A sampling of headlines about the status of the truce between Israel and Hamas, from Yahoo! News.
Hamas Threatens to End Truce Unless Israel Eases Restrictions
Bloomberg – Wed Dec 17, 2:06 am EST
Dec. 17 (Bloomberg) — Hamas is threatening to end a six- month cease-fire if Israel doesn’t let more food, fuel and other goods into the Gaza Strip, a leader of the militant Islamic group said.Hamas hinting it might extend truce with Israel
San Diego Union-Tribune – Mon Dec 15, 6:03 am EST
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip – Hamas leaders in Gaza yesterday left open the possibility of renewing a tenuous truce with Israel that is scheduled to expire Friday, putting themselves at odds with a statement by the exiled political leader of the group in Damascus, Syria.Hamas leaders say Israel wrecking Gaza truce
Reuters via Yahoo! News – Sun Dec 14, 3:02 pm EST
Hamas leaders warned Israel on Sunday that it was wrecking a truce in the Gaza Strip, but left open the possibility of a last-minute deal to extend the six-month ceasefire.Israel, Hamas up rhetoric as truce nears expiry
AFP via Yahoo! News – Mon Dec 15, 11:45 am EST
Israel and Hamas ratcheted up the rhetoric on Monday ahead of the expiry of a six-month Gaza truce which the Islamist rulers of the Palestinian enclave say they are unlikely to renew.Hamas leader warns Israel of end of Gaza truce
Reuters via Yahoo! News – Sun Dec 14, 11:34 am EST
Hamas’s leader in exile was quoted as saying Sunday it would not renew a six-month-old truce with Israel in Gaza when it expires this week, raising the prospect of increased cross-border fighting.Hamas will let Israel truce expire
The Washington Times – Mon Dec 15, 6:11 am EST
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip | The Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, which controls Gaza, said Sunday that a troubled Cairo-brokered truce with Israel will not be renewed when it runs out later this week.Hamas says will not renew truce with Israel
Reuters via Yahoo! News – Sun Dec 14, 9:00 am EST
The Palestinian group Hamas will not renew a truce with Israel in the Gaza Strip that expires later this month, said a statement issued by the group in the Syrian capital on Sunday.Hamas plays hardball with Israeli ceasefire
WorldNet Daily – Sun Dec 14, 5:48 pm EST
JAFFA, Israel – Hamas is willing to renew an expiring six-month “truce” with Israel but is delaying in hopes of extracting more concessions from the Jewish state, according to sources close to Hamas in the Gaza Strip speaking to WND.Hamas may extend its truce with Israel
Seattle Times – Mon Dec 15, 5:21 am EST
Hamas leaders in Gaza on Sunday left open the possibility of renewing a tenuous truce with Israel that is due to expire Friday, putting themselves at odds with a statement by the exiled political leader of the group in Damascus, Syria.Hamas: Truce with Israel will not be renewed
KRON 4 Bay Area – Sun Dec 14, 1:36 pm EST
CAIRO, Egypt (AP) – The exiled leader of the militant Palestinian group Hamas says a truce with Israel in the Gaza Strip will not be renewed once it expires.Hamas leaders say will not extend Gaza truce
Reuters via Yahoo! News – Mon Dec 15, 3:24 am EST
I guess the consensus is … who knows?
The Spine though notices something:
11 Kassams hit Negev, 48 hours before truce set to end
and asks, What’s wrong with this headline?
It seems that continued rocket fire into Israel doesn’t constitute a breach of the ceasefire. Apparently “ceasefire” has taken on an especially elastic meaning.
UPDATE: For just how elastic that meaning is please see Elder of Ziyon who has quantified it and concluded:
The cause and effect is clear and consistent: when rockets aren’t being shot, Gazans get aid. It is as simple as that, and these facts are documented. Those “peace activists” who pretend to care about Gazans and yet stay silent about the rockets care neither about Gazan lives nor about peace.
Meryl has more and adds this observation on the reporting:
Note how the AP compares shortages of, say, cooking oil with rockets landing in Sderot shopping center parking lots. Like they’re interchangeable.
There is only one way to stop terrorists, and there’s only once way to have true peace, not the rhinestone variety. We must totally and completely and unembarrassedly defeat our enemies without apologizing, without trying to make them happy, without compensating them for their losses.
Crossposted on Soccer Dad.
Soccerdad, your nomenclature is out of date. “Truce” means “not as many rockets are being fired as before” and “breaking the truce” means “the Israelis are shooting back.”
When Israel does take more substantial action it will be interesting to check the stories in the msm and see how many tell their readers, even if it’s down in the lower paragraphs nobody reads, that Hamas has been shooting hundreds of rockets and mortar shells at Israel during the truce.
My guess: few.