UPDATE:  Cease Fire Brokered - 3 Days of Violence

Nadene Goldfoot

Diplomats in Jerusalem and Cairo from the USA, France and Germany worked on a cease fire between the Gazan Hamas terrorists and Israel after 3 days of an escalated  total of 100 rockets  fired into southern Israel.  The PA were using violence to bolster their case for statehood, they said.  They want to control the borders.  I suppose they want a clear shot without bothering to be chased  by the Israeli border patrol.  Egypt brokered the agreement.  They had been ready to cease all agreements with Israel as well after 3 of their soldiers were killed when they were in the line of fire.  It has been soundly emphasized that Israel will only stop its airstrikes if the terrorists stop firing these missles, etc.  What can happen now is that this interim time will only give the terrorists a chance to reload.  That's what has happened in the past. 

Early Sunday morning Israel time, which is about 12 hours ahead of Portland, OR found a missile had hit an Israeli school that was empty and that thousands of people had to spend their time in bomb shelters.  The distance missiles and mortars can travel today is much farther than 5 years ago.  More towns and cities are in jeopardy. 

Interestingly, Iran was reported to oppose statehood for Palestine.  Their comments are always that of demolishing Israel completely.  I suppose they plan on doing something devastating and then the Arabs can have the whole area for themselves.  This is the Middle East.  It is hard to figure on the rational used by both Hamas and Fatah as well as Iran in this case.  It reminds me of the old joke:  An alligator met a scorpion who wanted to get on the other side of the river so asked for a piggy-back ride and the alligator agreed.  In the middle of the river the scorpion bit the alligator and both went down.  "Why did you do that for?  Now we'll both die!" lamented the alligator.  "I don't know why, hissed the scorpion.  I'm just a Middle East scorpion.  Go figure!"

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/08/21/gaza-militants-keep-up-rocket-fire-on-israel/