1,800 Israelis & Palestinians Call for Renewal of Dialogue

From THE SHALOM CENTER

Reclaiming Heart & History:

Who Broke the Gaza-Israel Ceasefire?

Will YOU tell Congress to Stop the Bloodshed Now & Build for Real Peace?

The Shalom Center is one of the few bodies with vital Jewish roots, strong connections to Israeli society, strong criticisms of the Israeli government, and strong connections with the Muslim and Christian communities in America, working together for peace.

Together, you and we can turn that into a powerful energy.

Using our software, you can write your Senator and Congressperson DIRECTLY. We have provided a model letter, which YOU can change as you see fit. To do this, please click to --

here

The model letter calls for strong action by the US government to achieve a Gaza/Israel ceasefure NOW, and strong action for a region-wide peace settlement.

We also have gathered FROM OFFICIAL ISRAELI SOURCES some information about the background of the bloodshed that is not widely available.

Most of the American media have asserted that Hamas canceled the cease-fire. It is true that Hamas has been firing rockets at Israel, but this is not the whole story.

Israeli Intelligence authorities, in a Web posting on November 16, reported that rocket firings from Gaza had been extremely few from June, when the ceasefire began, into November. In June, 5 rockets and 4 mortar shells; in July; 4 rockets and 8 mortar shells; in August, 8 rockets and 3 mortar shells; in September, 1 rocket and 3 mortar shells; in October, 2 rockets and 0 mortar shells. And these, the report concluded, were being fired not by Hamas but by small terrorist groups.

Then, the report said, on November 4 Israel dropped bombs to stymie what the Israelis believed was an impending attempt to abduct some Israeli soldiers. The attack killed several Palestinians. Then and then only, according to Israeli Intelligence, Hamas sent rockets flying again into Israel .

Then on November 15, a similar scenario. Israel "preventively" attacked what it thought was a new tunnel to smuggle arms into Gaza, killing several Palestinians in the process., Again, Hamas fired a flurry of rockets. After that, Israeli intelligence concluded that it was unlikely the precious "calm" or ceasefire could be restored.
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I repeat, this report was put on line by the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center at the Israel Intelligence Heritage & Commemoration Center (IICC). Their title for it is " Significant erosion of the lull arrangement in the Gaza Strip."

The report can be seen, including graphs of the drop and rise in rocket attacks, by clicking to -

here

What to make of this information?

• In terms of actual, physical violence, the first such major violence after the ceasefire began came from Israel. That violence, at first glance, broke the ceasefire.

• But -- could Israel have been expected to hold back if an abduction or a dangerous tunnel were really being planned? Was their estimate correct? If so, why was Hamas doing this after months of imposing deep calm?

• When the Israeli Army did attack, could Hamas have responded in another way -- for example, supporting a huge expansion of the nonviolent "ship-ins" that were breaking the Israeli embargo and bringing foods and medicines to Gaza by small boats? If so, why did they not choose to do that?

• Did the Israeli government discuss whether to renew the ceasefire on the Israeli side by halting attacks they claimed to be "preventive," and seeking renewal of the cease-fire by Hamas? What was the effect of the oncoming election on the Israeli government's assessments?
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Meanwhile, 500 residents of Sderot, have joined with Gaza residents to call for renewal of the truce. A TOTAL OF 1,800 Israelis and Palestinians have signed a petition calling for an end to the IDF operation in Gaza and renewal of dialogue between Israel and Hamas. See the full story at --

here

And listen to why Israeli Jews from Sderot and Palestinian Gazans speak out together

From Rabbi Marc Gopin's blog
"Confronting the conflicts facing humanity"
December 29, 2008
here

This is a message from a group of Israeli Jews from Sderot, the front lines in receipt of the rocket attacks from Gaza, WHO HAVE BEEN MEETING WITH GAZANS:

"For two months, our teams from Gaza and Sderot have been documenting life as it is in their two cities: hope, anger, daily hardships, dreams. In Gaza, our characters have shown us what it means to live under siege. In Sderot, we have heard our characters tell us how their lives are haunted by kassams. All of them have told us about their desire to live in spite of everything, however different their situations might be.…

"One thing we are sure of is that beyond military and political statements, shows of force, pictures of bloodshed and war, our role is to let men, women, children be heard and seen so that we can understand how they are resisting this situation and struggling for survival. Now more than ever. How can we fulfill our mission in such circumstances? We are currently seeking means to go further. Please do not hesitate to write us, communicate with our characters and our crews. Despite the big noise of weapons, our voices can be listened to."

And so can OUR voices, here in North America, if we speak out.
So let me remind you - please click to -

here

To send your Senators and House member a very simple and direct message for peace - not blaming either side for the past, but urging action for the sake of the future

Please write!

Shalom, salaam, peace -- Arthur