Israel mobilizes another 50,000 reservists
DEBKAfileJuly 19, 2014, 11:11 PM (IDT)
Saturday night, as fighting intensified in the Gaza Strip, the IDF announced the call-up of another 50,000 reservists.
Tag: Middle East Conflict
Turkey vows to Gobble
The tone out of Turkey has increasingly become more critical in the face of the Israeli/Hamas conflict.
Turkish leaders have strongly condemned an Israeli ground operation into Gaza that has killed scores of civilians, declaring the Israeli administration a “threat to international peace.”
While President Abdullah Gül warned Israel that its military actions could have dangerous repercussions in the region…. Gül and Erdoğan met with visiting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to discuss the developments in the wake of Israeli aggression.
“Particularly, this noncompliant aggression of Israel is spreading the seeds of hate throughout the whole world, not just in Palestine,” Gül said July 16, “Israeli attacks have come to a very dangerous phase. I want to warnIsrael once more. If they do not stop, the outcome will be massive.”
Gül has urged Israel to end its military operations in the Gaza Strip, warning against “massive consequences,” and called on the U.N. Security Council to make a “cogent decision to end the Israeli offensive.”
Erdoğan’s reaction against Israel was much blunter…….“Israel is a country threatening the world’s peace. It’s a country that threatens the Middle East peace.He also blamed the United States, Russia and other world powers for being passive in condemning Israel’s actions.
Turkey has even criticized the Muslim countries.
The prime minister also lashed out at the Islamic world. “When the West remains silent, the Islamic world watches too,” he said, calling on all sides to be moderate on Palestine. “We demand an immediate stop to the bloodshed . . . We are very much aware the Middle East deserves peace, prosperity, and solidarity,” he said.
“What happens in Palestine is not Shiite vs. Sunnis; that is why the Islamic world keeps silent. Our children and brothers are dying in Palestine. Humanity has been destroyed there, as well as the honor of Muslims,” he told the audience at Dolmabahçe Palace.
“Some Islamic countries are content with what is happening in Palestine today. If that is not the case, they will find themselves involved in the matter,” he said.
The political complexity continues to grow.
Both Gül and Erdoğan refuted claims made by Israel and Egypt that Turkey prevented a truce between Hamas andIsrael with Gül calling these assertions “ridiculous and remorseless.” Erdoğan also criticized the Egyptian leadership, saying, “[President Abdel Fattah] el-Sisi is himself cruel.”
Both Gül and Erdoğan held talks with Abbas, who paid a short visit to Turkey on July 18. Abbas informed the Turkish leaders about the developments in Gaza and exchanged views about how a cease-fire could be reached. Abbas said Israel’s objective was to try to nix the efforts of Hamas and Fatah to form unity in Palestine. “We count Turkey as our fundamental partner in our Palestine cause,” he said.
As the official mediator, Egypt is changing its’ stance on Hamas.
Egypt’s position regarding the management of the Gaza crisis has quickly changed, whereby it endeavored to reopen channels of communication with Hamas and bring Hamas back into the fold. This is the first such attempt since the Muslim Brotherhood’s administration was ousted and former President Mohammed Morsi removed. It also came at a time when Hamas rejected the Egyptian proposal for a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, which coincided with the announcement of a visit by President Mahmoud Abbas to Turkey.
There is too much to post in this article, so for more information, it can be located below.
Operation Defensive Edge – The Ground Invasion
The Israeli ground invasion of the Gaza Strip has officially begun.
The first hours of Israel’s Operation Defensive Edge ground phase against Hamas were marked by heavy artillery and air pounding to soften up the terrain as the ground forces went in Thursday night, July 17. The troops advanced in two heads – one north to Jebalya and Beit Lahiya and the other south, where it went into action initially against Khan Younes and Rafah. The densely populated Gaza City has not been broached as yet.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu told a special cabinet meeting Friday that the IDF is preparing to expand its operation in the Gaza Strip. “Terrorist tunnels can’t be destroyed just be air power,” he said. Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon said the operation will go on for as long as needed. “Those seeking to disrupt our lives must pay the price.”
Meanwhile the Palestinian relationship with Egypt seems to be changing.
Thursday night, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shokri said that Hamas was responsible for what was happening. He said, “Had Hamas accepted the Egyptian proposal (for a ceasefire) it could have saved the lives of at least 40 Palestinians.” Shokri said that Hamas was at fault for the IDF’s need to enter Gaza in a ground operation. He accused the Palestinian Islamists of harming not only Palestinian interests but also Egypt’s national security by associating with Turkish steps to undermine Cairo’s efforts for a ceasefire in Gaza.
The West Bank Palestinian’s are now looking to Turkey to produce a ceasefire negotiation.
Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas was to head to Turkey on July 18 to push a ceasefire in Gaza after Egyptian-mediated negotiations stalled and Israel launched a ground operation.
Cairo has been the hub of intense negotiations to end the 11-day conflict between Hamas and Israel, after the Palestinian militants in Gaza rejected an initial Egyptian truce proposal.
Egypt, under recently-elected President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, has moved to isolate Hamas, accusing it of backing insurgents on its own territory.
It has worked instead to bolster the role of Abbas – its ally based in the West Bank and rival to Hamas – in reaching a deal to end the conflict
Hamas ultimately wants the Rafah Border Crossing to the Egyptian Sinai opened which is currently closed by Egypt in their promise to “help” Israel. Opening this border crossing will allow Hamas to survive and ultimately allow for other insurgents including possibly the IS (Islamic State) to enter into the attack on Israel via the Sinai Peninsula.
Hamas may be aiming its missiles at Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, but Israel was ultimately a hostage in the Islamists’ effort to get closer to Cairo.
Hamas wants this in order to bring an end to the blockade on Gaza, open the Rafah Border Crossing, and in many ways to ensure its own survival……..
The bottom line is that the key to solving the current escalation was — and remains — in Egypt’s hands, not in those of any other Arab or international party. Hamas demanded the opening of the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza from almost the first minute of the operation. Egypt rejected the idea immediately, as long as Hamas stands on the Palestinian side of the crossing. But Cairo has emphasized that, if there are Palestinian Authority forces under Mahmoud Abbas deployed there, it has no objection to opening the crossing.
Looking for that Blessed Hope! 