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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| New front opens up inside Israeli cabinet |
| 2009-01-15 |
| Israeli officials are deeply divided over their approach to the Gaza war and truce efforts, a leading Israeli newspaper has revealed. Senior aides to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert have lashed out at Defense Minister Ehud Barak's backing of Cairo's efforts to reach a ceasefire. "Hamas senior officials see these images and hear these voices and draw encouragement from the notion that Israel is looking for a way out. We regret the irresponsibility of ministers leaking information regarding their own private initiatives - as high ranking as these ministers may be," the officials was quoted by The Jerusalem Post as saying ion Wednesday. Reports have been circulated by the Israeli media that the Israeli Army would slow down its operation in the Gaza Strip and the step would be followed by a temporary truce including a halt to troops' movement in the costal sliver. According to the reports after the temporary truce Egypt and Israel would finalize an agreement "to stop smuggling" into the Gaza Strip. Such arrangement would include the deployment of US monitors. After the restoration of calm, Israeli forces would withdraw from Gaza. The speculations were fueled after Israeli defense ministry official Amos Gilad, who represents Tel Aviv in Egypt's truce talks, postponed his return. Olmert's aides, however, expressed regret that news of the potential draft for a ceasefire had been leaked from "government ministers, of all sources." "Announcements of this kind can only harm the progress of the operation and hinder achieving the goals the government has set for itself, and constitutes irresponsibility on a national level," they said. However, in a statement published in response of the criticism, the Defense Ministry said Barak, "out of responsibility needed at a time of war, will not be dragged into inappropriate declarations." Meanwhile, Pensioners Affairs Minister Rafi Eitan warned Olmert on Wednesday that if Operation Cast Lead did not pursue its initial goals, he would resign from the security cabinet. Eitan said he was right when he called for the postponement of the February 10 election when the operation started to prevent the politicization of the war. "Some of those who had led an impressive military and diplomatic campaign until the last few days have returned to function as politicians," Eitan wrote to Olmert. "I am warning you that the closer we get to the opening of the ballot boxes, the more intertwined politics will be in decisions about the operation." Eitan said "time was running out to complete the operation" and that if Israel did not achieve its goals, the next Prime Minister would have to decide to return to Gaza within a few months. Israel started Operation Cast Lead on December 27. After nearly three weeks, however, Israeli troops seem to be faced with a fierce resistance on the part of Palestinian fighters. The military operation has so far killed 1025 people, mostly |
| Posted by:Fred |