Israel, Hamas, Palestinians Agree To Talks

Egypt's U.N. Ambassador Says "Representatives From All Sides" In Gaza Conflict Will Meet In Cairo Thursday

(CBS/AP)  Egypt's U.N. ambassador said Wednesday that representatives of Israel, the Palestinian Authority and Hamas agreed to meet separately with Egyptian officials Thursday for talks on the Gaza crisis.

Ambassador Maged Abdelaziz told reporters that "representatives of all sides" planned to send technical delegations to Cairo to discuss an Egyptian-French initiative to end the fighting in Gaza.

He said the delegations would each meet with Egyptian officials, but the parties would not necessarily sit down in the same room together.

"The issue here is that for anything to start, there has to be some positive move. And the positive move is the cease-fire," he said, referring to the U.N. and Gaza.

The plan calls for an immediate cease-fire in the Israeli-Hamas conflict for a limited period to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has said Israel and the moderate Palestinian Authority - Hamas' rival - accepted the plan though it is not a direct party to the conflict. However, Hamas officials in Syria told CBS News that they could not agree to the plan because it does not guarantee open border crossings or an end to a crippling blockade.

Earlier Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the United States was supporting the Egyptian-French initiative.

Rice said she discussed "the importance of moving that initiative forward" with Arab ministers attending emergency Security Council meetings at U.N. headquarters on the Gaza crisis as well as the Israelis.

Abdelaziz said the talks will shape whether the U.N. Security Council agrees to a council resolution, as Arab nations want, or a lesser statement issued by the 15-nation council's president, as the U.S., Britain and France have proposed.

The proposal that Rice and the French and British foreign ministers are circulating has several main points: it calls for "immediate and durable ceasefire" the prevention of illegal trade, and the reopening of crossing points. The Arab League appears to want to have a vote on a more binding resolution - even if it means the U.S. will veto it, reports CBS News Foreign Affairs Analyst Pamela Falk at the U.N.

"We're not interested in a piece of paper," he said. "Egypt is receiving technical delegations from all parties. I understand some of them are arriving today, some of them are arriving tomorrow" in Cairo.

In Syria, Hamas spokesman Abu Omar told CBS News' George Baghdadi that Hamas could only agree to a plan which guaranteed to end the economic blockade and to reopen the border crossings as soon as hostilities on both sides were halted; what he called a "complete package."

Israel has no direct contacts with Hamas, but Mashaal indicated earlier Wednesday for the first time an apparent willingness to "contribute in reaching a solution to stop the aggression in Gaza." (Click here to read more on this from George Baghdadi in the World Watch blog.)

Meanwhile, Israeli airstrikes and Hamas rockets resumed after a brief pause to allow food and fuel to reach Palestinian civilians in Gaza, where an Israeli warplane dropped leaflets urging some residents to flee because of imminent attacks.

CBS News correspondent Mark Phillips reports the Israelis called it a "recess in offensive operations" -- but this was a recess in which nobody went outside to play. Instead the besieged people of Gaza came out to get what they need to survive.

A convoy of about 80 trucks loaded with relief supplies was allowed to enter the strip, Phillips reports.

Even as the Israeli government tentatively welcomed the cease-fire proposal from Egypt and France, its military was instructed to continue its assault on Hamas.

Israeli strikes in response to continued Hamas rocket fire on southern Israel have killed at least 688 Palestinians since Dec. 27, including around 350 civilians, among them 130 children, according to Palestinian officials.

The Israelis have released footage of prisoners they've captured and they continue to weaken Hamas, but they have not gotten near its leadership or apparently broken its will, Phillips reports. Yet the Israeli Cabinet has put off a decision whether to go to a further phase of this operation and push forward into the urban areas to seek out Hamas fighters.

Israel says it has killed at least 130 Gaza militants since it launched its ground offensive Saturday. Ten Israelis have been killed since the fighting began, including three civilians.

CBS News correspondent Richard Roth reports that if you want to understand what pushed Israelis past their limit, they'll tell you just take a look at the numbers - since the first one almost eight years ago, the army says more than 11,000 rockets and mortars have been fired from Gaza at southern Israel.

They've landed as far as 25 miles beyond the Gaza border, Roth reports, putting as many as a million people in range - and in fear.

On Wednesday, 29 Palestinians were killed, including at least 22 civilians and two Islamic Jihad militants, medics said. In one incident, a family of four was killed in an airstrike on their car, medics said.

