Lieberman wants Gaza killing to continue, says ceasefire not in Israel's interest

The death toll in Gaza since a bus was hit in Israel has now risen to 19 with the third day of attacks claiming five more lives. Talk of a ceasefire has receded this morning with news that Israel's foreign minister, the ultra right-wing fruitcake Lieberman, is calling for no ceasefire "on Hamas's terms", claiming any such move would not be in Israel's interest. But somehow killing more innocent men women and children is? Surely they must know that a new war against the civilian population of Gaza will create a firestorm of protest around the world, and most importantly in Egypt. At minimum we can expet to see the Israeli embassy in Cairo burnt to the ground and the generals forced to rip up the 'peace' treaty with the settler state. Others in the cabinet also make no secret of their desire for another war:

National Infrastructure Minister Uzi Landau, also of Israel Beiteinu, echoed Lieberman's calls to use force in order to deter Hamas, saying that "We needed to finish of the job in Operation Cast Lead."

Landau opined that the IDF needs to work on Hamas's fear of losing power and influence amongst the Palestinian population. "If we really want to deter Hamas, we must exploit their fear of losing control in the strip," Landau said, adding that "Our targets need to be their leaders." more

The Israeli leadership should be careful what it wishes for as it is Hamas that has been holding back other armed groups in Gaza and any dimunition of their power base would like see more radical elements gain in influence.

Meanwhile, the Arab League is calling on the UN to impose a no-fly zone over Gaza, which of course the US will veto because Gazans are obviously the wrong kind of civilians.

The Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza remains closed for a sixth day. It was the only open crossing into Gaza as Israel has recently decided to permanently shut the major commercial crossing at Erez. There is now a fuel crisis in Gaza. No fuel has entered the strip for 11 days.

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