Deadly Gaza missiles reached farther into Israel last night, hitting the vital commercial port city of Ashdod.

In Ashdod, a 33-year-old woman was killed at a sheltered bus stop in Ashdod where she ran for cover after hearing the siren which warned of an approaching missile.

This hit marks the first time Ashdod has been shelled. Ashdod is Israel’s fifth largest city, located approximately 22 miles from Gaza and has a population of 250,000.

This rocket was one of more than 70 fired at Israel last night, an evening which also marked the first time that the Tel Aviv suburb of Yavne was shelled as well as the first time that the community of Ofakim, in the northern Negev, was shelled.

In another attack last night, one person was killed when a mortar shell fired by Gaza terrorists struck the Nahal Oz area, in the western Negev.

Last night, the name of the construction worker who was killed earlier in the day was released: Hanni Al-Mahdi, 27, of the Bedouin town of Aroer in the Negev, who was killed when he and another 14 people were hit when a Grad-type missile hit a construction site in Ashkelon’s center.

The Hamas regime in Gaza took responsibility for shelling Israel last night, firing the missile and reported that a “Zionist” was killed in the attack.

A man who identified himself as an Israeli Arab named Moussa, a construction worker from Kfar Manda who was lightly wounded in the Ashkelon attack, told Israel Army Radio that there were about 12 workers at the site at the time of the attack.

In Sderot, four people suffered from shock after their house sustained a direct hit from a rocket.

The Israeli Arab revolt seemed to be spreading, with reports of Israeli Arabs throwing lethal stones at Israeli vehicles on the Tel Aviv-Jerusalem highway and inside Tel Aviv itself.

Meanwhile, WAFA, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) news agency reported that Chief Palestinian Negotiator Ahmed Qurei’ announced, yesterday, that peace negotiations with Israel are suspended in protest of the ongoing Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip. WAFA quoted Mr. Qurei’ as saying that “it is impossible to hold meetings with Israel when its troops are committing massacres in Gaza. The talks with Israel, which are sponsored and supported by the United States, are now suspended due to the awful bloody scene that Gaza is witnessing these days…. [T]here are no peace negotiations and there will be no negotiations at this time while Israel is attacking the Palestinian people.”

Yet in an official Israeli government briefing that was held only three days before Israel’s offensive against the Hamas regime in Gaza, an Israeli intelligence source told the media that the Arab world – especially the PLO – would express support for Israeli military action against Hamas.

David Bedein can be reached at dbedein@israelbehindthenews.com.

Israeli fighter planes and helicopter gunships continued to pound targets in Gaza yesterday, and reportedly hit 40 tunnels that served for smuggling weaponry under Philadelphi Road, tunnels on the border between Gaza and Egypt with bunker-buster bombs.

It took three minutes for IDF jets to destroy the 40 tunnels for smuggling weaponry under Philadelphi Road in the southern Gaza Strip. Dozens of fighter planes simultaneously targeted the border between Egypt and Gaza and in one blow, severed the smuggling route of rocket, weapons and explosives for Hamas and other terror organizations.

The quick operation was preceded by preparation and intelligence-collecting work by the Israeli Intelligence, which lasted for a long period.

Following the attack on the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, dozens of Palestinians breached the border and ran toward Egyptian Rafah. Egyptian Border Guard policemen opened fire, first shooting in the air to deter the Palestinians, and subsequently firing machine gun fire and even an anti-tank rocket at the infiltrators.

The attack on the tunnels was intended to stop the supply of further rockets to Hamas, but one of the IDF’s main tasks in the past two days has been to target the reserves of rockets and launchers that the terrorists already hold. Security officials estimated yesterday that Hamas’ ability to launch from bunkers has been damaged by 50 percent since the start of the operation.

The targets that were bombed on Sunday and yesterday were not only Hamas military and training installations, as on the first day of the operation, but also strategic targets intended to undermine Hamas’ rule – government ministries, the central prison, the studio of the Hamas al-Quds television station, a large fuel and diesel depot in Rafah, main roads, the Finance Ministry building, the Beit Hanoun municipality, and in the evening, the General Intelligence building built by the Americans over a decade ago for the Fatah regime.