In the Jebaliya refugee camp, there was a mass funeral for 40 people killed Tuesday by Israeli mortar fire toward a U.N. school. Israel said it was responding to an attack by Hamas militants who fired mortar shells from an area near the school.

The bodies, wrapped in blankets, were laid out in a long row on the ground, with mourners kneeling in prayer before them.

Israel carried out 40 airstrikes Wednesday on targets including smuggling tunnels on the Gaza-Egypt border, Israel's chief army spokesman Brig. Gen. Avi Benayahu said.

[debinok1]

If all of these countries plan on being involved in a solution, then it is only fair they all be ready to defend Israel when Hamas breaks the ceasefire. If they don''t then they are as guilty for the deaths of even more palestinians when Israel retaliates. Because Hamas WILL break the ceasefire. When they do Israel will retaliate.

[j40405]

Isarel should continue to fight until they (Hamas)are all driven out. Then move to Jerusalem and destroy the dome of the rock, Them on to Mecca. This would silence extremeist talk for thousands of years. US should continue 100% support for their (Israeli) actions. This would End Islamic terrorism once and for all. God Bless Israel and The United States!!!

[cbk16]

This conflict will continue as long as the Children are taught to hate the other. It has been non-stop war since the 1940''s. The Palestinians all want to return to Israel, however, are all the Arab countries willing to give land to the 1 million Jews they kicked out of their counties over the last 60 years?

[lovegetpeace]

Posted by BagdadsHere9 at 06:29 PM : Jan 07, 2009

Israel wants Hamas to stop the rockets. Hamas wants Israel to stop the Blockade. Israel wants Hamas to publicly accept Israel Right to Exist.

Yasser Arafat 3 times publicly accepted Israel Right to Exist. The last time in 1999, there were about 200 Jewish Settlements on the West Bank. Today, there are over 800 Jewish Settlements and countring on the West Bank.

If Hamas accepts Israel Right to Exist, Israel will makeup another UnAcceptable demand to continue it Terrorism on Palestine.

Any Smart Rebuttal?

[lovegetpeace]

Posted by cbk16 at 06:30 PM : Jan 07, 2009

Funny how you comment on Israelis kicked out and nothing about 4.6 Millions Palestanians forced out of their Homes and Lands without Compensations so far since May 15, 1948.

I see you folks are smart but why shameful about spelling out the other parts of this conflict? Are you folks Intimidated by the Israel Lobby?

[lovegetpeace]

Posted by jbrown88881 at 06:36 PM : Jan 07, 2009

bla bla bla. All I see is Hate. I am not surprised how much they still hate us until death 60 years later.

[closethippy1]

"Israel, as the militarily superior power, ought to take the first steps: Implementing a massive Marshall Plan in Gaza and in the West Bank to end poverty and unemployment, rebuilding infrastructure and encouraging investment, dismantling the settlements or making settlers become citizens of a Palestinian state, accepting 30,000 Palestinian refugees annually back into Israel for the next 30 years, apologizing for its role in the 1948 expulsions and offering to coordinate a worldwide compensation effort for all that Palestinians lost during the occupation and, finally, by recognizing a Palestinian state within borders already defined by the Geneva Accord of 2003.
It breaks my heart to see how easy it is to pervert Judaism into a message of hatred and domination. This is why I remain in mourning for Israel."

Written by Rabbi Michael Lerner, chief editor of Tikkun Magazine.

[lovegetpeace]

ABOUT West Bank, if there are 800 settlement as you say then the Palestinians who live there are living in harmony with Jews since they havent fired any rocket.

Posted by BagdadsHere9 at 06:48 PM : Jan 07, 2009

Have you ever seen how a Jewish Settlement is built?

No wonder America is in such a mess. Each Jewish Settlement is built with High concrete Retaining Walls and several Israelis Soldiers guarding the place 24x7.

You remind me of that embarrassing lady RowdyTex who makes up things conneniently just to satisfy her ideas.

[lovegetpeace]

Posted by Moderator672 at 06:45 PM : Jan 07, 2009

All Moderate Arabs will publicly say they Love Israel and America but Privately say they Hate Israel and America.

No wonder America got no respect as a moderator.

[toolmangler-2009]

this whole thing started as a squabble between two brothers a long time ago and has been escalating ever since

[lovegetpeace]

"Israel, as the militarily superior power,..."

Posted by closethippy1 at 06:47 PM : Jan 07, 2009

After 60 plus years, Israel cannot eliminate the Weakest Military in the World Hezbollah, Hamas and Palestine.

