SURRENDERING THE BATTLEFIELD:

Hamas Says Will Fight On Unless Demands Met (Javno, 1/17/09)

Hamas will fight on in Gaza against an Israeli offensive unless its demands are met, the Islamist group said on Saturday, indicating it would ignore a unilateral ceasefire if declared by the Jewish state.

Speaking in Beirut, Hamas's representative in Lebanon, Osama Hamdan, told a forum, "Today the movement's delegation arrives in Cairo. And clearly, we have nothing new to offer... Either we hear what we have demanded or the result will be the continuation of confrontation on the ground."

Israel moves towards ceasefire (Nidal al-Mughrabi, 1/17/09, Reuters)

Israeli warplanes returned to the attack on the Gaza Strip before first light today as leaders of the Jewish state weighed a unilateral ceasefire.

Political sources said a decision could come by evening. The government of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert may declare a halt to the three-week-old offensive without concluding any deal with Hamas-led militants who control Gaza, they said.

It's all so painfully predictable and yet the Israelis keep making the same mistake and the neocons keep cheering them on.

Posted by Orrin Judd at January 17, 2009 8:22 AM