Security Council discussing Gaza tonight

This news from the BBC is good. The SC will meet at the request of the Arab League Foreign Ministers who,

    want a binding UN resolution to ensure an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and a lifting of the Israeli blockade of the territory.

It is an excellent demand. The people of Gaza are suffering hell now, and their neighbors in southern Israel are living in some degree of fear.
There should be an immediate, binding ceasefire with, as requested, a lifting of the siege of gaza under terms carefully negotiated to ensure that

    (a) The people of Gaza can be reconnected with the global economy from which they’ve been cut off for three years– or actually, much more; and
    (b) This opening occurs under a UN-run verification regime that ensures that Gaza does not become host to any offensive military forces at all.

The people of Gaza would also need credible international guarantees of their physical security from any renewed Israeli assaults.
The need for a negotiated ceasefire is urgent. All members of the international community should be required to support the push for it by undertaking not to ship any weapons to either Hamas or Israel until they agree to it. Other sanctions could also be applied against the warring parties until they agree to a ceasefire.
Of course, Hamas is already subject to heavy international sanctions. If they agree to a ceasefire on the terms outlined above– including the complete and verified demilitarization of Gaza– then those sanctions should be lifted.

10 thoughts on “Security Council discussing Gaza tonight”

  1. Yes, its excellent. Israeli FM Livni has already said she has no need for a ceasefire. Britain has called for an immediate cease-fire for days. So has France, others. Does one really believe that Israel will be contained into accepting a ceasefire, in spite of the fact this its own people are suffering as well? Astonishing as to Livni’s arrogance (to state this while touring rocketed Beersheva), perhaps left over from her Sharonist days? Its interesting that Rice leaves the international stage impotent to implement her own demands for a ceasefire, while rage is being displayed across the globe. Its amazing, and frankly frightening, that this level of global unrest matters very little. Astonishing actually.

  2. It is utter disgust.
    What is the goal of this latest massacre ?
    If there is anything so far the israelis achieved is the number of Palestinians they’ve killed, this is called savagery, the number of Palestinians they’ve maimed, this called brutality, and the number of children they have turned into orphans, war criminals should be brought to justice, not left to wage wars every few years, destroy infrastructures, free spree killing by the thousands, turning people into esitute the latest UNRWA report states that Palestinians are digging into bins lik Americans for food, they are begging on the streets for money, WHY do Is it a crime to question The Holocaust, And not a crime to leave the Zionists and their supporters to kill and occupy and build settlements in addition to depriving 6 MILLION Palestinians their freedom ?
    Eradicating them slowly but surely!
    Tell me what is the difference between a Nazi and a Zionist, the difference between the Warsaw and the Jews, Gaza and the Palestinians.

  4. Of course, Hamas is already subject to heavy international sanctions. If they agree to a ceasefire on the terms outlined above– including the complete and verified demilitarization of Gaza– then those sanctions should be lifted.
    Helena could you tell us why are you feeling confident that the case?
    We see it in Iraq when UN inspectors tell the SC that Iraq did cooperates…what happened then?
    While N. Korea have her name lifted from US terrorists States even they have not comply with US demands or I don’t know UN requests.
    So let put it in plain words here is the dram of double standard when it comes to ME specially Palestine and Israel.
    Finally I think this war and its massive looses for Palestinians in Gaza its not these three or ten days it’s the aftermath of the war and what people lives and their loses parents kids and homes and most importantly public services and all of that.
    We seen this with Iraq the war last few weeks but what we end is FIVE Millions Iraqi orphans on the streets without any support, we got hindered of thousands of widows who lost their partner struggling with their life and their kids, we seen Iraq after six long years power water and other public services struggle to come to normality despite billions of oil we here and their that Iraqi oil revenue which setting in US banks as required by UN regulations.
    So look to the big picture will fold after the peace settle and see how this 1.5 Millions will suffer and how long their suffering last.

  5. It seems that the IAF has pretty much chopped the head off of Gazan Hamas, but Hamas reportedly remains well entrenched in the ultra-dense urban terrain, and would seem to have no shortage of those state-of-the-art ground-to-ground guided missiles – shaheeds.
    So by entering Gaza on the ground, Israel would suffer some more casualties and probably lose some hostages, but ultimately regain the territorial position that self-hating Ariel Sharon abandoned in 2005.
    This passes for progress in the Bush-Olmert era.

  6. appears the news is no longer so good; security council could not act because of veto threats from US and UK. According to the same BBC link, (content changed), the US said the draft resolution was unbalanced….
    More of the same.

  7. Izzy Air Force can’t shoot straight, existentially speaking:
    I saw this clip several times on BBC World News as proof of “precise strikes taking out Hamas rocket launchers”a la pics of the Gulf War. Thanks to B’tselem, those ter’rists were teenagers loading gas cylinders into a truck.
    http://tinyurl.com/8mmlhm

  8. getting really bizarre in the msm. Israeli (e.g. US) missile kills this and that Hamas “leader” (the phrase used is “militant” or “terrorist”)… and his family (children) gets killed with him.
    And the onus for the death of women and children is placed on the victim — the “martyrdom seeking terrorist” for sleeping in his own home.
    Hats off to NYT correspondent (el-Hadarri) who dares to call a spade a spade on CNN — this is a war on Palestinian civilians. (she got cut off in mid-sentence)

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