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In der Nacht zum Sonntag wird die komplette Abriegelung des Westbankstreifens aufgehoben und marodierende IDF-Milizionäre beglücken anschließend verschiedene palästinensische Städte um dreißig Personen zu verhaften, darunter nach palästinensischen Angaben auch ein Mitglied der "Pardoned List" und den Vater von Sanabel al-Fararja ["Promises"]. [...] As the investigation into the Mercaz Harav Yeshiva terror attack entered its third day Sunday, more questions than answers remained concerning the incident and concerning police handling of the crucial first minutes after the shooting began. Mittlerweile hat sich auch die al-Aqsa-Miliz von ihren politischen Führern distanziert und den Anschlag in Jerusalem ausdrücklich begrüßt. Der vollkommen hilflos agierende PM Olmert hat neben staatstragendem Gerede eine Rolle rückwärts zu bieten: "The intention of terror organizations by shooting Kassams is identical to that of the terrorist last Thursday - to make our lives unbearable." Am Vortag hatte er noch die Losung der "direkten Verbindung" ausgegeben und dem Wutschwall geholfen Nahrung zu finden ["I believe, like the rest of the public, that the nation expects and yearns for a change of perception, of policy, of action. The time is ripe. We are united." Shapira, gestern verlinkt, womit die "Friedenspolitikinhalte" wie die Jerusalemfrage und die Westbankbesiedlung gemeint ist.], heute spielt sich das alles eher im psychologischen Bereich ab. Damit ist aber eben nicht gesagt das er von einem seiner Berater die Einschätzung mancher Publizisten [incl. mir] warnend mitgeteilt bekommen habe, das die "unterschewellige" und voreilige Focussierung auf die Hamas der nächste schwere taktische Fehler sei ... man erinnere sich bitte mal an den Dimona-Anschlag nach dem Olmert die Sinai-Aussengrenzensicherung zum Thema der Woche erklärte nur weil die al-Aqsa Fehljubel incl. Fehl-Bekennervideo und trauernden Angehörigen präsentierte. ... Olmert redet eben heute so und morgen so. Man kann dem ganzen Land nur wünschen das sie die Täterschaft bald selbst darstellt, ansonsten kann das "Schema Dimona", als israelische Ermittler tagelang im Nebel zwischen "möglich" und "wird nicht ausgeschlossen" hantierten und sich letztlich die Hamas erbarmte und den Spekulationen ein Ende setzte; kann uns das Thema noch Monate begleiten. Ein anderes Schlaglicht wirft dieser Artikel auf die gesamte israelische "Sicherheitspolitik": Three days after a terrorist walked into the Merkaz Harav Yeshiva in Jerusalem and killed eight students, many area yeshivas still have no security at their entrances. Faszinierend... Von Abbas wird verlangt er müsse dem Terror Einhalt gebieten, aber selbst kann man nicht mal an zentralen und potentiellen Anschlagsorten WACHMÄNNER postieren. Ganz besonders beschämend wenn man die Beziehungen zwischen Rechtsnationalisten und den Sicherheits-Kingpins in Organisationen wie AishHaThora betrachtet. Die Feierstunde des "Sieges" ist vorbei: And one change that is impossible to ignore by those of us who have been coming year after year, intifada or no intifada, is the difference the security fence has made.