After the large-scale air strikes, the Israel Defense Forces is preparing for the next possible stage of Operation Cast Lead – a ground incursion. Large forces, mainly belonging to the Golani and Paratroopers Brigades and the Armored Corps, are concentrated around the Gaza Strip. For the first time in the past three years, an artillery battery was stationed yesterday in the Gaza area. Additional units will join the forces as needed.

What may disrupt the IDF’s preparations is the weather. In the coming days, stormy weather is expected, which will hamper the aerial and ground activity. This has been taken into account in the operational plans.

Siren Alert Ready For Beer Sheva, Too

On Sunday, Hamas proved that it has rockets with a 30-kilometer range, after a rocket fired from more than 30 kilometers away landed in the yard of a home in a community north of Ashdod. Following this, the residents of Beer Sheva, Yavne, Gedera and nearby communities may also be hearing the sirens. The Israeli Army Home Front Command therefore called upon the residents of these cities and communities to locate safe rooms in their homes.

According to the instructions, when the siren sounds, the residents have one minute to look for shelter in a protected space, and they must remain there for five minutes. Today, the Home Front Command will begin giving residents of the new communities handbooks that explain how to protect themselves from rocket strikes.

Israel Rejects Demands For A Cease-Fire

Israel is rejecting all feelers from heads of state and foreign ministers who looked into the possibility of trying to reach a cease-fire with Hamas.

Among those who have done so are the foreign ministers of Qatar, Great Britain and Russia, as well as the U.N. secretary-general. The four of them spoke by telephone yesterday with Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni.

The Russian foreign minister demanded an immediate cessation of all military activity and a cease-fire.

Ms. Livni told her counterparts that at this stage, the military operation would continue until its main goals had been accomplished: “a change in the security situation with Hamas in the south.” She told them that Israel has no intention of overthrowing the Hamas regime in Gaza, but said, “Hamas must understand that Israel will not stop its military operation until it is clear to Hamas that it cannot and will not try in the future to launch rockets at Israel.”

Foreign Minister Livni also spoke with the EU’s foreign policy director and with the foreign ministers of Spain, Italy and Turkey. She told them that Israel expects them to show understanding regarding Israel’s need to defend itself and continue operating in Gaza in order to change the security situation.

On Sunday, during a briefing that Ms. Livni held in Sderot for ambassadors serving in Israel, she said, “I don’t accept the calls for a cease-fire. The only way that it may be possible to shorten the operation is with a clear statement that Israel has a right to defend itself and that the international community supports Israel against Hamas. This is the message that you should convey.”

King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia spoke by telephone with U.S. President George Bush, asking him to use his influence in order to organize influential countries to stop the Israeli offensive. “We need to organize a coalition of countries so that Israel will stop the killing, the torture and the blockade that it has imposed upon the occupied territories,” he said.

Israeli Arabs In Revolt

The Israeli Arab citizens, who comprise 15 percent of Israel’s population, held a general strike yesterday in protest of the Israeli bombings in the Gaza Strip. Demonstrations and rallies were held in many Arab towns throughout the country. Violent riots were dispersed by the police.

Batya and Moshe Cohen, a couple from Afula, encountered rioters on the North-South road near the Israeli Arab city of Umm el-Fahm, where an angry mob miraculously attacked and damaged their car, causing the two to be lightly injured. They were taken for medical treatment at Haemek Hospital in Afula.

“We almost went to heaven,” said Batya in alarm. “We escaped from the mob. It was awful, I still can’t believe how we were saved. It was a real Hanukkah miracle.” Batya’s mother Idit said that her parents had gone to visit her sister, who is soon expected to give birth, and the incident occurred on their way back home.

“My mother called me and started to say in tears that they had been stoned,” she added.

The Cohens were on their way from Hadera back to their home in Afula, when they encountered the riots.

“We were on the Wadi Ara road, and stood in a long traffic jam,” said Batya.

After nearly running out of gas due to waiting in the traffic jam, they stopped off in the gas station at Umm el-Fahm junction, not knowing about the riots there.

“Within a second, hundreds of young people surrounded us, some wearing masks, and started to attack the car and throw stones at us,” Batya said. “I saw murderous looks in their eyes; someone threw a huge cinder block at the car. At the last moment, my husband got up his courage and started to quickly drive away.” The couple’s car was completely demolished, and the police are continuing to investigate the circumstances of the incident.

