The Israeli Invasion of Gaza: Updates (21 January)

See also: It's Morning in America: The Day after the Inauguration

12:10 a.m. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has reported to the UN Security Council after his trip to Gaza and Israel, and he's just a bit upset. Speaking about (or rather having his deputy speak, as Ban had lost his voice) the "several incidents of outrageous attacks against U.N. facilities," Ban said, "I expect to receive a full explanation of each incident and that those responsible will be held accountable for their actions."

This does not make up for the UN leadership's impotence in this conflict --- Ban admitted a "collective political failure" --- but at least it shows that, once he realised how badly Israel had damaged his facilities and threatened his staff, Ban could put his de facto support of Tel Aviv into a critical context.

10:20 p.m. Trying to counter Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni's courtship of European nations to join Israeli effort to isolate Hamas further, Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal has made his own appeal: "I tell European nations ... three years of trying to eliminate Hamas is enough. It is time for you to deal with Hamas, which has gained legitimacy through struggle."

Meshaal may have an opportunity. France, rather quietly, indicated Tuesday that it may be ready to talk to Hamas, even in advance of the organisation's recognition of Israel.



9:45 p.m. Israeli Prime Ministerial candidate and Minister of Defense Ehud Barak blows smoke: ""The IDF has drastically changed the unbearable reality in Israeli communities surrounding the Gaza Strip. This outstanding operation has increased Israel's deterrence in the entire region; the IDF's clear victory was the result of meticulous planning and skilled execution."

Even if you accept the red herring of stopping Hamas' rocket fire --- when regime change was the primary aim of the Israeli operation --- Israel is in the same position that it was, say, from June-October 2008. Politically, it is no better and, possibly, worse off.

8:45 p.m. Israeli Supreme Court has reversed the ban on two Arab political parties, imposed last week, from standing in next month's elections.

7:45 p.m. Alive in Gaza has posted its latest written report from correspondents in Gaza. The correspondents report general calm, but there are naval battles between Israeli and Palestinian forces and a child has died after stepping on an unexploded cluster bomb.

7:35 p.m. Welcome to the New White House Spin Zone. Press secretary Robert Gibbs passes on news of the Obama calls to Olmert and Abbas, "He used this opportunity on his first day in office to communicate his commitment to active engagement in pursuit of Arab-Israeli peace from the beginning of his term, and to express his hope for their continued cooperation and leadership."

Surprisingly, there was no reference to a call to Hamas.

7:25 p.m. Shhhh, don't tell the Israeli Air Force: local residents say some smuggling tunnels between Egypt and Gaza have reopened.

7:15 p.m. Obama has called Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert as well as Palestinian Authority head Mahmoud Abbas.

5:55 p.m. Confirmation that Obama called the head of the Palestinian authority on Wednesday: “Obama reiterated that he and his administration will work in full partnership with President [Mahmoud] Abbas to achieve peace in the region,” Saeb Erekat, the PA’s chief negotiator, said.

No word on whether Obama called the leaders of Hamas.

5:05 p.m. A Belgian court has been petitioned by attorneys, of behalf of French and Belgian relatives of slain Gazans, to arrest Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni when she arrives in Brussels later on Wednesday.

4:30 p.m. Hamas reasserts control over security in Gaza: an Interior Ministry spokesman says, "The internal security service was instructed to track collaborators and hit them hard. They arrested dozens of collaborators who attempted to strike the resistance by giving information to the occupation about the fighters."

4:15 p.m. In an excellent article in today's New York Times, Sabrina Tavernise speaks with Gazan residents whose farming village was reduced "to rubble":

In [Juhr el Dik's] center is now a giant swath of destruction where about 40 houses once stood. “It’s an earthquake,” said Salim Abu Ayadah, the mayor of the town, whose house was among those destroyed. “When I saw it, I couldn’t believe my eyes. I couldn’t walk.”

