Israel Lets Up on Gaza Calls Cease Fire

All is quiet. For now. Hopefully, Hamas will stop as well.

"Hamas has been dealt a very serious blow," Olmert said. "We can say that the conditions have been brought about that enable us to say that the aims that we laid down for the operation have been completely achieved."

Yet Israel is prepared to respond if Hamas militants continue fighting in the Palestinian territory, Olmert said.

"If foes decide to continue to fight against us, then we will be ready and we shall consider ourselves justified in replying," he said. "I do not suggest that Hamas or other terrorist organizations try us."

Immediate Palestinian response to Olmert's announcement was pessimistic.

Saeb Erakat, the chief Palestinian negotiator involved in diplomatic talks on the conflict, noted that Olmert did not say Israeli troops would be leaving Gaza.

"I'm afraid this means the cease-fire will not stand; it will break," Erakat told CNN International. "Anybody can fire a shot now. ... It's a very fragile moment."

The announcement followed a Cabinet meeting Saturday meant to vote on the basics of a plan that could end fighting in Gaza. It also came a day after Israeli and U.S. diplomats signed an agreement designed to stop arms smuggling into the Palestinian territory through tunnels. CNN

Jewish newspaper Haaretz hopes that Obama won't wag his tail for Israel:

You, Barack Hussein Obama, are our last chance, and if that too fades - and evil is determined against us, all hope is lost.

We are the prisoner who is stuck in a cell; without the help of others, we will never succeed in extricating ourselves from the bonds of our natural fear and the historical accounting. And there are no "others" except for America, for which no substitute has been found, even in its time of weakness.

The Israeli politicians - the singers of all the wars - will try to feed you "direct negotiations" and "without external pressure;" these refrains are groundless. Ask your advisers, Dennis Ross and Dan Kurtzer and Martin Indyk, and they will tell you.

They were sold the same stories for too many years. Have they learned their lesson? I wish I was sure of that. After all, under their noses settlements and outposts cropped up and multiplied like poison mushrooms after a shower of government promises. And if it turns out as time goes on that those advisers haven't learned anything and have forgotten everything, you will be better off doing without their services before they cause you to fail as well, and rush to write their belated memoirs and insights.

And don't get too upset by the Israeli lobby in Washington, whose voice is that of Benjamin Netanyahu and not necessarily the voice of Jacob, nor is it the representative voice of the large Jewish community in America. It is hard to be black, who knows as well as you; it is hard to be a Jew, we know; and it's somewhat easier to be a professional Jew in the Diaspora of Washington, D.C., who is more of an Israeli patriot than many Israelis, and no less of one than Evangelist clerics, who are preparing from afar for Armageddon.

78% of American Jews Voted Obama

Israel’s leaders extended congratulations to Sen. Barack Obama after he won the U.S. presidential election Tuesday (Nov. 4).

Said Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, “America has once again proved that it is the greatest democracy, which sets an example to all the other democracies in the world. Obama has proved to the world his abilities and leadership skills.” [1]

Israeli President Shimon Peres hailed Obama’s victory as an end to racism and a symbol of change. “I want to congratulate the newly-elected President: young, fresh, promising, representing a change and introducing change. The changes that I can mention – it is an opportunity to escape the present world crisis and enter into a new era of cooperation, of productive economy and of human solidarity. In a way, it is an end of racism. There is no longer any way that any white man can claim superiority, nor any black person feel discrimination. We are the same people, and this election is a great statement to that effect. For us, America is a great friend and a great hope…Nobody should look at whose side the President is on – he just has to be on the side of peace.” [2]

Israeli Foreign Minister and Vice Prime Minister Tzipi Livni also praised Obama: “This is a mark of merit for American democracy. During Barack Obama's recent visit to Israel, and especially during the tour we conducted together in the city of Sderot, the people of Israel were impressed by his commitment to the peace and security of Israel. Israel looks forward to continued close strategic cooperation with the new administration, the new president and the US Congress, in order to continue to strengthen the lasting special relationship between our two countries.” [3]

According to exit polls, 78 percent of American Jews voted for Obama. [4] American Jews have long been supporters of the U.S. Democratic Party, turning out 80 percent for Bill Clinton in 1992 and 78 percent for him in 1996. [5] In the two most recent presidential elections, 79 percent of Jewish voters cast ballots for Al Gore in 2000 and 74 percent for John Kerry in 2004. [6]

