Cartoonist: 'Ali Farazat

Source: Al-Watan, Kuwait, December 31, 2008

Cartoonist: 'Ali Khalil

Source: Al-Khaleej, UAE, December 31, 2008

In a speech to the Egyptian people, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak demanded that Israel immediately halt its offensive in Gaza, telling Israel's leaders: "Your bloodstained hands arouse rage and distance hopes of peace."

He said that Egypt would not open the Rafah crossing so as not to fall into Israel's trap, since Israel is striving to expand the rift between the West Bank and Gaza.

Mubarak added that "Egypt would not permit anyone to gain political profit and to increase his influence [in the region] at the expense of Palestinian blood."

To the Palestinians, he said, "We warned you... that your refusing a tahdiya would push Israel to attack Gaza, and we stressed that thwarting Egypt's efforts to extend the tahdiya would invite an Israeli attack."

Source: Al-Ahram, Al-Gomhouriyya, Egypt, December 31, 2008

Muslim Brotherhood General Guide Muhammad Mahdi 'Akef has said that the Muslim Brotherhood demonstrations against Israel's offensive in Gaza would continue until the Israeli ambassador was expelled from Egypt, the siege on Gaza was removed, the export of gas to Israel was stopped, and the Rafah border crossing was opened.

Source: Al-Hayat, London, December 31, 2008

Hundreds of students from Aden University in Yemen who were demonstrating against Egypt's policy towards the conflict in Gaza briefly took over the Egyptian Consulate in the country, burned Egyptian and Israeli flags, and hung the Palestinian flag to replace the Egyptian flag.

Source: Al-Quds Al-Arabi, London, December 31, 2008

Adli Sadeq, senior Palestinian Foreign Ministry official and columnist for the Palestinian daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, wrote that the Palestinians' immediate aim was a ceasefire – that is, a tahdiya for a tahdiya.

In his view, before the Israeli operation began the Palestinians could have obtained more in exchange for extending the tahdiya – perhaps even Israeli agreement to opening the Rafah crossing – while today they are forced to settle for a ceasefire.

Source: Al-Hayat Al-Jadida , Palestinian Authority, December 31, 2008

Rashid Thabet, who writes regularly for a website identified with Hamas, has praised the policemen killed in Gaza, stating that they were no mere regular cops who flunked out of school and were recruited to oppress the residents on behalf of a tyrannical regime, but policemen who were the elite of Palestinian soceity.

He said that nearly all of them were 'Izz Al-Din Al-Qassam members, who by day carried out security missions and by night engaged in jihad and attacks.

Source: Palestine-info.info, December 29, 2008

Palestinian sources in Jordan have said that senior Fatah officials in Jordan have begun contacts with members of Hamas's political bureau in Damascus, with the aim of coordinating a meeting aimed at uniting the Palestinian camps.

The initiative follows a call, by senior Fatah official imprisoned in Israel Marwan Al-Barghouti, for dialogue between the Palestinian factions.

Source: Al-Watan, Saudi Arabia, December 31, 2008

Hamas is claiming that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud 'Abbas has established an emergency cell whose mission is to expose the locations of Hamas leaders and fighters throughout the Gaza Strip, so that Israel can strike at them.

A Hamas spokesman, Mushir Al-Masri, stated that 'Abbas knew in advance of the Israeli offensive in Gaza, including the exact date it would be launched.

Source: Palestine-info-info, December 29, 30, 2008

Sheikh 'Afif Al-Nabulsi, head of clerics at Jabal Amel, Lebanon, has called on Muslim fighters to give top priority to strikes at Israeli diplomatic representations worldwide, and to blow up Israel's embassies wherever possible.

Source: Fars, Iran, December 30, 2008