SIMPLY KILL and REGRET
http://news.bbc.co.uk | 29.08.2002 18:21
Defence Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer expresses regret at the incident in which Palestinian innocents in the Gaza Strip were killed as a result of Israeli army fire
SIMPLY KILL and REGRET
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat has accused Israel of committing a "deliberate crime" and attempting to sabotage Middle East peace efforts, after an attack on a village in the Gaza Strip early on Thursday which killed four Palestinians.
"This is an unforgivable crime that is aimed at delaying peace efforts," Mr Arafat said of the attack, in which a 50-year-old mother and her sons died.
His response followed warnings from the Islamic militant organisation Hamas that it would avenge the killings with renewed attacks against Israeli civilians.
The Palestinian side has also cancelled the latest round of security talks scheduled for later on Thursday between Israeli Defence Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer and Palestinian Interior Minister Abdel Razzak al-Yahya.
The talks are aimed at implementing a plan for an Israeli withdrawal from Palestinian areas of the West Bank and Gaza in return for Palestinian security guarantees.
Army investigation
Israel expressed regret for the attack and the deaths of "Palestinian innocents".
"[Mr] Ben-Eliezer expresses regret at the incident in which Palestinian innocents in the Gaza Strip were killed as a result of Israeli army fire," the Israeli statement said.
The ministry also said that Mr Ben-Eliezer had ordered the army to "present him forthwith with its findings on the incident and conclusions for the future."
In a raid before dawn on Thursday, Israeli tanks shelled two houses in a Bedouin encampment located in the Sheikh Ajlin area near the Jewish settlement of Netzarim.
Another four people were wounded in the attack, which came as Israel deployed land, sea and air forces to foil what it said was a Palestinian attempt to smuggle arms into Gaza by sea.
'Cold blood'
Mr Arafat said in a statement that the attack was aimed against efforts to achieve a ceasefire by the Quartet Committee of European Union, Russian, US and UN representatives, as well as the peace initiative adopted by the Arab summit in Beirut.
He said the attack showed the "true intentions" of those who ordered such operations.
Meanwhile a senior leader of Hamas, a group responsible for many suicide attacks on Israeli targets, said the killings would mean retaliation.
"Members of one family were killed in cold blood," Mahmoud al-Zahar told Reuters news agency as he stood beside the bodies of the dead in the morgue of Gaza's main hospital.
"When there are killings of Palestinian civilians, Israel can expect killings of its civilians."
Four people were injured in the tank attack
Thursday's raid south of Gaza City was the deepest incursion into the area since the start of the Palestinian uprising in September, 2000.
Palestinian witnesses said 11 tanks and armoured personnel carriers moved into the village, which was plunged into darkness by a power failure.
Reports from the locality say that ambulances were initially unable to reach the scene of the attack.
Israel said it launched its operation in Gaza following intelligence reports that Palestinians were trying to smuggle arms into the Gaza Strip from the sea.
"This is an unforgivable crime that is aimed at delaying peace efforts," Mr Arafat said of the attack, in which a 50-year-old mother and her sons died.
His response followed warnings from the Islamic militant organisation Hamas that it would avenge the killings with renewed attacks against Israeli civilians.
The Palestinian side has also cancelled the latest round of security talks scheduled for later on Thursday between Israeli Defence Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer and Palestinian Interior Minister Abdel Razzak al-Yahya.
The talks are aimed at implementing a plan for an Israeli withdrawal from Palestinian areas of the West Bank and Gaza in return for Palestinian security guarantees.
Army investigation
Israel expressed regret for the attack and the deaths of "Palestinian innocents".
"[Mr] Ben-Eliezer expresses regret at the incident in which Palestinian innocents in the Gaza Strip were killed as a result of Israeli army fire," the Israeli statement said.
The ministry also said that Mr Ben-Eliezer had ordered the army to "present him forthwith with its findings on the incident and conclusions for the future."
In a raid before dawn on Thursday, Israeli tanks shelled two houses in a Bedouin encampment located in the Sheikh Ajlin area near the Jewish settlement of Netzarim.
Another four people were wounded in the attack, which came as Israel deployed land, sea and air forces to foil what it said was a Palestinian attempt to smuggle arms into Gaza by sea.
'Cold blood'
Mr Arafat said in a statement that the attack was aimed against efforts to achieve a ceasefire by the Quartet Committee of European Union, Russian, US and UN representatives, as well as the peace initiative adopted by the Arab summit in Beirut.
He said the attack showed the "true intentions" of those who ordered such operations.
Meanwhile a senior leader of Hamas, a group responsible for many suicide attacks on Israeli targets, said the killings would mean retaliation.
"Members of one family were killed in cold blood," Mahmoud al-Zahar told Reuters news agency as he stood beside the bodies of the dead in the morgue of Gaza's main hospital.
"When there are killings of Palestinian civilians, Israel can expect killings of its civilians."
Four people were injured in the tank attack
Thursday's raid south of Gaza City was the deepest incursion into the area since the start of the Palestinian uprising in September, 2000.
Palestinian witnesses said 11 tanks and armoured personnel carriers moved into the village, which was plunged into darkness by a power failure.
Reports from the locality say that ambulances were initially unable to reach the scene of the attack.
Israel said it launched its operation in Gaza following intelligence reports that Palestinians were trying to smuggle arms into the Gaza Strip from the sea.
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Comments
Hide the following 4 comments
Kill and Dance and Sing
29.08.2002 22:45
What is better, to accidentally kill a few non combatants in a war and regret the incident and launch an inquiery OR to strap explosives to your children to kill as many men women and children as possible and then sing and dance in the street and hand out candy???
Which side is trying to fight a war of survival and which side is glorifying suicide bombing and calling for an end to the only democratic country in the Middle East?
Media Watcher
Umm..
29.08.2002 23:10
Getting into 'you started it' arguments isn't particularly instructive, but it should be pointed out that the recent history of Zionist / Palestinian terror began with the Zionist bombing of the King David Hotel, 1948 (and it had the desired effect - the establishment of Israel!). Perhaps that's where Hamas learned that terror pays..
tr
Media Watcher ?
30.08.2002 08:19
the corporate media's version of events.
The best description of the Israeli / Palestinian conflict that I have read recently was on Page 139 of John Pilgers book, The New rulers of the World. I lent the book to a friend otherwise I would copy 4 you.
As he says the (your) media cover the occupation as a straight forward war between two sides.
But only one side has an army, which means the other side has no military targets. The israelis just blast the living shit out of the Palestinians infrastructure. They attack stone throwing youths with tanks and F 16s.
They call a truce one day and kill palestinians the next day
saying they were on the wanted list or what ever, the media never questions there excuses.
If you are so offended by suicide bombs why not ask your american friends, via the all power jewish lobby in the states, to sell the palestinians some F 16's then they can zap some of the Israeli power stations and schools and other
public buildings. Nothing like a good war eh ?
The israeli's have one of the best equipped fighting forces in the world. They are using it against a defenceless population. The only way they can hit back is with suicide bombers, which is exactly what the vile monster Sharon wants them to do. When Sharon is in the hague on war crimes the world will be a better place.......
wizz
why the palestinians never regret ?
30.08.2002 21:00
baba