2:15 p.m. Vice Premier Haim Ramon to Israel radio: "Let's not fear President Obama. I am convinced that President Obama and his team want to achieve what is essential to Israel -- two states for two peoples."

2:10 p.m. Estimated cost of reconstruction of Gaza: $2 billion

12:30 p.m. No Kidding Story of the Day: "Egypt dominance as Mideast mediator in doubt" (Reuters may want to make the minor correction, however, that Egypt was never a mediator in this conflict, rather a channel to achieve Israel's aims as well as Cairo's).

12:20 p.m. Iran says that "Palestinian resistance", not-too-subtle code for Hamas, has right to arms. (Not news to me --- in an interview for Iranian News Agency on Monday, I was asked several times in several ways if Gaza should have "tanks and helicopters" for self-defence)

11:10 a.m. Ayman Moyheldin of Al Jazeera reports firing by Israeli navy off Gaza coast, although it is unclear whether it was aiming at shore targets or deterring Gazan fishermen. Israeli forces still massed on Israel's side of the border.

11:05 a.m. Israeli Defense Forces come close to admission to use of white phosphorous, with spokeswoman Amital Leibovich insisting, "We used munitions according to international law." More significantly, "Ma'ariv reported that the IDF had privately admitted using phosphorus bombs and that the Judge Advocate General's Office and Southern Command were investigating."

11 a.m. Press TV of Iran's top stories: 1) Iran wants Israeli leaders to stand trial for war crimes; 2) Israel withdraws from Gaza; 3) Obama promises "better relations" with Muslim world. Al Jazeera focuses on Obama's likely appointment of former Senator George Mitchell as his Middle East envoy.

9:40 a.m. Israeli officials are busily telling the press that "Barack Obama is a 'true friend of Israel' who identifies emotionally not only with the state, but also with the people of Israel".

Morning update (9:30 a.m. Israel/Gaza time): The Israeli Army did not complete its withdrawal from Gaza in time for the Obama Inauguration, but it has now stated that all units have left the area.

No further moves on the diplomatic or humanitarian front, especially on the issue of rebuilding Gaza. However, the Israeli YNetNews is reporting that European Union Foreign Ministers will announce on Wednesday "their intention to contribute units, vessels, and technological means in order to curb weapon transfers from Iran to Hamas". Just as intriguing is the claim that "Israel and Western countries are currently engaged in a race against Iran in an effort to prevent Tehran from leading the Gaza reconstruction efforts".

Our colleagues at Alive in Gaza have posted an interesting audio interview with photojournalist Sameh Habeeb on Gazan reaction to the arrival of President Obama --- "Obama neglected the Palestinians" --- as well as a transcript of an earlier interview during the conflict.

The Alternative Inauguration Watch

Later post: A Gut Reaction to the Obama Speech
Later post: A New Nation

1:30 p.m. I've posted an entry, "A Gut Reaction to the Obama Speech", which incompletely, possibly incoherently summarises my mixed emotions on this day and on the day after. We've posted the transcript of the speech, which is also available via CNN.

President Barack Obama is now lunching with Congress before his motorcade to the White House and the Inaugural Parade. It is afternoon, but It is Still Morning in America.

Thank you for joining us today.

12:25 p.m. The closing set-piece as Obama invokes "the father of our Nation" George Washington huddled with his troops at Valley Forge in the midst of hardship: this is how America today "faces its common dangers".

"We carried forth that great gift of liberty and delivered it safely to future generations."



12:24 p.m. As Obama refers to himself as the child of a man who could not get served 60 years ago and who is now taking "this sacred oath", a big round of applause....

12:23 p.m. A return to the old truths of "courage and patriotism" with a new responsiblity: "This is the price and promise of our citizenship....This is the meaning of our liberty."

12:21 p.m. The tribute to America's "fallen heroes" as example of greatness for the rest of us, but also...

"The kindness of workers" who take in those when the levees break (there's the reference ot Katrina), to the firefighters who protect us, etc.

