Cease Fire, Cease Fire, Unload, Clear and Lock

Israel has agreed to a 3-day truce which Hamas says it also has agreed to--that remains to be seen. The senior Fatah official who heads the Palestinian delegation has confirmed the agreement from their side, while Israel is saying they accepted the "unconditional" cease-fire only after all the terror tunnels have been destroyed by the IDF. The cease-fire is to begin on Tuesday at 8:00 a.m.

Israel is prepared for Hamas to violate the cease-fire; they would be crazy not to be ready for what has become a joke in the terror industry. They said that if the cease-fire is honored this time, the IDF forces would no longer be needed in the Gaza Strip.

Azzam al-Ahmed, the head of the Palestinian delegation to the Cairo talks on a cease-fire formula, confirmed that a cease-fire would begin on Tuesday morning and would last 72 hours. At that time, Israel and Palestinian officials would hold indirect talks in Cairo about the truce. These talks have to be indirect because the sight of an Israeli Jew to a Muslim Palestinian would cause a fight. Just saying.

Ziad al-Nakhaleh, the deputy head of Islamic Jihad and a member of the delegation said on TV that the Egyptians had demonstrated "great understanding" for the demands of the Palestinians regarding the cease-fire. In fact, Ziad planned to "high-five" the Egyptian in charge of the discussion once the Israelis stopped shooting back.

Palestine demands call for an immediate cease-fire and a lifting of the siege on the Gaza Strip. They also want a reopening of all border crossings, international assurances that Israel will refrain from launching military attacks, (even if Hamas shoots first) and for the UN's help in rebuilding the Gaza Strip. And since we're at it, they said, it would be imperative that they have an airport, and what the heck, a seaport and um . . . free passage between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, and nobody should look in their cars or trucks when they cross.

Binyamin Netanyahu offered to hand over the plans for the Iron Dome and to immediately dismantle the entire system if Hamas promises to play nice. John Kerry, Secretary of Large Hair, smiled and said he liked Bibi's proposal.

But seriously, Bibi said, "We have no intention of harming Gaza civilians, and those harming them are for all intents and purposes Hamas, which also denies them access to humanitarian aid. I think the international community needs to roundly condemn Hamas and demand, as we are, that the rehabilitation of Gaza will be linked to its demilitarization." 

Cross your fingers but keep your powder dry, this is not over for a long shot.

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