After 7 years, the Greatest Military Power in the World USA cannot eliminate the Weakest Miltary Powers in the World Taliban and Al-Qaeda.

Military Power means absolutely nothing. The High Moral Ground which Palestine got is more powerful.

[trapbreaker]

The Palestinian Authority will be there. Cool, they are the winners in this conflict.

[lovegetpeace]

"...If all Muslims took the Koran 100% literally they would not be here."

Posted by Moderator672 at 07:02 PM : Jan 07, 2009

If all the Christians and Jews in 1948 took the Bible and Tanakh, respectively, 100% literally Muslims would not be here.

[lovegetpeace]

Posted by Moderator672 at 07:07 PM : Jan 07, 2009

Keep Dreaming for another 60 years.

[jowand]

THE QUR''AN SAYS ISRAEL BELONGS TO THE JEWS:

"To Moses We [Allah] gave nine clear signs. Ask the Israelites how he [Moses] first appeared amongst them. Pharoah said to him: ''Moses, I can see that you are bewitched.'' ''You know full well,'' he [Moses] replied, ''that none but the Lord of the heavens and the earth has revealed these visible signs. Pharoah, you are doomed.''"

"Pharoah sought to scare them [the Israelites] out of the land [of Israel]: but We [Allah] drowned him [Pharoah] together with all who were with him. Then We [Allah] said to the Israelites: ''Dwell in this land [the Land of Israel]. When the promise of the hereafter [End of Days] comes to be fulfilled, We [Allah] shall assemble you [the Israelites] all together [in the Land of Israel]."

"We [Allah] have revealed the Qur''an with the truth, and with the truth it has come down. We have sent you [Muhammed] forth only to proclaim good news and to give warning."

[Qur''an, "Night Journey," chapter 17:100-104]

SHAYKH PROF. PALAZZI COMMENTS:

God wanted to give Avraham a double blessing, through Ishmael and through Isaac, and ordered that Ishmael''s descendents should live in the desert of Arabia and Isaac''s in Canaan.

The Qur''an recognizes the Land of Israel as the heritage of the Jews and it explains that, before the Last Judgment, Jews will return to dwell there. This prophecy has already been fulfilled

[lovegetpeace]

First, you need to stop confusing Palestine, Hamas and high moral ground. The West Bank or any other settlements are not being attacked. The Hamas movement, denounced by more than just Israel, is the main point of contention in Gaza.

Posted by LwyrsGnsMuny at 07:08 PM : Jan 07, 2009

1) Right now, the West Bank is been attached by more Jewish Settlements. Hamas is just a group of Palestine that DO NOT believe for one second that Accepting Israel Right to Exist to Resolve any conflicts with Israel.

2) The Conservative Right movement, denounced by more than just Moderate and Liberal Americans, is the main point of contention in the Middle-East.

[jowand]

Military Power means absolutely nothing. The High Moral Ground which Palestine got is more powerful.

Posted by lovegetpeace at 07:03 PM : Jan 07, 2009

The higher moral ground which Hamas is standing is a pile of dead Arab''s bodies which they are the cause of.

[lovegetpeace]

This prophecy has already been fulfilled

Posted by jowand at 07:15 PM : Jan 07, 2009

How many times per History in that part of the world?

[lovegetpeace]

Posted by jowand at 07:16 PM : Jan 07, 2009

...and of course you as a Kind, Good and Smart American got nothing to do with it.

[lovegetpeace]

Posted by LwyrsGnsMuny at 07:19 PM : Jan 07, 2009

Yes, how much?

[lovegetpeace]

Posted by LwyrsGnsMuny at 07:19 PM : Jan 07, 2009

Yes, how much?



ps...i was born in Yuma Arizona.

[jowand]

2) The Conservative Right movement, denounced by more than just Moderate and Liberal Americans, is the main point of contention in the Middle-East.

Posted by lovegetpeace at 07:16 PM : Jan 07, 2009
No it isn''t, Rahm Emanuel is a Jew, he served in the Israeli militarty and is Obama''s Chief of Staff. There are more Jews in the Democrat Party and promoters of Israel in the Democrat Party, than in the Republican Party including Conservatives.

[global_eye]

A real reason for hope in this dark hour....

Humanity is in the middle of "birth pangs" of a new era. A new age is dawning, which means new energies and thus modes of living will shape our society.