12:19 p.m. America's strength comes from its patchwork heritage: "As the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself and America must play its role."

To Muslim world: we seek way forward based on mutual trust and mutual respect --- A message sent out to those who are corrupt and deceitful, but we will extend a hand "if you will unclench your fist"

12:18 p.m. "Our security emanates from the justice of our cause."

And specifics --- leave Iraq to its people and ensure security of Afghanistan. To the terrorists: "we will defeat you". (round of applause)

12:17 p.m. "We reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine drafted a charter of ideals which inspired the world" (cutaway to shot of former President George W. Bush) and "assured the rule of law and the rights of man. That Charter inspired the world and we will not give it up for expedient's sake."

"America is a friend of each nation, and we are ready to lead once more."

12:16 p.m. "The question is not whether Government is too big or too small, but whether it works." (Compare that to Ronald Reagan's dismissal of "Government" in 1980.) Nor is it a question of free market right or wrong, but the fact that it is "surest route to our common good".

12:14 p.m. "Starting today we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and rebuild America." We will rebuild our economy, raise up science and technology, harness energy, and transform schools and universities.

"There are some who question the scale of our ambitions" (take that Congressional opponents of my economic plan) "but they have forgotten what this nation has done."

12:11 p.m. "The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit." --- "All are equal, all are free."

Call to reaffirm greatness of nation but "we" have always known this must be earned. So hail to the risk-takers and the brave, who crossed oceans, toiled sweatshops, went to the West, endured the lash of the whip, fought and died "for us".

"America is bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions."

12:10 p.m. Decline measured in statistics but also in confidence. However, now, "know this, America, these challenges will be met....We have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over discord." There is an end to "petty grievances" that plague our politics.

12:09 p.m. Obama: "We are in the midst of crisis. Our country is at war" against a far-flung enemy, economy in troube. "Our collective failure to make decisions" has strengthened our adversaries and threatened our planet.

12:07 p.m. To chants of "Obama!", the 44th President begins his Inaugural Speech.

Polite applause when Obama thanks George W Bush, who is no longer the President of the United States of America.

12:06 p.m. GEORGE W BUSH IS NO LONGER THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

12:06 p.m. Barack Hussein Obama is now President of the United States of America.

12:05 p.m. Well, Obama just fluffed his lines taking the oath, but I don't think it matters. "Congratulations, Mr President."

12:04 p.m. Chief Justice John Roberts introduced to give the oath and the crowd is already screaming.

12:01 p.m. The alternative post for 11:57 a.m.: "Biden sworn in. Dick Cheney no longer vice president, instead just a creepy old guy (in a wheelchair) who shoots his friends in the face."

11:59 a.m. Pause for a John Williams song performed by Itzhak Perlman, Yo Yo Ma, etc.

I'm sorry but, if I'm in that crowd in sub-freezing temps, I'm thinking, "Can we just put this on 78 rpm?"

11:57 a.m. Joe Biden takes the oath to become the Vice President of the United States. Must be the shortest speech he's ever given.

Good round of applause but you know that folks are holding back a bit for what's to come.

11:53 a.m. Sing It, Aretha. In the service of a new Anglo-American relationship, Ms Franklin has just started on the British national anthem "God Save the Queen", also known as "My Country 'Tis of Thee".

11:48 a.m. Pastor Rick Warren, a controversial choice, delivers the invocation. Respectful but muted applause except for a couple of boos.

Not sure "Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God" is the most politically sensitive choice of Scripture, given current events.

11:43 a.m. I do have chills up my arms as I type this: Barack H. Obama has been introduced as the next President of the United States. I cannot capture how loud that cheer sounded.

If only this moment can be carried forward over the next months and the years....

11:43 a.m. Via Twitter: "Standing O for the O-man at the Paramount [cinema]. Sustained whooping and hollering."

