Richard Becker: Gaza Ceasefire: Palestine Holds Strong!!

A ceasefire agreement between the Hamas led Palestinian government in Gaza and Israel was announced today, Nov 21, in Cairo by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohammed Kamel Amr. Clinton made an emergency trip to the Middle East with the aim of brokering a truce, a clear sign of the Obama administration's fears that the continuation of the brutal Israeli assault on Gaza was endangering US imperialist interests in the region. Since Israel's latest intense bombing campaign began last week, Clinton, President Obama, and Republican and Democratic congressional leaders have repeatedly expressed all out support for the Israeli side, while pointedly ignoring far higher Palestinian casualties. The House of Representatives "passed" a resolution expressing its "unwavering commitment" to Israel. House Resolution 813 was introduced at 12:04 pm on Nov. 16, and declared adopted at 12:04 pm on the same day! Since Nov. 14, at least 146 Palestinians have been killed, more than 1,000 wounded, and much of Gaza's infrastructure and public facilities destroyed by a coordinated air, sea and land based bombardment. On the Israeli side, there have been five killed, and more than 100 wounded. To hear US officials talk, you would think it was the other way around, but despite their obscenely pro Israel rhetoric, it was also clear that Washington was fearful that a new Israeli ground invasion of Gaza might provoke rebellions in Egypt, Jordan and other neighboring Arab countries, and possibly lead to a wider war. Despite the death and destruction inflicted by Israel, and despite the fact that it has no air force, navy, armored units or anti aircraft defenses, the Palestinian forces have not been defeated. Virtually all news reports from inside Gaza reflect a strong determination to resist among the population. The terms of the temporary agreement reportedly call for a halt to the fighting, an end to Israeli targeted assassinations of Palestinian leaders, and undefined steps to lift the Israeli blockade that has inflicted massive suffering on the 1.6 million Palestinians in Gaza.