In the large Israeli Arab communities, such as Umm el-Fahm, Kafr Kana and Arabe, thousands participated in riots and clashed with the police, which prevented them from reaching the main roads. About 20 Israeli Arab rioters were arrested by the police. In the course of the riots, harsh calls were heard such as: “We are part of the Palestinian people and we can’t stand by and watch the killing and the murder.”

“The strike is a sign of unequivocal identification with the Palestinian people,” said yesterday Abed Anabtawi, spokesman of the Israeli Arab Supreme Monitoring Committee.

Violent riots also took place in smaller villages. A police car that passed through Kabul junction last night was stoned, and the front windshield was damaged. The policemen managed to get out of the vehicle and were not hurt, but several dozen young people congregated at the spot and continued to throw stones.

In Haifa, 400 Arabs and Israeli left-wingers held signs and denounced Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

Large police forces faced the rioters and ensured that traffic would not be disrupted. Over 700 people held a large demonstration in the Israeli Arab city of Fureidis, in which a private vehicle was hit by stones thrown at it. Large forces of the coastal region police, headed by local police commander Lt. Cmdr. Roni Attia, arrived at the scene. The car that was hit was traveling on the old Tel Aviv-Haifa road, and police sources say that its windshield was shattered at the entrance to the village.

“There is a general guideline by the police to raise the state of alert and increase forces in sensitive locations,” police sources said. “We are prepared for any scenario that could arise due to the situation in the south.”

In the Jerusalem Arab neighborhood of Beit Safafa, young people set fire to tires and blocked the entrance to the area. In Baana and Deir el-Assad, about 100 demonstrators gathered, shouting: “With spirit and blood we will redeem Gaza.”

They threw stones at cars in the area. Following the riot, large police forces were called in, under the command of Carmiel station commander Dep. Cmdr. Rami Neumark, in an attempt to rein in the young people.

Dr. Mordechai Kedar, leading Arab affairs expert at Bar Ilan University, analyzes that “Israeli Arabs are now caught between a rock and a hard place: They cannot identify with the state because it is Jewish and Zionist, while they are not Jews and most are not Zionists.”

Their question of dual loyalty arises today more than ever, as some Israeli Arabs prefer their affiliation with the Arab and Muslim world, and not with Israel.

Ironically, the one Israeli citizen who was killed yesterday as a result of a missile attack on Ashkelon was an Israeli Muslim Bedouin construction worker who was killed at a construction site in Ashkelon when he suffered a direct hit and was killed instantly.

2.2 Billion Shekels Per Week

While the Kassam rockets fall upon the inhabitants of the southern communities and Air Force fighter jets continue to bomb the Gaza Strip, the Israeli government is beginning to think about the bill that will be presented at the end of the operation. According to various assessments, the cost of fighting in Gaza adds up to 100 million shekels ($25 million) per day, and various Israeli government officials estimated yesterday that one week of military action would cost the taxpayer NIS 2.2 billion.

This amount includes two components – the direct military cost, which includes moving the aircraft, tanks and artillery, calling up the reserves and the rest of the military cost; and compensation for the direct and indirect damage that was caused to apartments and businesses in the south as a result of the continued Kassam rocket and Grad rocket strikes in the region.

If the fighting should last for two weeks, the cost will reach NIS 3.5 billion, and if the operation should last for a month, as the Second Lebanon War did, the economic damage will add up to NIS 6 billion, NIS 3.5 billion of it the direct military cost, and the remainder compensation for the damage that will be caused by the fighting.

For the sake of comparison, the cost of the Second Lebanon War was higher, amounting to approximately NIS 10 billion because of damage to thousands of apartments and businesses and because of the payment of enormous compensation for the damage caused in the war. Unlike in the summer of 2006, this time the fighting has caught the economy in a state of sharp slowdown, and the local economy is at the brink of recession.

Industrial manufacturing has stalled, exports are in retreat and private consumption has slowed down sharply.

David Bedein can be reached at dbedein@israelbehindthenews.com.

Last week, on Christmas Eve, the Hamas-dominated Palestinian Legislative Council in Gaza approved a new bill “to implement Quranic punishments,” including crucifixion, corporal punishment and execution.