The day in 100 seconds

Obama Travels to Israel July 22

On July 22, Obama will meet with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and other Israeli officials. Obama also is scheduled to meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas during a trip to Ramallah on July 23.
From the Israel Project, a nonprofit that educates the press and public on Israel: 

With the looming threat of a nuclear Iran, Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama plans to travel to Israel and the West Bank on July 22 and 23 as part of a diplomatic trip to the Middle East and Europe. [1]

“The Iranian regime supports violent extremists and challenges us across the region,” Obama said in a speech last month in Washington, D.C. “It pursues a nuclear capability that could spark a dangerous arms race and raise the prospect of a transfer of nuclear know-how to terrorists. Its President denies the Holocaust and threatens to wipe Israel off the map. The danger from Iran is grave; it is real; and my goal will be to eliminate this threat…I will always keep the threat of military action on the table to defend our security and our ally, Israel.” Iran, Obama said, is now enriching uranium and has reportedly stockpiled 150 kilos, or 331 lbs., of low enriched uranium. [2]

While in Israel, Obama is slated to meet with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and other top Israeli officials. The Democratic presumptive nominee also is scheduled to meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas during a trip to Ramallah on July 23. [3]

“Israel is a strong and close friend of the United States, and is confronting grave threats from Gaza to Tehran,” said Obama in a statement to the press, referring to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, and to Iran, which funds the terrorist group. [4] Israel voluntarily evacuated all of its roughly 9,000 citizens from the Gaza Strip and parts of the West Bank in 2005 in hopes of paving the way for peace.

Next week’s trip marks Obama’s second visit to Israel. [5] During his first trip in January 2006, Obama traveled to a town near the Lebanese border, where he visited the home of a family that had been hit by a missile fired by Iran-backed Hezbollah. [6] Hezbollah, which receives funding, weapons and training from Iran, started a war against Israel in July 2006 during which it kidnapped and killed Israeli soldiers inside Israel [7] and launched thousands of missiles at northern Israel. [8]

In his June 4 speech in Washington, D.C. Obama said that if he wins the presidency he would work to move the peace process forward. “Israelis understand that real security can only come through lasting peace,” Obama said in his speech. “I will work to help Israel achieve the goal of two states, a Jewish state of Israel and a Palestinian state, living side by side in peace and security.” [9]

The Israel Project's everything you ever wanted to know about Israel. 

Obama's Trip Details

Update: Details and map of his trip

Update: Obama lands in Afghanistan
More details on Obama's trip overseas. Here are the people he'll meet:

Time: The campaign also provided a fuller list than we have seen to date of the foreign leaders with whom Obama will be meeting. They include: British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Conservative Party Leader David Cameron; German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier; French President Nicolas Sarkozy. In Israel, he will meet with President Shimon Peres, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Defense Minister Ehud Barak, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Likud Party leader Benjamin Netanyahu. And in Ramallah, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salaam Fayad.

I'm hoping Obama's trip is more than swooning folks, though it's exciting to know that Obama inspires so many, and yes, I want to see them swoon. 

I hope, and I think that he will, have meaningful discussions with all the leaders he meets.
Then, I hope Americans are satisfied that he's ready to be commander in chief and he gets back to the economy because people really want to hear more details on that. 

There's no sign that foreclosures are letting up. What's going to happen to the surplus of houses?
The economy is such a mess. It's like all the pieces of the puzzle went awry. How to put it back together?
Obama needs to blow McCain out of the water with more economy details. 

Obama's Overseas Details For July

I don't know about you but I'm really excited to see Obama welcomed all over the world.

Swamp: Reports in foreign media now suggest the trip is scheduled for late July.

The French news agency Agence France-Press reports that French President Nicolas Sarkozy will meet with Obama at the Elysee Palace on Friday July 25.

In Israel, Obama is expected to arrive on Tuesday July 22 or Wednesday July 23 for a two- or three-day visit to include a meeting with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, according to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, which cited a report in the Israeli newspaper Yediot Achronot.

The German magazine Der Spiegel reports that the Obama campaign is considering a major speech in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, the site of a famous Ronald Reagan speech in 1987 in which the former president challenged then-Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to "tear down that wall." A large new U.S. embassy opened there on July 4.