11:40 a.m. Fox's Juan Carlos Williams is worried about the "tightness" in Obama's jaw. Chris Wallace adds, "We're in a severe economic crisis, we're in a continuing War on Terror, we're in two wars...."

C'mon guys, lighten up.

11:39 a.m. Vice President-elect Joe Biden comes out to a massive roar. Meanwhile, shots of Obama coming down the Capitol stairs. No smile, very measured.

11:36 a.m. President Bush, Vice President Bush, and Cabinet walk onto platform (a reader notes: "DEFINITELY not handcuffed"). Bush shakes a few hands, makes small talk, "How you doin'?" (And somebody replies, "Keep up the good work.")

Bush is going through the motions, so looking forward to getting onto the helicopter for the airport.

11:34 a.m. Fact check (for 16th, 17th, and 18th times this morning): The Capitol was built by slaves.

11:30 a.m. And here comes, in his last 30 minutes as President, George W. Bush. Forgive me, but he looks fidgety, biting his lips and eyes darting about. He's struggling to pull it together for the cameras.

11:28 a.m. But, if Fox can't quite accept Clinton, our readers can accept George H.W. Bush: "I kinda liked Bush 41's purple scarf. Aptly Imperial."

11:25 a.m. Michelle Obama's mother and the Obamas' children walk onto the platform.

11:22 a.m. After Jimmy Carter and George H.W. Bush are introduced with their wives, Bill and Hillary Clinton are introduced to a huge cheer from the crowd.

Fox commentators are taken aback: "Just sends a thrill up your spine." Juan Carlos Williams, "Wow, the American people. Just reminds me --- we are a country who celebrates our leaders."

C'mon, gentlemen: say it. That crowd was celebrating a leader who happened to be Bill Clinton. Yep, the President that Fox trashed for eight years.

Chris Wallace: "Some people are happy about the events, some people not so happy, look...." And then, let's talk about the Lincoln Bible.

11:16 a.m. Former Presidents Carter, George H.W. Bush, and Clinton arriving on the platform.

11:13 a.m. Simple but essential reminder from a reader: "People need to see this happen. Hope is powerful."

11:06 a.m. CNN's Blitzer: This Inauguration could have a larger US television audience than the final episode of MASH (which, by the way, was a comedy series about the US embroiled in a never-ending war --- so no relevance there).

11:04 a.m. Useless Graphics Moment: Fox cuts away to animated shot of route that Obama will take through the Capitol to the platform. Thank goodness, they figured out that Michelle Obama's brother is on the platform so they could trash thousands of dollars of computer eyewash.

11:02 a.m. Supreme Court Justices walking onto the platform.

11 a.m. Kudos to Steven Spielberg: "I couldn't afford to do this shot in a movie."

10:55 a.m. What can you say over the footage of a motorcade going from White House to Capitol Hill?

1. Talk about previous rides that didn't go well --- Hoover and Roosevelt (1933), Truman and Eisenhower (1953)
2. Mention that manhole covers are welded shut and all postboxes removed
3. Wow, it's really cold.

10:48 a.m. Bush and Obama emerge from the White House to go to Capitol Hill. High-pitched screams of excitement. For Obama or for Bush?

10:45 a.m. Dick Cheney emerges in a wheelchair to go to the Inauguration.

Let's repeat that. Ted Kennedy is walking about on the Inauguration Platform, despite a brain tumour. Dick Cheney is in a wheelchair.

10:43 a.m. More CNN insight into Bush-Obama chats: "Do you think they talk substance? (Bush: "What do you say to going out a bang --- bomb Iran?" Obama: "Step aside, Dubya.") Or is light chit-chat?"

10:40 a.m. Senator Edward Kennedy, looking pretty well despite his battle with a brain tumour, arrives on the platform.

10:35 a.m. No News Moment: Chris Wallace on Fox, "See that motorcade. It doesn't include President Bush or President Obama."

