UNCONDITIONAL CEASEFIRE = SURRENDER

What is the point of an unconditional ceasefire hudna? So that Islamic jihad can rearm and integrate what they have learned of Israel's strategy into their resumption of hostilities?

Why would Israel agree to such idiocy?

Mubarak: Israel must end military operations at once, unconditionally. Israel reconsiders ceasefire DEBKA

Cairo disavowed Saturday, Jan. 17 any understandings with Israel and the US on collaboration for ending the flow of weapons to Hamas and launched a fierce attack on Israel.

In a televised speech to the nation, hours before the Israeli defense cabinet was to announce a unilateral ceasefire ending the three-week Operation Cast Lead, President Hosni Mubarak said Israel must accept an "immediate unconditional ceasefire and a complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip." No international monitors would be allowed on Egyptian soil, he said.

His foreign minister Aboul Gheit said Israel was drunk on violence.

So jealous the world is of Israel's superiority.

UPDATE: From Lock n Load:

Is Olmert a mole? I ask because it's hard to imagine why the Prime Minister of Israel would suddenly decide to stop the attack on Hamas just when they are about to crush the terrorists. Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory seems to be Olmert's specialty. […]

UPDATE: It's 2006 all over again: Israel to give up, Hamas to keep fighting Jihadwatch

UPDATE: Stupidity of Israel "leadership":

Palestinians in the Gaza Strip continue to fire rockets at the western Negev on Saturday evening, despite a cabinet decision that the IDF would halt their fire from 2 a.m. Sunday. At least seven rockets were fired after Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announced the unilateral cease-fire, with one Grad-type rocket causing power outages in Ashdod.

An Israeli woman cries as she is led away by a policeman after a rocket, fired from the Gaza Strip, hit a house next to a school in the Israeli southern city of Sderot, Sunday.

Rockets also hit Ashkelon and Beersheba. No casualties were reported in the attack, however many suffered shock.

On Saturday afternoon, Hamas exploited a humanitarian lull in IDF activity to fire two rockets at Beersheba. The projectiles hit in open areas, causing no injuries or damage.

Kiryat Gat was also targeted by rockets that struck open areas during the afternoon.

Bad for the Jews. But hopefully good for Likud. If the Israelis vote Kadima in after this Jewicidal move, then they have no one to blame but .......

Comments

[NormanF]

Only Jews are so stupid as throw the new Nazis a lifeline. Instead of obliterating them, they give them another hudna! For this the IDF went back into Gaza?
I feel sick!

[NormanF]

The people running Israel are idiots. They will try to spin away this surrender and tell us eating crow tastes good for Israel. The worst of part of it is they never wanted to wipe out Hamas at all!

[Mega]

Without a doubt, the saddest part of this pathetic turn of events is Livni meeting with Condi in that hastily-called, clumsily choreographed MOU signing. It reeked of naive, see-thru PR hungling, as only Israel can manage to do so badly.

Is there a person on Planet Earth who did not see that and think:
1. Wow, Israel must be doing really badly in Gaza
2. They want to stop fighting, so
3. Therefore, they must be doing badly
4. Keep up the pressure! (Hence, Egypt's follow-up comments)

Why oh WHY oh f'ing WHY oh good lord WHY did they not finish what they started?

The Arabs - or for that matter, any half-intelligent person - can grasp instantly the difference between getting their asses pounded in a relentless assault, versus someone kicking their ass and standing back and saying "Have you had enough yet, because we'd really like this to be over, as soon as you've learned your lesson". The latter is not grounds to capitulate.

Let me see if I understand the contorted reasoning here. We are going to unilaterally stop fighting. The hamas rockets will keep falling, Shalit is still in their hands, southern Israel is still mostly an uninhabitable, demoralized wasteland. However, we signed a piece of paper with the outgoing secretary of state, indicating that we won! Now that we've won, naturally we're going to stop fighting. The world, who is going to get nonstop images of death and destruction in Gaza every minute for the next 2-3 months, will now realize that we were correct in what we did, even though we didn't think it was important enough to finish.

Sadly, and this will be the saddest moment in this adventure, the Israeli government will soon declare victory, just as they did in Lebanon, and every single person in the world, Jew and non-Jew alike, will understand that Israel just lost another war.

