It Would Be A Great Ceasefire If Israel Didn't Get In The Way Of The Rockets

Cease-fire: a suspension of active hostilities
Websters Online Dictionary

An earlier post this week, New York Times: 600+ Rockets And Missiles Fired Into Israel by Hamas = Cease Fire, looked at how loosely The New York Times defined a "cease fire".

But let's face it: The New York Times is neither the only one nor the first to report a truce in the midst of rockets, mortars and bombs--you can see the same tactic at work back in 2005.

This is how the media covered a cease-fire agreed to by Sharon and Abbas in February 2005 as a preparation for Israeli withdrawals:

• February 8, CBS: Sharon, Abbas Hail Cease-Fire
  
  
• March 4, Baltimore Chronicle: The Israeli/Palestinian Cease Fire "...The Israeli/Palestinian cease-fire is cause for celebration".
  
  
• April 25, USA Today: Abbas Mired In Struggle ..."Mr. Abbas has succeeded in forging a crucial cease-fire between Israel and Palestinian militants. In March and April, there have been no Israeli fatalities, the longest such stretch since the intifada started in 2000."
  
  
• May 22, Seattle Times: Hamas to renew Gaza cease-fire, Palestinians say: "...Palestinian militants of Hamas have agreed in talks with the Palestinian Authority to stop mortar and rocket attacks on Israeli settlements and towns near the Gaza Strip, apparently restoring a three-month cease-fire, a Palestinian official said yesterday."
  
  
• June 2, CBS: Israel Frees Palestinian Prisoners "...Israel freed the 398 prisoners under a cease-fire agreement reached four months ago, with the aim of strengthening moderate Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas."
  
  
• July 6, New York Times: Investing in Gaza "...The Palestine Securities Exchange, located in the West Bank town of Nablus, has skyrocketed since the Israeli-Palestinian cease-fire went into effect in February."
  
  
• August 29, Fox News: Palestinian Groups Say They're Committed to Cease-Fire: "...Palestinian militant groups told an Egyptian envoy Monday they remained committed to a cease-fire with Israel, a day after a suicide bomber blew himself up outside an Israeli bus station, Palestinian officials said."
  
  
• September 10, USA Today: Israel pledges tough reaction to attacks from Gaza: "...While Israel has in the past used airstrikes and tank assaults against militants, it declared a policy of relative restraint after a February cease-fire."
  
  
• October 6, Arab News: Abbas Set to Meet Sharon Next Week: "...Sharon and Abbas held their first summit in February, soon after Abbas was elected to succeed late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, and declared a cease-fire which paved the way for the Israeli withdrawals."
  
  
• November 23, Jewish World Review: The Blame Game Continues: If there were no Palestinian terrorist attacks on Israel — and the terror groups were not using the Israeli withdrawal and cease-fire to strengthen their "military positions" — then there would be no Israeli demands for tight controls on the borders.
  
  
• December 12, Arab News: Editorial: Cease-Fire Under Threat: "...An announcement from the political leader of the Palestinian activist group Hamas, Khaled Meshaal, has raised some serious concerns about the future of the peace process. The disturbing announcement is that Hamas will not renew its cease-fire with Israel which expires at the end of the year. "

But in 2005 there were a total of 29 Palestinian terrorist attacks in 2005 resulting in 57 Israeli deaths and 281 injuries. If we count just those terrorist attacks after the 'truce' there were 23 terrorist attacks in 2005 resulting in 46 deaths and 260 injuries.[see chart with dates and descriptions]

In addition to the terrorist attacks, during 2005 Palestinian terrorists fired 197 Kassams, 281 mortars and 1 Grad rocket into Israel.

Throughout 2005, the media was so enthralled with the idea of a cease-fire, that the terrorist attacks stopped being the focus. Instead, according to the media, there was a ceasefire during the year--and they would report on the rockets and terrorists attacks that occurred during the cease-fire. It never seemed to occur to the media that the continued rockets, mortars and terrorist attacks throughout the year demonstrated that the cease-fire was a sham and never actually existed.

By the time The New York Times decided that you can have a cease-fire in the midst of 600+ rockets and mortars being fired into Israel--the path had been well prepared.

This may be a sign of the media's optimism and hope for peace--but it is an insult to the people who live with the threat of terrorism.

Technorati Tag: Palestinian Terrorism and Gaza and Hamas.