10:25 a.m. Highlight for Fox reporter: crowd bouncing about and bobbing to giant-screen replay of Inaugural Concert. "You think about the inter-racial harmony of this day: Garth Brooks doing the Isley Brothers and moving hundreds of thousands of people."

Thus, one man's glorious harmony becomes another's vision of musical hell.

10:24 a.m. Fox reporter on the Mall: "I haven't seen a single individal misbehave....We have a table with coffee and doughnuts, and I haven't even seen a single person attack that table."

Hmmm....is the moral that Americans are angelic or that your coffee and doughnuts suck?

10:20 a.m. Fox's Jim Angle has just referred to the "3 Vs" of this day: "Validation, Vindiction, and Victory."

Yep, Vindiction.

10:19 a.m. VIPs arriving for the ceremony. Well, not that many VIPs and not that quickly. Fox has to settle for former Governor of California Jerry Brown.

10:17 a.m. OK, I Won't Forget: For the 15th time this morning, "Don't forget, the US Capitol was built by slaves."

10:15 a.m. The first suggestion for the Bush letter to Obama (see 9:58 am.) comes from "Rattal007" : "I want to be US Ambassador to Iraq."

If only. I think Dubya is settling for city life in Texas and whatever he can make from his memoirs (no doubt written all by himself).

10:10 a.m. Over on Fox, Carl Cameron is standing in the Capitol Rotunda. It (see 6:38 a.m.) is still empty.

10:05 a.m. CNN is offering both sublime and ridiculous.

Ridiculous from Wolf Blitzer as the Bushes greets the Obamas: "I wonder if the microphones on the scene caught any of the chit-chat. Every word now is historic." (Like Bush to Obama: "How are you?" Obama to Bush: "Step aside, Dubya. There's a new sheriff in town.")

"They call it a coffee. I don't know if they're drinking or what they're drinking, maybe hot chocolate, maybe tea, but they call it a coffee."

Sublime from David Gergen: "There was a time when it was brandy. We had a Vice President in 1865, Andrew Johnson, who got totally drunk. They almost had to kick him out of the Inaugural."

9:58 a.m. CNN reporters reveal: "When Barack Obama goes into the Oval Office, there on the desk will be a letter written to him from George W. Bush. Nobody knows what is in it." Any suggestions?

9:55 a.m. The crucial question (and answer) flashes across my computer screen: "Is Michelle Obama taller than George Bush? I think she is, at least in shoes."

9:54 a.m. And now He is entering the White House.

9:40 a.m. You Have Been Warned: Security agencies say once 350,000 people are on the Mall, the gates will be shut.

9:20 a.m. Don't Bring Me Down: Fox is speaking with Obama's political strategist, David Axelrod, and decided to focus on the "realities of the office": less than half of $30 billion of highway construction funds will be released into economy in next four years.

Sorta like the guy at your New Year's Party who wants to talk about the virtues of central heating systems.

9:10 a.m. Hope and Big Brother: After raving about the enthusiasm of the crowd, CNN spends a few minutes panning across the sniper teams on the roofs of buildings: "Anybody who has any intention of causing harm here knows they're under the watchful fire of the United States SecretService or the FBI or any other of the 58 agencies enlisted to provide security for this event."

9 p.m. CNN's coverage has just been lost in how impressive this is --- "We have never seen anything like this on the Mall." And, you know what? Even on a 25-inch TV (without High Definition), it is.

8:55 a.m. Who's the Heckler at the Back? Joseph Farah of WorldNetDaily:

I want Obama to fail because his agenda is 100 percent at odds with God's....Nowhere in the Bible does it teach us to obey evil rulers.

8:45 a.m. We see Him! We see Him! Barack and Michelle Obama emerge from Blair House to go to private church service. Apparently the Bidens are also there.