Das Auffällige wird diskutiert: Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Monday that Israel would continue to operate against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, despite a recent lull in rocket fire and Israel Defense Forces strikes. "The fighting is ongoing and will continue and will at times increase and decrease," he said. "There is not at this point any agreement," Barak said. "But if today people go to school in Ashkelon without Grad-type [rockets], or sit in Sderot and Sapir College without Qassams, I wouldn't propose complaining about any quiet day, but at any moment in which we need to act, we will." Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri also said Monday that no comprehensive cease-fire had been reached. Hamas officials said their leaders would, however, continue Egyptian-led efforts to secure a truce. [...] sraeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has instructed the army to halt airstrikes and raids into the Gaza Strip in response to a serious drop in rocket fire from the territory, officials in his office said Monday. Israeli defense officials and the Hamas rulers of Gaza said there was no formal truce in place. But the officials in Olmert's office said the prime minister had ordered the army to scale back its operations to allow Egypt to proceed in mediation talks. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the talks. [...] The Israeli army said it has not carried out airstrikes or land operations in Gaza since last Wednesday. Rocket fire fell significantly over the weekend. The army said two rockets were fired Sunday, down from a daily average of more than a dozen the previous week. [Wie bereits erwähnt halte ich einen Erfolg für unwahrscheinlich. Sollte es einer werden käme der suprise...surprise der EU die Ehrenmedaille zu, die letztlich den deal eingefädelt haben wird.] Fett: "I wouldn't propose complaining about any quiet day", vollinhaltliche Zustimmung! [...] Harel & Issacharoff: The statistics are not lying: Since last Thursday, there has been a lull in the fighting in the Gaza Strip. It is quite certain that this will be a short break. But it is also hard to argue with the data: At its peak, on February 29, some 50 rockets were fired each day, mostly by Hamas militants. In the middle of last week, the rate dropped to 10-15 rockets per day, fired by more extremist groups - but the Qassams were provided to them mostly by Hamas. Since last Friday, one or two rockets have been fired each day. Was there a specific agreement between Israel and Hamas? It does not appear so, even though there are reports on such a deal in some media. It is more reasonable that this is a Hamas initiative, in line with Egyptian expectations. Hamas issued an order to the groups not to fire rockets, and it is being obeyed quite strictly by members of the armed wing of its own organization, and only partially by the other factions. [...] Egyptian authorities shot and killed a Sudanese man trying to cross into Israel for work and detained eight other Africans early Monday, a security and hospital officials said. Dozens of African migrants have been detained over the past year as they have tried to cross into Israel from the Sinai desert, and seven have been killed this year by Egyptian border guards. [...] Note: Die getätigte Entscheidung der Olmert-Regierung ist nicht nur verifiziert [siehe unten] sondern vor allem RICHTIG! Sogar das blinde Huhn...

Gilad Sharon, sehr bissig: "Army Chief Mazuz" und Moshe Lador noch bissiger [zelekhanisch bissig]: State Prosecutor Moshe Lador told the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee on Monday that "Israel is plagued by what we see as corruption." Ari Shavit euphorisiert: IIsrael needs Meretz more than ever. Dick Cheney kündigt an im Lauf des Monats Israel zu besuchen [omg]. Die Bundesregierung verurteilt die angekündigten Siedlungsausbauten und wird daraufhin von den Rechtsnationalen von den Feierlichkeiten zum 60ten Israels ausgeladen. [Shas officials claimed credit for Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's decision on Sunday to approve the construction of a new haredi neighborhood in the Jerusalem suburb of Givat Ze'ev, which is located in the West Bank.] Kritik am amerikanischen Vorgehen kommt aus Jordanien: Politicians in Amman admit that the boom in oil prices was the catalyst for the unprecedented increase in the cost of living, but they also blame the United States for not doing enough to help one of its main allies in the region fight this battle.

Quatsch des Tages: Egypt held inconclusive meetings on Thursday with Hamas and Islamic Jihad leaders, part of a U.S.-backed push for a truce between the groups and Israel. Nein. Das ist nur Quatsch. Des TAGES: United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice urged Egyptian officials on Sunday to hold talks with Hamas and to pressure them towards reaching a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. [einen Staat aufrufen mit einer terroristischen Vereinigung zu unterhandeln? Ein entsprechendes Zitat ist nicht verifizierbar, aber entweder ist die Meldung Quatsch, oder Condis erneuter dreifacher Stategiewechselsalto mit Bauchplatscher in den leeren Swimmingpool.]