Amid the flurry of diplomatic activity to achieve a ceasefire, Hamas today targeted Jerusalem with two rockets, which landed in open areas south of the city, in the Bethlehem region. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon is in Jerusalem and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is due to arrive later today. They follow German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle and Quartet Special Envoy to the Middle East Tony Blair, who is trying to persuade Israel and Hamas to accept an Egyptian brokered deal.
Israel is demanding that Hamas immediately cease all rocket fire into Israel for 24 hours before starting talks on other conditions. Hamas is demanding that Israel, which it blames for the current flare-up with the killing of Hamas military commander Ahmed Jaabari last week, should first stop striking Gaza. Media reports in Egypt say that most of the details of a cease-fire have already been reached, and that the final details will be settled today.
Even as the cease-fire talks progress, the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee today approved a request by Minister of Defense Ehud Barak to call up more IDF reservists for Operation Pillar of Cloud. The request was made and approved yesterday, before the nine-member ministerial forum decided last night to give more time for diplomacy to achieve a cease-fire. A top Israeli official returned from Cairo last night with new details for the forum's meeting.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on November 20, 2012
© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2012