[Sustain] Israel Broke Ceasefire & Planned Assault 6 Months Ago

Sun Jan 4 10:25:49 PST 2009

Just so no one confused about how the Gaza crisis began, see this 
December 31st Haaretz report describing how Israel planned its assault 
on Gaza 6 months ago, just as it was cynically agreeing to a ceasefire. 
The article also shows that it was Israel which broke the ceasefire by 
attacking Gaza. Haaretz is the main mainstream daily newspaper for Israel.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1050426.html

Last update - 16:39 12/31/2008 			

Disinformation, secrecy and lies: How the Gaza offensive came about
By Barak Ravid <mailto:barakravid80 at gmail.com>, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: Hamas 
<http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/tags/index.jhtml?tag=Hamas>, Israel 
<http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/tags/index.jhtml?tag=Israel>, Gaza 
<http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/tags/index.jhtml?tag=Gaza> 

Long-term preparation, careful gathering of information, secret 
discussions, operational deception and the misleading of the public - 
all these stood behind the Israel Defense Forces "Cast Lead" operation 
against Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip, which began Saturday morning.

The disinformation effort, according to defense officials, took Hamas by 
surprise and served to significantly increase the number of its 
casualties in the strike.

Sources in the defense establishment said Defense Minister Ehud Barak 
instructed the Israel Defense Forces to prepare for the operation over 
six months ago, even as Israel was beginning to negotiate a ceasefire 
agreement with Hamas. According to the sources, Barak maintained that 
although the lull would allow Hamas to prepare for a showdown with 
Israel, the Israeli army needed time to prepare, as well.
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Barak gave orders to carry out a comprehensive intelligence-gathering 
drive which sought to map out Hamas' security infrastructure, along with 
that of other militant organizations operating in the Strip.

This intelligence-gathering effort brought back information about 
permanent bases, weapon silos, training camps, the homes of senior 
officials and coordinates for other facilities.

The plan of action that was implemented in Operation Cast Lead remained 
only a blueprint until a month ago, when tensions soared after the IDF 
carried out an incursion into Gaza during the ceasefire to take out a 
tunnel which the army said was intended to facilitate an attack by 
Palestinian militants on IDF troops.

On November 19, following dozens of Qassam rockets and mortar rounds 
which exploded on Israeli soil, the plan was brought for Barak's final 
approval. Last Thursday, on December 18, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and 
the defense minister met at IDF headquarters in central Tel Aviv to 
approve the operation.

However, they decided to put the mission on hold to see whether Hamas 
would hold its fire after the expiration of the ceasefire. They 
therefore put off bringing the plan for the cabinet's approval, but they 
did inform Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni of the developments.

That night, in speaking to the media, sources in the Prime Minister's 
Bureau said that "if the shooting from Gaza continues, the showdown with 
Hamas would be inevitable." On the weekend, several ministers in 
Olmert's cabinet inveighed against him and against Barak for not 
retaliating for Hamas' Qassam launches.

"This chatter would have made Entebe or the Six Day War impossible," 
Barak said in responding to the accusations. The cabinet was eventually 
convened on Wednesday, but the Prime Minister's Bureau misinformed the 
media in stating the discussion would revolve around global jihad. The 
ministers learned only that morning that the discussion would actually 
pertain to the operation in Gaza.

In its summary announcement for the discussion, the Prime Minister's 
Bureau devoted one line to the situation in Gaza, compared to one whole 
page that concerned the outlawing of 35 Islamic organizations.

What actually went on at the cabinet meeting was a five-hour discussion 
about the operation in which ministers were briefed about the various 
blueprints and plans of action. "It was a very detailed review," one 
minister said.

The minister added: "Everyone fully understood what sort of period we 
were heading into and what sort of scenarios this could lead to. No one 
could say that he or she did not know what they were voting on." The 
minister also said that the discussion showed that the lessons of the 
Winograd Committee about the performance of decision-makers during the 
2006 Second Lebanon War were "fully internalized."

At the end of the discussion, the ministers unanimously voted in favor 
of the strike, leaving it for the prime minister, the defense minister 
and the foreign minister to work out the exact time.

While Barak was working out the final details with the officers 
responsible for the operation, Livni went to Cairo to inform Egypt's 
president, Hosni Mubarak, that Israel had decided to strike at Hamas.

In parallel, Israel continued to send out disinformation in announcing 
it would open the crossings to the Gaza Strip and that Olmert would 
decide whether to launch the strike following three more deliberations 
on Sunday - one day after the actual order to launch the operation was 
issued.

"Hamas evacuated all its headquarter personnel after the cabinet meeting 
on Wednesday," one defense official said, "but the organization sent its 
people back in when they heard that everything was put on hold until 
Sunday."

The final decision was made on Friday morning, when Barak met with Chief 
of Staff General Gabi Ashkenazi, the head of the Shin Bet Security 
Service Yuval Diskin and the head of the Military Intelligence 
Directorate, Amos Yadlin. Barak sat down with Olmert and Livni several 
hours later for a final meeting, in which the trio gave the air force 
its orders.

On Friday night and on Saturday morning, opposition leaders and 
prominent political figures were informed about the impending strike, 
including Likud chairman Benjamin Netanyahu, Yisrael Beuiteinu's Avigdor 
Liebermen, Haim Oron from Meretz and President Shimon Peres, along with 
Knesset Speaker Dalia Itzik.

previously, I wrote:

Yes, and the SFGP needs to back up that GPUS call with open and strong 
support. We need to to show San Franciscans who have been brow beaten 
into silence that the tide is turning and that they are empowered to 
speak up.

And we need to call for the City government to boycott and divest from 
Israel.

We should also send a similar message to San Francisco student 
organizations, and colleges/universities, which calls on them to act.

peace

Eric

Mark wrote:
> The GPUS has already done so.......
>  
> The Green Party has called for an end to US military aid to Israel and 
> supports the movement for international boycott, divestment, and 
> sanctions against Israel until Israel ends the occupation, obeys 
> international law (including Geneva Conventions and the UN's Universal 
> Declaration of Human Rights), and guarantees full human rights for 
> Palestinians.  The party supports efforts by Palestinian and Israeli 
> peace groups towards a nonviolent negotiated resolution to the conflict.
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> *From:* Eric Brooks <brookse32 at aim.com>
> *To:* active green <active at sfgreens.org>; SFGP CC <cc at sfgreens.org>
> *Sent:* Tuesday, December 30, 2008 12:41:40 PM
> *Subject:* [SFGP-A] The SFGP Must Take A Stand On Israel
>
> It is time for the SFGP to take a stand and strongly support a full 
> global boycott of and divestment from Israel.
>
> I would ask that this matter be urgently agendized for our January GM 
> meeting.
>
> Israel has proven that it is never going to change without being 
> forced to do so through massive economic pressure.
>
> peace
>
> Eric
>
> Mark wrote:
>> http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/12/30/gaza.aid.boat/index.html
>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> _______________________________________________
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>
> -- 
> "I am not a liberator. Liberators do not exist. The people liberate themselves." – Che Guevara

-- 
"I am not a liberator. Liberators do not exist. The people liberate themselves." – Che Guevara

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