Subscribe to Print Edition | Sat., March 08, 2008 Adar2 2, 5768 | | Israel Time: 11:38 (EST+7) web haaretz.com   Back to Homepage Rosner's Domain Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Advertising Books Arts & Leisure Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert at a security cabinet meeting. (Archives) Last update - 20:10 05/03/2008 Cabinet to IDF: Continue operations to halt rocket fire By Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondent, and Haaretz Service Tags: Israel, Ashkelon, Qassam  Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip fired ten rockets at southern Israel on Wednesday, as the security cabinet met in Jerusalem and voted to press onward with military operations against Hamas. Eight Qassam rockets slammed into open areas in the western Negev and two rockets exploded inside Palestinian territory. There were no reports of injuries or damage in any of the attacks. Two mortar shells were also fired at Israel. The military operations will continue to target areas from which rockets are fired as well as terrorist organizations and Hamas institutions in the Strip, and specific targets will be approved by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Defense Minister Ehud Barak, and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni. Advertisement The primary objectives of the operation are to end the rocket fire and other terror activity in Gaza, reduce arms smuggling through the Gaza-Egypt border in cooperation with Cairo, advance peace talks with the Palestinian Authority, undermine Hamas' rule in the Strip, accelerate assistance to the home front, and avoid a humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The security cabinet decision, as conveyed by the Prime Minister's Bureau, does not mention increased military operations or a major invasion of the Gaza Strip. Olmert said the operations in the Strip would continue as long as Qassam rocket fire persists. Ramon abstains, urges unilateral declaration of cease-fire Vice Premier Haim Ramon abstained in the vote, saying the decision amounts to doing "more of the same." Ramon instead proposed that Israel declare a unilateral cease-fire in Gaza. "We should gather all the foreign ambassadors and the press and announce that we are halting our fire," he said. "We should also announce that we are resuming fuel and electricity supplies to Gaza, but warn that if even one Qassam is fired we will shoot at the source of the fire, and again begin reducing the supplies. This will give Israel a public relations victory and fully legitimize any [military] action." "Either we do that or we will be forced to reoccupy the Strip an pay a much higher humanitarian price," he said. Defense Minister agreed with Ramon's comments that Israel should fire at the source of the rocket fire, saying it the Israel Defense Forces should shoot at least one artillery shell each time. Related articles: Palestinians: IDF kills infant, top Islamic Jihad man in S. Gaza ANALYSIS: Hamas wants lull in Gaza, but only on its own terms 10 Palestinians killed, 4 troops hurt in ongoing Gaza offensive Bookmark to del.icio.us   Hunting journalists Who leaked the details of a CIA-Mossad plot against Iran? Farming organic At Or-Gani, Israel's organic revolution is taking on new forms.   1.   Rice&Olmert conspire together to make Israelis into dhimmis 12:34  |  Absolute Sweden 05/03/08   2.   Five rockets, two of them Katyushas:state of war 12:38  |  theolive-branch.org 05/03/08   3.   Abbas call on Hamas to talk to Israel 12:51  |  theolive-branch.org 05/03/08   4.   Two week old baby 13:04  |  Nik Miller 05/03/08   5.   Two week old baby 13:04  |  Nik Miller 05/03/08   6.   HAMAS CLAIMS VICTORY?? 13:57  |  Mike 05/03/08   7.   Balls-less Barak like Olmert thinking only on political career 14:04  |  soldier 05/03/08   8.   IT WAS A WRONG TARGET 14:11  |  indrajaya 05/03/08   9.   Crocodile tears from Podge, who blames the victim # 4 14:31  |  Clickfool 05/03/08   10.   # 8, I MEAN "JERUSALEM" 14:48  |  indrajaya 05/03/08   11.   everybody is happy! 14:52  |  rico 05/03/08   12.   More lies from half-man 15:26  |  NIk Miller 05/03/08   13.   Give Condie a brief 15:43  |  Shimshon 05/03/08   14.   #8 indrajaya - I agree with you 15:46  |  * BEN JABO 05/03/08   15.   #9, no crocodile, whose victims? 15:50  |  Paul Freedman 05/03/08   16.   Why don`t Barak and Ramon take up residence in sderot 15:54  |  Nuchem 05/03/08   17.   A Joke 16:13  |  Ron 05/03/08   18.   6 objectives 16:16  |  yoraid 05/03/08   19.   And if it had been a Jewish 2-week old baby? 16:33  |  Don Camillo 05/03/08   20.   indrajaya # 8 your right,it was the wrong target,your house would 17:51  |  terrornator 05/03/08   21.   indrajaya # 10 i haven`t changed my mind your 17:52  |  terrornator 05/03/08   22.   Ramon 17:52  |  MR 05/03/08   23.   don camillo # 19 do you have definate proof of whoes bullet 17:57  |  terrornator 05/03/08   24.   don Camillo clickfools `peace` means ME without Israel 18:26  |  infidel 05/03/08   25.   Complicity. 18:37  |  Jean Van Daem 05/03/08   26.   don`t stop till you get enough. kill all hamas for peace. 18:53  |  frenz 05/03/08   27.   ramon we already did that. were you not awake? 21:27  |  ralph 05/03/08   28.   ramon we already did that. were you not awake? 21:27  |  ralph 05/03/08   29.   ramon we already did that. were you not awake? 21:27  |  ralph 05/03/08

Today Online Bradley Burston: To the Westerner who 'understands' terrorist Responses: 411 A. Issacharoff: Gazans see yeshiva attack as unusual achievement Responses: 193 U.S.: Peace talks must go on despite Jerusalem massacre Responses: 226 Yossi Sarid: Yasser Arafat is dead, but his curse lives on Responses: 51 Rosner's Domain Whose Jerusalem Is It, anyway? Poll: Should Abbas and Olmert continue their talks? An Israeli and a crocodile (WTR) The Israel Factor: What's wrong with Obama? Rosner's Mailbox: Stop focusing on Israel's favorability polls More Headlines 09:47 U.S.: Peace talks must go on despite J'lem massacre 04:15 Yeshiva head: J'lem shooting is continuation of 1929 massacre 07:25 IDF arrests three Palestinians who threw bombs at settlement 05:45 Hamas says yeshiva attack 'normal response' to IDF Gaza op 06:02 Dichter: E. J'lem Arabs involved in militant activity should be expelled 11:12 Putin - Not so much pro-Jewish as free from anti-Semitism 00:27 Leon Greenman, only Briton held at Auschwitz, dies at 97 05:07 Carter, Annan to lead peace delegation to Middle East next month 09:44 Four people killed in car accidents across Israel over the weekend 06:59 UN human rights chief, Israel critic, to step down after one term 21:20 Jordan's Abdullah warns failure of Israel-PA peace talks may boost Iran 04:26 Lieberman: Jerusalem attack is product of Arab MK incitement Previous Editions Select Day 07 mar 06 mar 05 mar 04 mar 03 mar 02 mar 29 feb 28 feb 27 feb 26 feb 25 feb 24 feb

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