Econintersect: Earlier on Sunday evening Stratfor was reporting ion rumors that progress had occurred in cease-fire talks between Hamas and Israel. But by the early morning hours Monday 20 Novemeber 2012 they were reporting that there had been an apparent breakdown in the talks. The new speculation was that Israel might be contemplating expanding the conflict by entering into ground troop operations in Gaza. The current conflict is not the first to produce extensive damage in Gaza. Click on the picture below to see a larger image and read about destruction in military action in early 2009.
The talks that have broken down were not face to face, but through Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi acting as an intermediary between the Israeli government, Khled Meshaal, Hamas leader, and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad leader Ramadan Abdullah Shallah.
Stratfor also reports that Turkey is trying to get involved in resolving the conflict.
An article in USA Today says that the blame game in the Middle East is divided along Jewish and Arabic lines. One common thread in the Arabic press is that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is posturing to garner support for his party in national elections coming up in January. The Israeli press is emphasizing the postion that the Palestinians have provoked the conflict with missile firings into Israel.
Sources:
- Rumors on Gaza Cease-Fire (Stratfor)
- Israel: An Expanding Operation (Stratfor)
- Parsing Gains of Gaza War (Ethan Bronner, The New York Times, 18 January 2009)
- Opinionline: Blame for Gaza war not clear (USA Today, 18 November 2012)
