Hamas does Israel favor of rejecting ceasefire

NY Times:

Israel and Hamas rebuffed a United Nations call for a cease-fire in the 14-day Gaza war on Friday, with Israel saying continued barrages of rocket fire from its adversaries made the United Nations resolution “unworkable.”

In a statement after a cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said the Israeli military would “continue acting to protect Israeli citizens and will carry out the missions it was given,” according to news reports.

Officials from Hamas dismissed the United Nations resolution, according to news reports, although one official said it was being studied.

In Beirut, a Hamas spokesman, Raafat Morra, said the resolution “does not suit us because it is not in the best interest of the Palestinian people,” Agence France-Presse reported.

As the war continued unchecked on Friday, the Israeli military said its forces attacked more than 50 targets in overnight despite the United Nations vote on Thursday night calling for “an immediate, durable and fully respected cease-fire.”

Israeli warplanes attacked launching sites and missile-manufacturing facilities, the military said, while witnesses reported seeing rockets fired out of Gaza into southern Israel. The casualty toll was not immediately known. One Israeli air strike destroyed a five-story building, killing at least seven people, Hamas security officials told The Associated Press.

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It appears that the only people interested in a cease fire are those not participating in the war.

While much of the world has been trying to rescue Hamas from the mess it made in Gaza, the Hamas leadership continue to see some advantage in the suffering of the Palestinians. It continues to look for more opportunities to create Palestinian victims for the media.

What ever the rationale for the Hamas refusal, it is certainly a gift of time to the Israelis who want that time to further degrade Hamas's war making ability.

BTW, it is becoming more and more clear that Israel has not used disproportionate force against Hamas, since the death cult is still able to fire rockets at Israeli noncombatants. If the Israelis were using disproportionate force, the rockets would have ceased firing several days ago.

This story also talks about the accusations of the UN of being fired on when trying to deliver aid. While they accuse the Israelis, it is probably more likely that it was the Hamas fighters who usually ignore the humanitarian cease fires.

It should also be noted that Fox News was showing video of some of the cargo that was clearly not humanitarian aid. There were huge pallets of military battle dress. The Israelis probably should have let this through since if used it would identify the combatants more clearly, but it does raise the question of why the UN would be sending this material rather than food and medical supplies which claims are in such dire need.