Look for an enlightened, world teacher to soon begin speaking to humanity about the need for new direction - to save and heal our planet, to save the millions starving in a world of plenty, to ignite a massive campaign for the rescue of the billions living stunted, forgotten lives...he his here to show us a way out of our crises.

Watch for this man...

www.WakeUpMankind.org

[lovegetpeace]

Posted by Moderator672 at 07:21 PM : Jan 07, 2009

The map I have is dated 80 Billions years B.C. where Arizona got a beach front.

[jowand]

How many times per History in that part of the world?

Posted by lovegetpeace at 07:17 PM : Jan 07, 2009

That post was from the Koran and the comment at the end was from a Muslim scholar. The Koran was written about 200 years after Mohammed, so you go figure your own timetable.

[lovegetpeace]

..and a bridge in Alaska.

Posted by LwyrsGnsMuny at 07:23 PM : Jan 07, 2009

Does it have a Bridge to Nowhere?

[lovegetpeace]

That post was from the Koran and the comment at the end was from a Muslim scholar. The Koran was written about 200 years after Mohammed, so you go figure your own timetable.

Posted by jowand at 07:24 PM : Jan 07, 2009

Fyi...the Christian Bible was written 348 years A.C.

[jowand]

Look for an enlightened, world teacher to soon begin speaking to humanity about the need for new direction - to save and heal our planet, to save the millions starving in a world of plenty, to ignite a massive campaign for the rescue of the billions living stunted, forgotten lives...he his here to show us a way out of our crises.

Watch for this man...

www.WakeUpMankind.org

Posted by global_eye at 07:23 PM : Jan 07, 2009

Another Jim Jones, Watchtower, Calypso Loui''?

[lovegetpeace]

Posted by Moderator672 at 07:25 PM : Jan 07, 2009

LOL! I see you are not that dumb like RowdyTex and others.

[lovegetpeace]

HAMAS ?? ;)

Posted by Moderator672 at 07:28 PM : Jan 07, 2009

Sure, let''s donate the entire State of Arizona to Hamas! You are so nice and kind!

[jowand]

That post was from the Koran and the comment at the end was from a Muslim scholar. The Koran was written about 200 years after Mohammed, so you go figure your own timetable.

Posted by jowand at 07:24 PM : Jan 07, 2009

Fyi...the Christian Bible was written 348 years A.C.

Posted by lovegetpeace at 07:26 PM : Jan 07, 2009

Sorry. Too many fragments of manuscripts and letters showing most the NT was written prior to 50 AD. So many that about 90 percent of the NT can be reconstructed from them.
"Evidence That Demands a Vedict" McDowell.

[lovegetpeace]

Posted by Moderator672 at 07:30 PM : Jan 07, 2009

You sound like a masculine unless you are a Lesbian.

[lovegetpeace]

Serioulsy speaking HAMAS wants one thing (imo).

A world with no Jews.

They could inherit Hawaii and be unhappy if there were 1 Jew living on the islands.

Posted by Moderator672 at 07:32 PM : Jan 07, 2009

Hamas is like me. I love all the Jews of the World but I hate all the Zionists of the World.

[jowand]

Hamas is like me. I love all the Jews of the World but I hate all the Zionists of the World.

Posted by lovegetpeace at 07:33 PM : Jan 07, 2009
+ report abuse

Full blown up Hamas member you are.

[jowand]

"Rahm Emanuel is a Jew,"

In your opinion will this influence Obama''''s opinions ?

Posted by Moderator672 at 07:37 PM : Jan 07, 2009

What do you think you sound like a Democrat?

[jowand]

I hate all religions of the world, but believe there is a creator of some sort.

Kinda Agnostic, definately not Atheist.

Posted by Moderator672 at 07:39 PM : Jan 07, 2009
+ report abuse

Latest version of evolution is, it, the universe, all came into being because of an inteligent causal agent.

[trapbreaker]

Hamas priorities: Short the Palestinian people on water, food, fuel, and medical supplies, but there is no shortage of rockets.

What were they smuggling in all those tunnels? You got it, rockets, not food, not water, not medical supplies. Hamas priorities.

.

[brannigon]

Well, here we go again with more "peace talks" that will only be broken! Nothing is going to change until they stop hating each other! What a waste.

[jowand]

Go figure..