Section 59 of the law establishes that “punishment of death will be enacted on any Palestinian who intentionally does one of the following: Raised a weapon against Palestine on behalf of the enemy during war, was appointed to negotiate with a foreign government on a Palestinian issue and negotiated against Palestinians’ interest, performed a hostile action against a foreign country in a way that endangers Palestine in war or in harming political relations, served a foreign army in time of war, advised or helped soldiers to enlist in this army, weakened the spirit or the force of resistance of the people, or spied against Palestine especially during war.”

The Arabic language newspaper al-Hayat of London reported this on Christmas Eve, noting that this step is seen as “unprecedented, and has brought criticism and concern from human rights organizations in the Gaza Strip.”

These revelations were made by the Palestinian Media Watch group, which follows and analyzes Palestinian agencies and institutions.

These are the arguments that are currently being discussed in the Israeli public domain against any large-scale Israeli military operation in Gaza:

1. The Lebanon trauma: Fear of an entanglement. One knows how operations of that sort begin, but one doesn’t always know how they end.

2. High casualty figures: Hamas is well prepared. According to every scenario, a major incursion into the Gaza Strip will result in numerous Israeli military and civilian casualties.

3. International Pressure: Israel knows that the world will not sit idly by in the event of a major operation in Gaza, certainly not after the first mishap in which children are killed.

4. Israeli POW Gilad Shalit: Security officials are worried that Shalit’s captors might bring harm to him in the event of an IDF invasion of Gaza.

5. Ineffectiveness: What will happen after the major operation is over? Firing Kassam rockets is simple and it is almost impossible to prevent it.

These are the arguments currently being discussed in the Israeli public domain in favor of a large-scale operation in Gaza:

1. Suffering Israeli population: How much longer can the residents of
Sderot and other Gaza periphery communities be expected to live under
the threat of Kassam rocket and mortar shell fire?

2. Israeli deterrence: Hamas has violated the truce agreement, has been
firing Kassam rockets with impunity, while the IDF is perceived as an
army that is afraid to act.

3. Future casualties: We needn’t wait until a Kassam rocket actually
kills a lot of people. The decision to act can be made now.

4. The U.S. administration: Israel would do well were it to begin an operation while President Bush is still in office rather than pose a challenge to Barack Obama, who will assume office on Jan. 20.

5. The right to sovereignty: There probably isn’t a country in the world
that would permit a terror organization to fire rockets into its
sovereign territory. 



David Bedein can be reached at dbedein@israelbehindthenews.com.

The Hamas regime in Gaza shelled Sderot and the Western Negev 55 times between yesterday and Saturday.

Yesterday morning, one of those shells devastated a home in Sderot.

Maya Iber, the homeowner who was also hurt, described the attack.

“I was sitting there in the corner; I heard everything moving and a loud boom, I shut my eyes, and when I opened them, the whole house was full of smoke,” Ms. Iber said. “Afterwards I understood that it hit my home. A person builds a home, and then can’t receive children or grandchildren, how is this possible? Now I want to leave the city.”

Also yesterday morning, a young worker from Thailand sustained light injuries from shrapnel in Moshav Netiv Haasara near Gaza, from a mortar shell that exploded in one of the farm greenhouses, where damage also caused to the green houses.

During these attacks, the Israel Air Force sought out and two rocket launch crew in Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza.

At yesterday’s cabinet meeting, the cabinet discussed the deteriorating situation in southern Israel. Most of the ministers supported a large-scale military operation in Gaza.

However, the Israeli Army chief of staff and the Israel Defense Minister proposed only a limited response.

Speaking on Israel Army Radio, Israel security cabinet member Minister Yitzhak Herzog justified the defense minister’s policy: “We have to be those who will choose the precise timing, location and manner of the operation. It may be difficult, but we have to clench our teeth, and we will eventually reach the moment of the suitable response that will lead to the solution we want.”

Israel Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz, former Israel Minister of Defense and former Israel Army Commander in Chief, launched a vociferous attack on Israel Defense Minister Barak: “The person sitting in the 14th floor of the Defense Ministry should rid himself of the illusion that this truce is good for Israel, and should take action. Are we waiting for children to be killed? For people to be injured?”

