Israel 'ready for escalation' of Gaza conflict

[Coatimundi]

The ceasefire talks in Egypt are not going well. Hamas wants Israeli and Egyptian blockades of Gaza lifted, as well as the establishment of a seaport and airport, as part of any enduring halt to violence. Israel has little interest in sweeping concessions, and wants to make sure that any loosening of border restrictions does not result in an influx of military supplies.

Israel would also like to see the disarming of the militant groups in Gaza. However, a Hamas negotiator in Egypt said that such a thing is not even on the table. So an impasse seems to have been reached.

“The way it is looking now, I think that we will not reach a deal,” Israeli Communications Minister Gilad Erdan, a member of Netanyahu’s security cabinet, told Channel 10 News.

reuters.com/article/2014/08/17/us-mideast-gaza-idUSKBN0GH09V20140817

 

[Coatimundi]

Traffic on the rail line between Sderot and Ashkelon has been suspended out of concern that a train might be targeted.

Israel Railways said Sunday it would close its train line between Sderot and Ashkelon until further notice, due to fears that trains could be targeted with anti-tank missiles from the Gaza Strip.

The move was ordered by the Defense Ministry following the recent conflict in Gaza and came following fears of renewed violence there, as a temporary truce between Israel and Hamas was set to end with no signs of a ceasefire deal being reached.
timesofisrael.com/sderot-trains-halted-until-further-notice/

Here is a map showing the rail line. The border of Gaza is visible to the left of Sderot. The map seems to indicate that the Ashkelon-Sderot portion of the rail line opened this year.

 

[GaryTaylor]

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The current five-day cease-fire ends at midnight (2100 GMT) Monday but Ziad Nakhleh, head of the Islamic Jihad faction within the Palestinian delegation in Cairo, said he expects it to be extended if a deal is not reached by then.

“The war is behind us now,” he told the AP. “We are not returning to war.”

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CAIRO – The Palestinians appeared divided Sunday as the clock was winding down on the latest Gaza cease-fire, with officials saying Hamas was still opposed to a compromise Egyptian proposal that would ease the closure of the territory, while other factions, including delegates representing President Mahmoud Abbas, were inclined to accept.

Hamas officials said they were holding out in hopes of getting more concessions in the Egyptian-mediated talks. With a temporary truce set to expire late Monday,