Posted by Moderator672 at 07:49 PM : Jan 07, 2009
+ report abuse

I didn''t vote for either of them. both parties are so corrupt and centered around special interest groups. The media has become the wh@re for one party. Republican are corrupt and spinless, Democrats are corrupt and shameless.
Do believe either party is going to ditch Israel over Hamas or Hizbollah. Don''t believe Obama is going to change foreign policy one iota. Talk is cheap and flowing at election time, but it takes good money to buy real whiskey.

[jowand]

The "party of Sensible Decisions"

No wait, we would probably win. lol !

Posted by Moderator672 at 07:58 PM : Jan 07, 2009

Yeah:-), it would be as bad as the two we have in about 10 years maybe less. There something about politics that makes it attract so many lying bottom feeders.

[jowand]

Republican are corrupt and spinless, Democrats are corrupt and shameless.

Posted by jowand at 07:56 PM : Jan 07, 2009

Attribute shameless to the Republicans and spineless to the Democrats and I''''ll buy the whole post.

Posted by LwyrsGnsMuny at 08:00 PM : Jan 07, 2009

I look at Pelosi and Reid and think shamless, I look at McConnell and Boehner and think spineless.

[jowand]

Good point, afterall it was the Democratic majority that voted for the silly bailouts. Add that to a goofball Prez and we have what we have.

Huge dumb bills for taxpayers to cover.

Posted by Moderator672 at 08:02 PM : Jan 07, 2009
It seams we have more to come with the 1 trillion dollar package Obama wants to create 3 million new jobs. It works out at about 250,000 per job to create a 30,000 dollar job, really stupid. 600,000 new goverment jobs and entitlements that will never go away. And now they are talking about us having trillion dollar deficit for year to come.
They would be better just writing everyone a check out of the 1 trillion and let us spend it.

[closethippy1]

75% of Gazans are refugees. In other words, they are the people and the descendants of the people on whose land Israeli Jews are living on.
The nightmare these Gazans have lived with for over 60 years can''t go on in the same way the nightmares of the Nazis, or the Crusaders, or slavery couldn''t go on forever.
Eventually, the good wins over the bad which is, after all, one of the few redeemable values humans have.
Ironically, by engaging Gaza in the most savage way Israel and the US have created a bond between them and their victims. It is this bond that will make the Jewish state and their fanatical supporters in the US come to their senses and justice ultimately prevail.

[jsd330]

Huge dumb bill for taxpayers to cover.
posted by jowand

But Foreign aid is OK, like the 3 billion a year to israel.

[closethippy1]

Israel, as the militarily superior power, ought to take the first steps: Implementing a massive Marshall Plan in Gaza and in the West Bank to end poverty and unemployment, rebuilding infrastructure and encouraging investment, dismantling the settlements or making settlers become citizens of a Palestinian state, accepting 30,000 Palestinian refugees annually back into Israel for the next 30 years, apologizing for its role in the 1948 expulsions and offering to coordinate a worldwide compensation effort for all that Palestinians lost during the occupation and, finally, by recognizing a Palestinian state within borders already defined by the Geneva Accord of 2003.
It breaks my heart to see the terrible suffering in Gaza. As a religious Jew it hurts me to see how easy it is to pervert the loving message of Judaism into a message of hatred and domination. This is why I remain in mourning for the Jewish people, for Israel and for the world.

Written by Rabbi Michael Lerner, chief editor of Tikkun Magazine.

[jowand]

I am independent, but would be hard-core Repub if it just meant the fiscal conservancy it originally meant.

Now it''''s social conservancy, and I think that''''s too much poking into peoples'''' lives, imho.

Posted by slownewsdaze at 08:12 PM : Jan 07, 2009

Rep''s talk fiscal conservatism but don''t practice it unless a Democrat is in the Whitehouse.
Both parties have their own brand of social activism, you can''t legislate anyones brand of morality.

[caldwellptr]

Hamas is like me. I love all the Jews of the World but I hate all the Zionists of the World.
Posted by lovegetpeace at 07:33 PM : Jan 07, 2009

You must be one of those hate the sin but love the sinner type persons.

[jowand]

Huge dumb bill for taxpayers to cover.
posted by jowand

But Foreign aid is OK, like the 3 billion a year to israel.

Posted by jsd330 at 08:16 PM : Jan 07, 2009

I didn''t post those words on here.
We give about 2 billon to Eygpt every year, better than them trying to kill each other every 10 to 15 years.

[jsd330]

Hey morphndol8 What the h_ell are you trying to say?

[caldwellptr]

I think it has been well established here that money can not buy happiness.