November
27, 2006: There were no more rocket attacks on Israel, and Israeli police continued
going after terrorists in the West Bank. It's doubtful, based on past
performance, that the ceasefire will last long. There are too many Palestinian
factions that don't agree with one another, and believe they are on a mission
from God.
The
Israelis have still not gotten back their soldier, who Palestinians grabbed
last June. The Palestinians have still not formed a government acceptable to
Western donor nations. The current Palestinian government is dedicated to the
destruction of Israel, a policy that has halted a billion dollars worth of
essential economic aid each year. Israel continues to wall itself off from the
Palestinians, who they considers ungovernable, even by Palestinians, and too
dangerous to have anything to do with. Many Palestinians fear the Israelis may
be right.
November
26, 2006: Palestinians fired rockets into Israel after the ceasefire went into
effect, and the Palestinians said they would send security forces into northern
Gaza to prevent this from happening again. Despite Palestinian assurances, not
all Palestinian terrorist groups agreed to the truce.
November
25, 2006: Both sides agreed to a ceasefire, with rocket attacks to stop 6 AM on
the 26th. But the deal only applies to Gaza. Israel withdrew its troops
from Gaza.
November
24, 2006: Palestinians are offering a truce, that would halt rocket attacks
into southern Israel (but not other forms of attack, including suicide
bombings), in return for a halt in Israeli raids into Palestinian territories.
Israeli security forces oppose this, as it would allow Palestinian terrorist
organizations to rebuild, and become capable of launching effective
attacks.
November
23, 2006: Israeli troops continued to hunt and kill Palestinian rocket
launching teams in northern Gaza.
November
21, 2006: Two Italian aid workers were kidnapped in Gaza, and released less
than 24 hours later. The kidnappings, for money or favors, are increasingly
common. Palestinians have noted that European countries have paid some $30
million in ransoms to retrieve their citizens from Iraqi kidnappers. That kind
of money encourages going after the people who control the flow of food and
medicine to destitute Palestinians. The larger Palestinian terror organizations
have more control over the aid organizations, and usually intervene to get the
kidnapped aid officials released.
In
Lebanon, another Christian politician was assassinated. Syrian influence was
suspected. Syria and Iran make no secret of their desire to see a Lebanese
government in power, that they control. Syria has large economic interests in
Lebanon, and Syrians working in Lebanon send over a billion dollars a year
home. Syria cannot afford to lose its Lebanese connections. Iran also offers
guns and cash, and the Lebanese Shia, although only 30 percent of the
population, demand a leading role in the government, or veto power over all
government decisions. Hizbollah is not afraid to start another civil war, and
knows that the Christian/Sunni/Druze majority are more frightened of that.
