Break Free (Photo)

(Photo: Dave Bender)

Break Free. Photo shot of a sculpture located on the observation deck at Tel Aviv's swank Azrieli office towers. Security is tight there, due to the location, close to the Defense Ministry, and two guards approached me, asking for ID, and wondering what I was taking pictures of...

More photos of the office complex are here.

'Peace Breaking Out' Index: Ceasefire under the gun (Editorial Cartoon)

More about this:

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• Here.
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Olmert to Palestinians: 'I hold out my hand in peace'

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert speaking during a memorial
ceremony for David Ben-Gurion in the southern kibbutz
of Sde Boker on Monday. (AP)

Here is an excerpt of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's speech, given today in a memorial at the graveside of Israel's first Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion, at Kibbutz Sde Boker:

We started it the day before yesterday. We embarked on this path - and I hope that it will lead us forward towards the goal we all aspire to - peace, tranquility and mutual trust. We are ready and willing to pursue this path, and persevere until we reach the sought-after solution.

If a new Palestinian government is established - a government which will be committed to the principles of the Quartet, implement the road map and bring about the release of Gilad Shalit, I will invite Abu Mazen [Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas] to meet with me immediately, in order to conduct a real, open, genuine and serious dialogue between us.

(...) If you demonstrate the necessary determination and discipline, you will find in us a ready partner. The State of Israel is a powerful State. Do not be fooled by our internal differences, our political rivalries or the gloomy atmosphere which we sometimes project.

In a violent battle, we will prevail, even if it is lengthy and even if it claims many victims; even if it involves compromises on comfort or quality of living, the State of Israel has proven its strength in the past and is prepared for it today.

Do not put us to another test, which will involve many casualties and destruction, and which will lead to total hardship and despair.

Read the rest here.

'Peace breaking out' index: Kassams hammer Sderot

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V/O (1940's-style radio announcer): "And here's the latest 'Peace breaking out' index for Monday evening, November 27th - two days into the ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

Palestinians in Gaza again fired several Kassam rockets into nearby Sderot; there were no injuries or reported damage in the attack.

Meanwhile, as The Jerusalem Post reports:

Jenin Islamic Jihad leader, Mahmoud Al Saadi, threatened that his organization would carry out suicide bombings deep inside Israeli territory in response to Israeli violations of the cease-fire in the West Bank.

Al Saadi called on his counterparts in Gaza to reject the fledgling truce unless it covered all the Palestinian territories and warned that his group might launch a suicide attack on Israel.

And Haaretz informs us:

Israel Defense Forces troops in the West Bank shot dead at least one member of a militant group with ties to Gaza's Popular Resistance Committees early Monday, raising concerns that there could be a violent response from the Strip.

In the words of Omri at Mererhetoric:

Seriously, could we please do some sort of review of basic effing material existence here? A ceasefire does not "take hold" if there are multiple "Palestinian rocket attacks". That's not what ceasefire means, for crying. Out. Loud. That's the opposite of a ceasefire. That's "Israel not responding to Palestinian provocation"... maybe! But it's not a ceasefire, because - you see - fire hasn't ceased. It's just not what that word means.

SOUND UP: TELETYPE (under v/o)

This has been a "Peace breaking out" index update for Monday evening, November 27th. More background about the tremulous ceasefire is here.

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