By Judi McLeod ——Bio and Archives--July 24, 2014
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“Egypt has proposed a cease-fire plan that is backed by the U.S. and Israel but has been rejected by Hamas. (CBS) “The proposal calls for a 48 hour halt in fighting followed by intensive talks, explains CBS News correspondent Margaret Brennan, who is traveling with Kerry. In turning thumbs down on the plan, she says, Hamas insisted it it wouldn’t stop firing unless Gaza’s closed border with Egypt is opened to allow in food and medical aid and let some trapped Palestinian civilians out. But, Brennan notes, both the Israelis and the Egyptians fear that would enable Hamas to smuggle in more weapons. “Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri said Tuesday’s talks were focused “to not only resolve this issue, but also to set in motion once again the peace process that Secretary Kerry has been so actively involved in so as to end this ongoing conflict between the Palestinians and the Israelis.”Kerry’s so-called “sheer will” to achieve a cease-fire agreement in the Gaza strip has shown no evidence of progress in ongoing negotiations aimed at halting fighting that’s left 31 Israelis and 650 Palestinians dead. How serious would Hamas terrorists take a mealy-mouthed cease-fire peacemaker in league with the United Nations when one already handed them over $47 million and the other--inadvertently or not-- provided two schools for weapon stashing? Hamas doesn’t fear the “sheer will” of empty suit rhetoric but the sheer reminder of an el Sisi who put the Muslim Brotherhood on the run.
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