Mayhem
Banned
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/21/israel-gaza-conflict-cease-fire_n_2171272.html
Israel and Hamas have agreed to a cease-fire in the week-old conflagration in Gaza that has left more than a hundred dead and many more wounded.
The halt in hostilities was announced during a Wednesday press conference in Cairo, Egypt, by the Egyptian foreign minister Mohammed Kamel Amr. He was joined by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who has spent the past 18 hours engaged in a whirlwind tour of diplomacy in a hasty attempt to reach a peace deal.
The cease-fire is set to take effect at 9 p.m. Cairo time, or 2 p.m. EST. More than 140 Palestinians, and five Israelis, have been killed in the conflict, which was almost entirely conducted by airstrike, rocket and drone.
Egyptian mediators told Reuters that Hamas believes it has won "guarantees" from the Israeli government to stop assassinating its leaders, and to ease the way for Palestinians to move across the borders of the Gaza Strip. Israelis say that if the rocket fire from Gaza does not stop, they hold the right to redouble their military strikes in the future.
The brokered deal appears to be a major diplomatic coup for the U.S. and for Egypt, whose role in the Middle East has been in question ever since a revolution led to the rise of an Islamist government more sympathetic to Hamas.
For the U.S., the resolution, at least temporarily, of the conflict marks a signature achievement in the early moments of President Barack Obama's second term.
After appearing for several days to remain aloof from the crisis, pausing amid a tour of Asian nations only to offer words of support for Israel and its "right to defend itself," Obama ended up devoting substantial time to numerous phone calls with both Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Obama later dispatched Clinton to the region, where she met with officials in Israel late Tuesday night before traveling to the West Bank and Cairo on Wednesday. Clinton had been traveling with Obama on the Asia tour, thought to be one of her last major foreign trips as secretary of state.
American officials consistently said they were seeking a "de-escalation" of the crisis, but in a briefing on Obama's final call with Netanyahu, they noted that Obama had "recommended" that Netanyahu accept the Egyptian proposal. The briefing offered the first open indication that the president had put pressure on his Israeli counterpart to accept a cease-fire.
Full Text: Israel-Hamas Peace Agreement
Agreement of Understanding For a Ceasefire in the Gaza Strip
1: (no title given for this section)
A. Israel should stop all hostilities in the Gaza Strip land, sea and air including incursions and targeting of individuals.
B. All Palestinian factions shall stop all hostilities from the Gaza Strip against Israel including rocket attacks and all attacks along the border.
C. Opening the crossings and facilitating the movements of people and transfer of goods and refraining from restricting residents' free movements and targeting residents in border areas and procedures of implementation shall be dealt with after 24 hours from the start of the ceasefire.
D. Other matters as may be requested shall be addressed.
2: Implementation mechanisms:
A. Setting up the zero hour for the ceasefire understanding to enter into effect.
B. Egypt shall receive assurances from each party that the party commits to what was agreed upon.
C. Each party shall commit itself not to perform any acts that would breach this understanding. In case of any observations Egypt as the sponsor of this understanding shall be informed to follow up.
President Obama spoke to President Morsi today. The President thanked President Morsi for his efforts to achieve a sustainable ceasefire and for his personal leadership in negotiating a ceasefire proposal. President Morsi expressed appreciation for President Obama’s efforts in this regard.
President Obama and President Morsi agreed on the importance of working toward a more durable solution to the situation in Gaza.
President Obama reaffirmed the close partnership between the United States and Egypt, and welcomed President Morsi's commitment to regional security.
President Obama spoke to Prime Minister Netanyahu today and reiterated his commitment to Israel’s security.
The President made clear that no country can be expected to tolerate rocket attacks against civilians.
The President expressed his appreciation for the Prime Minister’s efforts to work with the new Egyptian government to achieve a sustainable ceasefire and a more durable solution to this problem.
The President commended the Prime Minister for agreeing to the Egyptian ceasefire proposal – which the President recommended the Prime Minster do – while reiterating that Israel maintains the right to defend itself.
The President said that the United States would use the opportunity offered by a ceasefire to intensify efforts to help Israel address its security needs, especially the issue of the smuggling of weapons and explosives into Gaza.
The President said that he was committed to seeking additional funding for Iron Dome and other US-Israel missile defense programs.
