms and ammunition were transfered from Egypt to Israel through the Kerem Shalom crossing, in coordination with the Israel Defense Forces and with the government's authorization.
The four trucks carrying the weapons were accompanied by IDF Military Police to the Karni crossing, where they entered the Gaza Strip and were received by PA security personnel....
Israeli defense official: Fatah arms transfer bolsters forces of peace - Haaretz - Israel News
Hmmm... If Hamas never gave the orders to fire those rockets and mortars, then who did? Also I wonder if there were any rockets or mortars in those Israeli arms shipments to the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade?
Regardless, Hamas's success at reducing attacks on Israel by 99% should have been reciprocated by an increase in humanitarian aid shipments.
Instead Israel tightened the blockade in response to Hamas's success at eliminating the rocket attacks.
As you can see as the number of attacks decreased, Israel tightened its economic bloackade. So much for your argument that Israel's blockade was tied to the number of rockets and mortars fired at Israel.
Regarding the November 4, 2008 Israeli ceasefire violation:
Israel acknowledges their attacks were ceasefire violations, but they justify them by claiming the tunnel's purpose was offensive. Hamas claims it was a defensive fortification.
Jimmy Carter:
...this
fragile truce was partially broken on Nov. 4, when Israel launched an attack in Gaza to destroy a defensive tunnel being dug by Hamas inside the wall that encloses Gaza.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/07/AR2009010702645.html
Both side's claims regarding the tunnel's purpose remain unsubstantiated.
Technically, until Hamas actually used the tunnel in an offensive way or the tunnel actually crossed into Israeli territory, its not a ceasefire violation. Israel's attack on Hamas in Gaza is clearly a ceasefire violation which may or may not have been justified.
Circumstancial evidence indicates Israel was not defending itself and deliberately picked a fight with Hamas in violation of the ceasefire:
Coincidence?: Israel broke the ceasefire the same day Americans elected President Obama. (November 4, 2008 ) That indicates Israel wanted to keep this out of the news. That implies Israel's leaders knew their attack would be a ceasefire violation.
Motivations - Livni never supported the ceasefire and was under pressure to prove she could lead Israel into a decisive military victory after the 2006 Lebanon fiasco:
27/08/2008
Mofaz: I can make fateful decisions, Livni can't
...Mofaz said "I ask today:
Who would you want making decisions regarding the significant questions that stand on the agenda of this area and other areas in Israel? And especially here in Kiryat Shmona, the city which has absorbed the most missiles.
I can. She can't," Mofaz said without mentioning
Tzipi Livni's name.
Mofaz also said that the crucial question facing voters is,
"Who will they vote for? a strong leader who is capable of making the right decisions and leading Israel and the region in the right way or a weak leader that has no experiences or the ability to make these decisions."...
Mofaz: I can make fateful decisions, Livni can't - Haaretz - Israel News
September 25, 2008
The New Face of Israel?
...Livni has a maximum of forty-two days to convince a majority of the
Knesset to support the coalition government she hopes to lead. In other words,
Livni’s deadline falls tantalizingly on November 3—the eve of you know what...
...
Livni has not been a supporter of the ceasefire with Hamas...
The New Face of Israel? - The Atlantic (September 25, 2008)
That's a lot of death and destruction, just for a politician to increase their election chances.
Actions:
Jan 9, 2009(IPS) - Contrary to Israel's argument that it was forced to launch its air and ground offensive against Gaza in order to stop the firing of rockets into its territory, Hamas proposed in mid-December to return to the original Hamas-Israel ceasefire arrangement...
...Hamas was prepared to stop all rocket attacks against Israel if the Israelis would open up the Gaza border crossings and pledge not to launch attacks in Gaza...
...The
interest of Hamas in a ceasefire agreement that would actually open the border crossings
was acknowledged at a Dec. 21 Israeli cabinet meeting -- five days before the beginning of the Israeli military offensive -- by Yuval Diskin, the head of Israel's internal security agency, Shin Bet.
"Make no mistake, Hamas is interested in maintaining the truce," Diskin was quoted by Y-net News agency as saying.
Israel's rejection of the Hamas December proposal reflected its preference for maintaining Israel's primary leverage over Hamas and the Palestinian population of Gaza -- its ability to choke off food and goods required for the viability of its economy -- even at the cost of continued Palestinian rocket attacks....
Israel Rejected Hamas Ceasefire Offer In December
"Make no mistake, Hamas is interested in maintaining the truce".
Since a truce didn't happen, that implies Israel was not interested in a truce.
Israel could have resumed the ceasefire at anytime after they re-ignited the conflict. All they had to do was respect the ceaefire's original terms, which they never met.
The evidence supports that argument that Israel's leaders deliberately broke the ceasefire for political reasons related to February 2009 elections.