8:40 a.m. Advice of the Day: An 85-year-old suspected war criminal, a Mr H Kissinger, has emerged to tell Barack Obama the secret to US foreign policy ---- Use a Lot of Jargon:

The complexity of the emerging world requires from America a more historical approach than the insistence that every problem has a final solution expressible in programmes with specific time limits not infrequently geared to our political process. We must learn to operate within the attainable and be prepared to pursue ultimate ends by the accumulation of nuance. An international order can be permanent only if its participants have a share not only in building but also in securing it. In this manner, America and its potential partners have a unique opportunity to transform a moment of crisis into a vision of hope.

8:10 a.m. Fox is in feel-good mode, talking to American football legend Jim Brown, who is now with Amer-I-Can. Brown on Obama: "This is a great man."

7:50 a.m. One-Liner of the Day: as Dick Cheney attends the Inauguration in a wheelchair, either because he has strained his back or because he doesn't want to stand up for Obama: "His transformation to Bond villain is complete."

7:40 a.m. Culture of Fear alert: Newt Gingrich "There are some really bad people who wouldn't mind randomly causing damage on a day like this."

7:30 a.m. Obama's incoming Press Secretary Robert Gibbs has appeared both on CNN and Fox. He seems a lovely fellow, but the chat was so bland I can't remember a word of significance.

7:25 a.m. Fox is worried that Pastor Rick Warren, delivering the Inaugural Prayer, will not be allowed to mention "Jesus".

7:20 a.m. US commentary has descended from discussion of the weather to discussion of "how tough is it to get to the Mall?" Which is fortunate, since it is preventing Laura Ingraham on Fox from launching her standard rants about liberals.

7:03 a.m. Fox: apparently the crowds on the Mall moving towards the light of the Jumbo-Trons "is something akin to an alien landing".

6:53 a.m. That's more like it: Sky News in Britain is concentrating on Obama speech by talking to a bookmaker who's quoting odds on a mention of Hillary Clinton (6-5 on), British Prime Minister Gordon Brown (33/1), and hero pilot Chelsey Sullenberger (4/1). Oh, yes, you can also bet on whether Obama's tie will be red or blue.

6:48 a.m. Culture of Fear reminder: Thanks, CNN, for not letting go of this today. Ten minutes spent with "former Bush security advisor" on possibility of Obama being assassinated, people sneaking through security cordons, etc.

6:40 a.m. Shameless Self-Advertisement of the Day: Fox reporter now waxing lyrical about an empty museum, possibly because it's the "News History Museum" of News Corporation (owned by Rupert Murdoch, who just might have some connection with Fox)

6:38 a.m. Fox's intrepid reporters are breaking news by talking about the empty Inauguration Platform and the empty Capitol Rotunda.

6:30 a.m. Leaving a Man Behind: No Presidential pardon for the only Administration official to take a fall for Iraq, illegal surveillance, detention, torture, etc. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Vice President Cheney's former fixer and part-time novelist, will remain the Poster Jailbird.

6:25 a.m. Fox is now in its pattern for the day: pundits are shouting beyond comprehension at each other about "Obama's First 100 Hours", so they switch to a profile of actor Lorenzo Lamas (who?).

CNN's scheme at the moment is just to talk to "common people" and avoid shivering.

It's Morning in America (6 a.m. Washington time): CNN International is giving this the big festival/parade treatment, with on-the-ground reporters shouting, "It's insane!" (or possibly, "I'm insane!"), and constant temperature checks (20 degrees Fahrenheit at the moment --- not-insane anchorman yelling, "Remember in The March of the Penguins where the crowd huddles for warmth?"). Access to the mall wasn't supposed to start until 7 a.m. but thousands are sneaking in, apparently via some magic passage near the Washington Monument.

Fox News is preferring immediate political scrutiny, both to big up the outgoing President ("Is Obama Trying to Rehab Bush's Image?") and to jab at the incoming one with irrelevancies ("Did Jill Biden Spill the Beans on Her Husband as Possible Secretary of State?")