Commenting on the situation, Maj. Gen. (res.) Yaakov Amidror wrote in the Yisrael HaYom newspaper that “we are now paying the price for the abandonment of Gaza. The abandonment began in 1994 following the Oslo Accords, which led to a significant reduction in the IDF’s ability to prevent fire from the Gaza Strip and smuggling under Philadelphi Road. The abandonment was completed in 2005 by an irresponsible act known as unilateral withdrawal, which led to the takeover of the Gaza Strip by Hamas and the buildup of Hamas as a real military force, which threatens the entire southern part of the State of Israel.”

A Kadima member of Knesset, Shai Hermesh, former regional mayor of the Shaar Hanegev regional council near Gaza, added in the same Israeli paper that “the residents of Sderot and the Gaza perimeter are wondering when the government lost its sovereignty over the region where we came to build our home. The government’s top security officials engage in empty talk, while the Hamas militiamen sit opposite us, scornfully firing.”

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert added “it is no secret that last June, we decided on the cease fire agreement; we did so with more than a few doubts and hesitations. The State of Israel has always hoped for and wanted quiet for the residents of the south and that they should enjoy genuine calm and be free of the threat of unceasing Kassam and mortar attacks that have disrupted life in the south for a very long period. Naturally, we also wanted the absolute cessation of all other acts of terrorism and weapons smuggling. It was on this basis, with more than a little hesitation, but out of the assessment that this was the way to act responsibly, we decided then to act toward the selfsame calm. It was clear that this calm could exist only as long as it was upheld.

“The calm could exist only as long as it was administered by both sides and not with one side relentlessly launching Kassams and mortars, thus repeatedly disrupting residents’ daily lives…

“The scenarios are clear. The plans are clear. The determination is clear, as is the significance of each step. A responsible government is neither eager for battle, nor does it shy away from it. The State of Israel will know when to respond correctly and with the necessary responsibility.”

David Bedein can be reached at dbedein@israelbehindthenews.com .

The Hamas regime in Gaza fired rockets at Sderot and the Western Negev 55 times between yesterday and Saturday.

Yesterday morning, one of those shells devastated a home in Sderot.

Maya Iber, the homeowner who was also hurt, described the attack.

“I was sitting there in the corner; I heard everything moving and a loud boom, I shut my eyes, and when I opened them, the whole house was full of smoke,” Ms. Iber said. “Afterwards I understood that it hit my home. A person builds a home, and then can’t receive children or grandchildren, how is this possible? Now I want to leave the city.”

Also yesterday morning, a young worker from Thailand sustained light injuries from shrapnel in Moshav Netiv Haasara near Gaza, from a mortar shell that exploded in one of the farm greenhouses, where damage also caused to the green houses.

During these attacks, the Israel Air Force sought out and two rocket launch crew in Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza.

At yesterday’s cabinet meeting, the cabinet discussed the deteriorating situation in southern Israel. Most of the ministers supported a large-scale military operation in Gaza.

However, the Israeli Army chief of staff and the Israel Defense Minister proposed only a limited response.

Speaking on Israel Army Radio, Israel security cabinet member Minister Yitzhak Herzog justified the defense minister’s policy: “We have to be those who will choose the precise timing, location and manner of the operation. It may be difficult, but we have to clench our teeth, and we will eventually reach the moment of the suitable response that will lead to the solution we want.”

Israel Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz, former Israel Minister of Defense and former Israel Army Commander in Chief, launched a vociferous attack on Israel Defense Minister Barak: “The person sitting in the 14th floor of the Defense Ministry should rid himself of the illusion that this truce is good for Israel and should take action. Are we waiting for children to be killed? For people to be injured?”

Commenting on the situation, Maj. Gen. (res.) Yaakov Amidror wrote in the Yisrael HaYom newspaper that “we are now paying the price for the abandonment of Gaza. The abandonment began in 1994 following the Oslo Accords, which led to a significant reduction in the IDF’s ability to prevent fire from the Gaza Strip and smuggling under Philadelphi Road. The abandonment was completed in 2005 by an irresponsible act known as unilateral withdrawal, which led to the takeover of the Gaza Strip by Hamas and the buildup of Hamas as a real military force, which threatens the entire southern part of the State of Israel.”

