GAZA (Ceasefires) Tenuous but Holding, Both Sides Speak

Israel declared a ceasefire unilaterally early Sunday morning, Jan 18, which Hamas did NOT sign, so they did not cease their own hostilities for several more hours before declaring their own. Was there posturing going on. Yes, without a doubt.

So now we have two unilateral ceasefires, which is not exactly reassuring, since neither side is under compulsion to honor the other's. So forces for peace must act to firm peace up. Simultaneously, peace with JUSTICE must be sought, and that means investigating charges of war crimes on both sides, but even more importantly, the elephant in the living room must be confronted, and that is the Occupation. Until the Occupation is ended and Palestinians allowed a free and open state to exist in, there will never be peace.

Here is the sidebar for this video:

ITN (UK) - (Independent Television News)

Sunday 18 January 2009

Hamas announces ceasefire on Israel

Palestinian militant group Hamas has announced a ceasefire with Israel, giving the Jewish state one week to pull troops out of the Gaza strip.

It comes hours after the Israeli leaders voted to halt the offensive in region that has killed nearly 1,200 people.

A spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said earlier that if a ceasefire held in the Hamas-ruled enclave, Israel could start the process of withdrawing its forces.

A Hamas official in Cairo, Ayman Taha, said: "Hamas and the factions announce a ceasefire in Gaza starting immediately and give Israel a week to withdraw."

The Islamist group said previously it would not stop its attacks as long as Israeli soldiers remained in the Gaza Strip.

Taha said Hamas was demanding the opening of all Gaza border crossings for the entry of "all materials, food, goods and basic needs".

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Gordon Brown has touched down in the Middle East for an international summit on the crisis.

International leaders are holding a summit at the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el Sheikh which is to be co-chaired by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

Also attending are United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and senior politicians from Germany, Italy, Spain, Turkey and Jordan.

As he arrived in Egypt, Mr Brown announced an additional £20 million of British humanitarian aid and called for renewed efforts to find a lasting peace in the region.

In an apparent criticism of the scale of the Israeli response to Hamas rocket attacks, Mr Brown said "too many" innocent people had died in the 22-day assault on Gaza.

Mr Brown said the violence in Gaza must not halt the search for a path to peace, but should spur the international community on in its efforts to establish a sustainable two-state solution.

"This conflict has once again demonstrated the urgent need to forge a longer term settlement which gives security to both Israelis and Palestinians," he said.

(source)

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AFP

18/01/2009

At least 1,206 Palestinians, including 410 children, have been killed since the start of Israel's deadliest-ever assault on the territory on December 27, according to Gaza medics, who said another 5,300 people have been wounded.

Those slain in the war also include 109 women, 113 elderly people, 14 paramedics, and four journalists, according to Dr. Muawiya Hassanein, the head of Gaza emergency services.

Since the start of the operation10 Israeli soldiers and three civilians have been killed in combat or in rocket strikes. The army says more than 700 rockets and mortar rounds have been fired into Israel during that period.

BUZZ--Israel "considers" unilateral ceasefire

Israeli government officials allegedly meeting on Saturday night to consider a "unilateral" withdrawal so that once again they will not be bound to any considerations that benefit the safety and well being of the Gazan civilians.

According to Reuters:

The halt would come with all sorts of conditions, being negotiated under the table

JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israeli leaders are leaning toward declaring a unilateral halt to their offensive in the Gaza Strip instead of entering into a formal, Egyptian-brokered ceasefire with Hamas, Israeli political sources said on Friday.

Such a move could deprive Hamas of political gains from a truce deal that would include the easing of Israel’s blockade on the coastal enclave, home to 1.5 million Palestinians.

Israeli officials said Prime Minister Ehud Olmert would convene a meeting of his security cabinet on Saturday night to decide whether to call a unilateral halt to the offensive, which has killed more than 1,100 Palestinians.

Israel remains committed to controlling the news out of Gaza. The Israeli military refused to abide by the Israeli courts decision to allow journalists to enter Gaza. Now the Israeli military has taken the latest propaganda technique--embedded journalists--from the US military playbook. Now the Israeli military will allow journalists that they approve of to embed with their troops, of course all reports must be "screened" by the military.

[Buzz Buzz...Think about it--if the military had invented the "embedded journalist" concept during the Vietnam war....we'd probably still be there fighting that war.]

Governor's Proclamation Declaring Sept 21 a Day of Peace

SPECIAL NOTE: State Delegate Algie Howell of District 90 will read the Governor's Proclamation during the 3rd Annual United Nations International Day of Peace Interfaith Service. See the post below this one for more info.

United Nations International Day of Peace Soccer Tournament and More This Weekend (Sept 20-21)

Sunday, September 21 has been officially declared the International Day of Peace in Norfolk, as proclaimed by Mayor Fraim in recognition of the annual UN Peace Day. It has also just been declared the Day of Peace in the Commonwealth of Virginia by Governor Kaine.

This year the local organization, of which I am a part, the United Nations International Day of Peace, Hampton Roads, is holding the two following events to celebrate this annual call for a 24-hour global ceasefire by all nations, as well as the promotion of peace and reconciliation:


1) The third annual interfaith celebration of UN Peace Day to be held at the Unitarian Church of Norfolk, 739 Yarmouth Street, at 5:00 PM on Sunday, September 21. The church is located right across from Norfolk’s Chrysler Museum on the Hague. We will again have a program of prayer, speeches, music and dance, followed by a reception in the church hall with food and refreshments. SPECIAL NOTE: State Delegate Algie Howell of District 90 will read the Governor's Proclamation near the start of this service. Call Sonia at 717-0063 or Mac at 489-0769 for further information.


2) The first annual United Nations International Day of Peace Soccer Tournament at Larchmont Recreation Park in Norfolk, near Old Dominion University, on Saturday, September 20 and Sunday, September 21. This is in response to an international call by English film director Jeremy Gilley (who is the one who convinced the UN General Assembly to declare UN Peace Day) to hold soccer games around the world on or around UN Peace Day as way to bring peoples together through the world's most popular sport. Our motto is one day, one goal, one vision.

There will be games Saturday and Sunday, starting at 8:00 AM each day. There will also be musical and dance entertainment during the halftimes, as well as vendors and information booths. This is not merely a soccer tournament but a festive weekend event. The park is right behind WHRO near Bolling Avenue and Hampton Blvd in Norfolk. The trophy presentation will be during the above mentioned interfaith service on Sunday at the end of the service. The tournament is free, of course, to all spectators.

We are looking for eight teams, and still have a couple of berths left. Since this is our first year we are the new kid on the block and have to "prove" ourselves to the soccer leagues, so if you want to be in on the proof, please contact Dave, the soccer coach of West Indies United, at 675-1226, immediately to inquire about registering. Or call Sonia at 717-0063 or email her at Savanegas@yahoo.com. Or even leave a comment here and I will get back to you. Also see the soccer flyer below for Dave's email address and the registration site. Note that the player's fee is now $25. So many people were pleading hardship that we cut it in half. The West Indies United Site is at http://www.westindiesunitedva.org/. Scroll down until you get to the United Nations International Day of Peace blurb and click for more info.