Who Broke The Truce?

In December 2008, the Israeli Government (Israel) began the 'holocaust' its deputy defence minister had promised the people of Gaza 10 months earlier.[1&2]

It claimed that the attacks were in response to Hamas disrespecting a mutual ceasefire agreement and declaring it over. This was, however, a blatant Israeli lie aimed at gaining international support and softening condemnation.

First of all, Hamas had enforced the truce strictly to the extent that it arrested rocket squads of smaller factions[12] and it was willing to renew the truce if Israel would abide by it[9]

Rather, Israel was to blame for the break-down of the truce[3-8] (as confirmed by UNRWA[10]).

Firstly, Israel never fulfilled the first condition which was to relax the strangling siege on the people of Gaza.

Secondly, Israel brazenly violated the only other condition which was to not launch attacks in Gaza. On November 4th, when global attention was directed to the US with anticipation of Obama's election, Israel launched an alleged pre-mediated strike inside of Gaza killing 6 Palestinians. As admitted by CNN[11], media reports failed to blame Israel for the truce's break-down.

Hamas found itself with no choice but to play into Israel's 'strategic escalation' plan and retaliated with tit-for-tat attacks continuing until December 27, when Israel began its previously promised 'holocaust'.

Israel and its supporters feel very comfortable manipulating public opinion through lies, but their dependancy on deception will never succeed.

Meanwhile, the Palestinians continue to be oppressed & suppressed.

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    War of Choice: How Israel Manufactured the Gaza Escalation

Israeli Lies

Transcript (00:13 - 00:36):

"About a half a year ago, according to the Egyptian initiative, we decided to enter a kind of truce and not to attack Gaza strip. But Hamas violated this truce on a daily basis; they targetted Israel and we didn't answer*. But, unfortunately, Hamas misunderstood the fact that Israel did not retaliate."

More Israeli Lies

Transcript (00:06 - 00:20):

"We struck now because Hamas has declared the truce over. There was a truce; it wasn't truly respected by Hamas, but it was something that we more-or-less could have lived with for a while, and then they just declared the truce over and started bombing Israel."

Sources

1. The Guardian (February 29, 2008)

An Israeli minister today warned of increasingly bitter conflict in the Gaza Strip, saying the Palestinians could bring on themselves what he called a "holocaust".

"The more Qassam [rocket] fire intensifies and the rockets reach a longer range, they will bring upon themselves a bigger shoah because we will use all our might to defend ourselves," Matan Vilnai, Israel's deputy defence minister, told army radio.

Shoah is the Hebrew word normally reserved to refer to the Jewish Holocaust. It is rarely used in Israel outside discussions of the Nazi extermination of Jews during the second world war, and many Israelis are loath to countenance its use to describe other events.

2. The Times (Mar 1, 2008)

An Israeli minister gave warning yesterday that Gaza faces a "holocaust" if Islamist militants there do not end their daily barrages of home-made Qassam rockets, and their increasing use of Iranian-built Grad missiles.

"The more Qassam fire intensifies and the rockets reach a longer range, they will bring upon themselves a bigger holocaust because we will use all our might to defend ourselves,” Matan Vilnai, the Deputy Defence Minister said.

3. The Independent (November 5, 2008)

Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip fired more than 35 rockets towards Israel today, the army and the Islamist group said, hours after the Israeli army killed six militants in the coastal territory.

Hamas claimed responsibility for the attacks, the first such announcement by the Islamist group since an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire with Israel went into effect on June 19."

4. The Guardian (November 5, 2008)

Hamas militants fired more than 35 rockets into Israel today, hours after the Israeli army killed six people in the Gaza Strip in the first major exchange of fire since a truce took effect in June.

5. Amnesty International (November 5, 2008)

The killing of six Palestinian militants in Gaza by Israeli forces in a ground incursion and air strikes on 4 November was followed by a barrage of dozens of Palestinian rockets on nearby towns and villages in the south of Israel. The Palestinian attacks caused no casualties or damage, but there is a real risk that any further armed actions by either side would risk igniting another deadly campaign.

6. The Times (November 6, 2008)

A five-month truce between Israel and the Islamist rulers of the Gaza Strip was foundering yesterday after Israeli special forces entered the besieged territory and fought Hamas militants, leaving six Palestinian fighters dead and four Israeli soldiers wounded.

7. Ynetnews (November 5, 2008)

For the first time since the ceasefire took effect in June, IDF forces operated deep in the Gaza Strip Tuesday night in a bid to collapse a tunnel located 250 meters (273 yards) from the border – and which terror groups intended to use for kidnapping Israeli soldiers.

8. Haaretz (November 5, 2008)

Israel Defense Forces troops yesterday killed a Hamas gunman and wounded two others in the first armed clash in the Gaza Strip since a cease-fire was declared there in June ... Since the cease-fire, the IDF has launched frequent raids across the fence, albeit smaller in scale. The IDF is apparently interested in keeping these incursions low-profile, and they receive little attention in the Israeli media. Additionally, raids tend to be limited to addressing 'immediate threats,' as defined by the IDF.

9. Ynetnews (December 23, 2008)

Senior Hamas official Mahmoud Al-Zahar said Tuesday that his organization was willing to renew the truce in Gaza if Israel adheres to the terms that have been agreed upon last June.

12. BBC (July 11, 2008)

The al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, a Palestinian militant group, says three of its members have been detained by the larger rival group Hamas...

In Egypt, a senior Hamas leader, Moussa Abu Marzouk, said the group would continue to hold the truce with Israel and pledged to stop violators. "Firing rockets is just an act by individuals and not by the resistance groups, and efforts are under way to put them under control," he said.

10. UNRWA - Commissioner General

Transcript (01:20 - 01:26):

"Before Hamas started shooting any rockets, of course, there was a targetted assassination of a number of militants."

11. CNN - Who Started It?

Transcript (01:36 - 01:41):

"2 months ago, this was back in November, there was an attack. It was an Israeli attack; an Israeli raid which took out 6 people."