A Kadima member of the Knesset, Shai Hermesh, former regional mayor of the Shaar Hanegev regional council near Gaza, added in the same Israeli paper that “the residents of Sderot and the Gaza perimeter are wondering when the government lost its sovereignty over the region where we came to build our home. The government’s top security officials engage in empty talk, while the Hamas militiamen sit opposite us, scornfully firing.”

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert added “it is no secret that last June, we decided on the cease fire agreement; we did so with more than a few doubts and hesitations. The State of Israel has always hoped for and wanted quiet for the residents of the south and that they should enjoy genuine calm and be free of the threat of unceasing Qassam and mortar attacks that have disrupted life in the south for a very long period. Naturally, we also wanted the absolute cessation of all other acts of terrorism and weapons smuggling. It was on this basis, with more than a little hesitation, but out of the assessment that this was the way to act responsibly, we decided then to act toward the selfsame calm. It was clear that this calm could exist only as long as it was upheld.

“The calm could exist only as long as it was administered by both sides and not with one side relentlessly launching Qassams and mortars, thus repeatedly disrupting residents’ daily lives…

“The scenarios are clear. The plans are clear. The determination is clear, as is the significance of each step. A responsible government is neither eager for battle, nor does it shy away from it. The State of Israel will know when to respond correctly and with the necessary responsibility.”

David Bedein can be reached at dbedein@israelbehindthenews.com.

The expression “Hanukkah miracle” was heard more than once on Thursday in the communities of the western Negev region of Israel.

A Kassam rocket fired on Wednesday evening at Sderot – one of many-landed in the bustling commercial center.

No one was killed or badly hurt. Three people sustained light injuries and nine suffered from shock.

The Palestinian terror organizations Thursday gave residents of southern Israel a “first taste” of what is liable to happen when the “truce” ends this weekend.

Palestinian shelling began in the early morning hours of Wednesday when seven Kassam rockets broke the sleep of the residents of the Eshkol Regional Council. One fell in a greenhouse and caused light damage. No one was injured. Later a mortar shell fell in the Nahal Oz area; another Kassam rocket landed south of Ashkelon, and two people were taken to Barzilai Hospital with ear infection; another rocket landed between Kibbutz Netiv Haasara and Kibbutz Yad Mordechai and another Kassam rocket fell near Miflasim.

At about 4 p.m., four Kassam rockets were fired at the communities of the Shaar Hanegev Regional Council. All fell in open areas. The Israel Air Force fired at the launchers in Beit Hanoun and destroyed them.

At 5 p.m., Islamic Jihad terrorists fired a 115-caliber Kassam rocket from north of the Gaza Strip that landed in the parking lot of the Victory Supermarket at Sderot’s bustling Peretz shopping Center which was full of people.

Only seven feet separated the place where the Kassam rocket fell and the entrance to the supermarket. The rocket caused great damage outside and inside the supermarket. Inside many wine bottles could be seen shattered and strewn on the floor along with shards from the plate glass windows.

Some of the cashiers and the many customers at the supermarket panicked and cried, seeking family members with concern.

Outside the supermarket, there were scenes of hysteria, when people what realized what a miracle had happened.

Many cars parked in the lot were badly damaged and there was a strong smell of gasoline fumes in the air.

Many people talked about a Hanukkah miracle because after the panic had subsided, it turned out that only three people had sustained light injuries from shards and were taken to Barzilai Hospital.

As the truce was about to end, Sderot Mayor David Buskila, declared there never was a truce.

“I’m surprised by everyone’s surprise, there never was a truce, every day we took Kassams. What are we waiting for? I feel that all these threats have turned the state into a joke, our power of deterrence is at a low. We have to be prescient and foresee events,” he said.

Mr. Buskila added: “The state has to give its residents a sense of security. The only message that I get from the prime minister and defense minister is stuttering and indecision. When, God forbid, someone is hit and there are funerals, I won’t let them in to the city.”

As of Thursday evening, the Israel Army spokesman confirmed there had been 418 attacks from Gaza during the six months that were described as a truce, with little Israeli response.

IDF’S Response: There Are Plans, There Is No Action

Despite the rocket fire at Sderot on Thursday, the Israeli army is still not preparing to respond. Defense Minister Ehud Barak is continuing to give the truce a chance despite Hamas’ declarations that it will be over Friday.