What a nightmare.

[NormanF]

Israel is Charlie Brown who always gets the football snatched underneath at the last minute. AAARRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!

[Underzog]

I was afraid of this and so was Debbie Schlussel.

Ohlmert and Kadima are so corrupt that they never launched this incursion to protect Sderot or other citizens, but, instead, to get Livni re elected by pretending to look tough.

If Israel returns Kadima to power, will there even be an Israel in two years?

[Cate]

As far as I'm concerned, the Israelis should have LEVELED that place. Yes, there are innocents in Gaza. But, if those people refuse to get out of harms way, then stick a fork in 'em, they are DONE!!

[Mewize]

Who in the heck are the Israeli leaders taking their marching orders from, is what I want to know. As someone who wanted to see all threats against Israel neutralized in Gaza first, then Iran second, Syria third, and so on, this is like a kick in the gut for them to pull up stakes so fast. HAMAS is STILL lobbing rockets into Israel! Those terrorists don't want peace, They want Israel gone, PERIOD! Israel has the might to stop this antagonism with the military muscle they have as well as the God of Heaven watching over them, but they cut and run before the job is done! They just threw us all under the bus with this decision, and I can't stand the taste of crow! They look like a bunch of mousekateers from the Mickey Mouse club with their bungling of this deal. God love Debbie Schlussel for being right about how far Israel was willing to go against HAMAS, but I was personally hoping this was for more than political posturing. Dang, I am not looking forward to hearing the 'I told you so's". There are 10,000 more rockets in Gaza pointed at Israel. Tell them to go finish the job!!!

[Ironeagle]

Israel must rid itself of such cowardly leaders. The people must stand up and remove them. Israel will just create a more difficult problem for themselves in the future if they don't wipe out the enemy now!

[Underzog]

If there is any silver lining out of Ohlmert's election stunt, it's that Likud still leads Kadima (albeit Kadima gained in strength, too). http://tinyurl.com/76uhpj

But there's still a question whether Bibi can stand up to a completely hostile incoming administration. Clinton made a monkey out of Bibi. Has he learned his lesseon yet?

[poetcomic1]

The troops are still in place and pledged to react. Hopefully, this will allow the dust to settle and for the world to see Hamas refusing all compromise and continuing to fire rockets etc. Then HOPEFULLY Israel can finish the job with renewed vigor. I don't think I'm right but one can only hope....Israel again seizing defeate from the jaws of victory is to unbearable.

[Kenny Solomon]

Split screen visual........

On one half, we see The Office Of The President-Elect (USA), Barack HUSSEIN Obama.

On the other half, we are privy to a view inside the office of PM Olmert with Ms. Livini at his side.

Audio fades up to reveal a telephone ringing...........

Olmert: "Shalom, Hello."

P-E,BHO: "This is Barack Obama calling. Stop the shooting right now or within 2 seconds of my taking office on Tuesday, Israel will be cut off of ALL aid.... and I mean ALL aid."

Click.

Olmert and Livini (in unison): "Oy vey.... and they call the two of us misguided."

[Mega]

It's hard to believe they actually did it. They actually declared a unilateral ceasefire, right after which hamas lobbed a few more rockets into Israel.

So just to clarify: they went into Gaza to stop the rockets. The rockets are still falling. Hamas is more defiant than ever. Shalit is still not home. No objectives have been achieved, and yet the Israelis are declaring victory. This, after the fiasco in Lebanon. So much for lessons learned.

It's just disgusting. I don't know what else to say. Even as a Jew, a right wing, conservative Jew, an Israel supporting Jew, it makes me just want to take a shower.

If the Israelis re-choose Kadima next month, I am done with them.

[bluebell]

Olmert has just signed his own political death warrant - and has handed the Prime Ministership on a silver platter to Bibi Netanyahou. What a JERK!

[chuck ashley]

You can Never expect a Dove to fight a war & win :( It was so sad to see the Israeli military once again have victory snatched from them by these moron's!
Like others have rightly stated that there is one silver lining to this dark cloud and that is Bibi Netanyahu should win going away and get these doves out of the war business & Israel can finally clean house in the Gaza!