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'Earthquake' In Gaza, Israel Carries Into Second Week

Paresh Dave |
November 20, 2012 | 12:44 p.m. PST

Executive Director

An ambulance hurries through Gaza. (Gigi Ibrahim/Flickr)
An ambulance hurries through Gaza. (Gigi Ibrahim/Flickr)
From Khan Yunis up to Tel Aviv, Israel and Hamas exchanged fire throughout the day Tuesday even as Hillary Clinton met with Israeli officials in Jerusalem and hopes for a temporary ceasefire fluctuated.

A Hamas spokesman had told the media early Tuesday evening that a ceasefire agreement was imminent, but Israeli officials refuted that a deal was final. With Israel yet to respond to an Egyptian-brokered pact with Hamas, the group that controls Gaza said no truce would come until Wednesday at the earliest. CNN reported that Israel called for a ceasefire to be contingent on a 24-hour calming of violence.

"Our goals are very clear," said David Siegel, the consul general for Israel in Los Angeles. "We want make sure Hamas and the Islamic Jihad stop the fire and don't use this period to stop and relaunch. It needs to be a complete stop."

He added a broader deal must also include an end to the smuggling of weapons and rockets into Gaza from Egypt and Northern Africa.

Siegel, speaking in a conference call with reporters from student publications Tuesday morning, said that 5 million Israelis were in bomb shelters Tuesday night.

For Southern Californians used to earthquakes, he described the scene "as an earthquake that's continuous."

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The U.S. has stood behind Israel as it defends itself against rocket fire from Gaza and launches air and naval strikes.

"We are trying to be as measured as we can, but the problem is Hamas and Islamic Jihad…and other groups…are all heavily embedded in civilian areas," Siegel said. More than 125 Palestinians have died because of Israeli strikes during the last week.

Siegel said that Hamas likely increased the number of rockets launched at Israel in recent weeks because the group thought Israel would not fire back with both the U.S. and Israel going through elections. But that didn't turn out to be the case.

Hamas captured control of the Gaza Strip in 2007.

"They've turned the entire Gaza Strip into one large Iranian forward base," Siegel said. "They really aren't Jeffersonian Democrats and we have to remember this."

He said until Hamas renounces terrorism there can be no "active and robust" negotiations to bring peace to the region. The U.S. doesn't negotiate with terrorists, and it considers Hamas to be a terrorist organization. Clinton met with officials from Israel and planned to meet with officials from the Palestinian Authority (which controls the West Bank) and Egypt as well.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, accompanied by U.S. Ambassador to Israel Daniel Shapiro, left, arrives in Jerusalem, November 20, 2012. [State Department photo by Matt Stern/ Public Domain]
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, accompanied by U.S. Ambassador to Israel Daniel Shapiro, left, arrives in Jerusalem, November 20, 2012. [State Department photo by Matt Stern/ Public Domain]

Siegel said the peace that has been delivered to the West Bank can come to Gaza if Hamas changes the way it operates.

Iran, which stands behind Hamas, has called the Israeli strikes "organized terrorism."

SEE: The Guardian's map of every single incident

SEE: The Economist's infographic showing the number of Israeli strikes/casulaties vs. Gazan strikes/casualties during the last decade

MORE: Al Jazeera's live blog

MORE: New York Times live blog

Like reporter Paresh Dave on Facebook, follow him on Twitter, circle him on Google+ or send him an e-mail.



 

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