Hamas issued a statement on Thursday stating that “Friday is the last day of the ‘tahdia’ (the Arabic word for ‘truce’). From that date, Hamas maintains the right to defend the Palestinian people and will respond to any Israeli action.”

Israel Defense Minister Ehud Barak declared that “we are not deterred from large-scale action in Gaza, but we’re not rushing into such action. When the situation requires us to act, we’ll act. We will decide what is the best way at every stage, what place and at what time. I suggest that we leave these considerations to the political echelon.”

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said, “there cannot be a situation in which there is agreement on a truce but the reality on the ground is completely different. Naturally this requires our attention-and such attention will be given.”

Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni declared that her strategic goal, if and when she becomes prime minister, will be to topple the Hamas regime in Gaza.

However, all this is words. The Israeli government is taking no action at the present time.

In a press conference held in Sderot on Thursday under the auspices of the Sderot Media Center, which operates under the auspices of the Sderot Information Center for the Western Negev, Shai Hermesh. a Knesset Parliament member of Kadima, the ruling Israeli political party, made an incisive comment to the media.

According to Mr. Hermesh’s understanding, there will be no Israeli military response to what is transpiring in Gaza, until after the Israeli national elections, set for Feb. 10, 2009.

Mr. Hermesh declared that no Israeli government will launch any military action during a political campaign.

David Bedein can be reached at dbedein@israelbehindthenews.com

Syria has given Turkish mediators a document containing six points that demand a complete Israeli withdrawal from disputed territory. The document indicates the Syrians are insisting on having access to the northeastern shore of the Sea of Galilee in the disputed Golan Heights. Israel captured the strategic piece of Syrian territory during the 1967 Six-Day War and has held it ever since.

Prior to its capture, Syria had used the area to shell Israel.

According to reports, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government awaits Israel’s answers, which will be conferred by the Turkish mediators. A Syrian official reportedly told the Turks it would be possible to sign a peace agreement between the two countries by the middle of 2009 should Israel agree to Syria’s terms.

Senior political officials in Jerusalem said Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was very interested in promoting the talks with the Syrians and is moving toward direct talks. Mr. Olmert has held a number of intensive meetings with the Turks and has phoned Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan several times.

Mr. Olmert remains in constant contact with Dr. Yoram Turbowicz, whom he appointed to coordinate the talks with the Syrians. As best as can be ascertained, Mr. Olmert has voiced his willingness in principle to withdraw from the Golan Heights and return to the 1967 borders. This, however, would depend on Syria’s willingness was prepared to sever its ties with Iran and Hezbollah.

Israel formally annexed the Golan Heights in December 1981.

Syrian officials have previously said it would not relinquish its claims on the Upper Galilee region even if Israel were to return the heights to its sovereignty.

“I don’t know of any negotiations that are over before they’ve begun,” Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said in a statement issued on Tuesday night regarding the negotiations with Syria. “What is important to us is not a peace of open embassies and eating hummus in Damascus, but, rather, a cessation of the arms smuggling via Syria to Hezbollah, a severance of its ties with Iran and an end to its support for terror organizations, such as Hamas.”

Israel Defense Minister Ehud Barak yesterday also spoke about the negotiations with Syria at a conference he attended in Maalot. Mr. Barak said he believes eliminating Syria from the conflict would go a long way toward weakening Hamas and Hezbollah and toward altering Iran’s overall role.

“That is a far-reaching change for the State of Israel. I am in favor of direct negotiations with the Syrians,” Mr. Barak said. “Hezbollah, Hamas, the Syrian threat and the centrifuges are real, and they require difficult, complicated, complex and dangerous decisions for Israel. In this situation, it would be best to have a person with a steady hand at the wheel.”

Israeli Professor Eyal Zisser, an expert on Syrian matters, observed in the daily Israeli newspaper Yisrael Hayom that “the Syrians don’t sincerely expect an answer. It seems that the entire purpose of the leak from Damascus is to prepare the casework in advance of Barack Obama’s assumption of office, as well as in advance of the formation of the next Israeli government.”

Prof. Zisser added “the Syrians will claim that the talks with Olmert had already reached the point of drawing a border line, and that Israel is obliged to meet that demand if it wants the negotiations resumed.”

David Bedein can be reached at dbedein@israelbehindthenews.com