Rafah - 20 feared dead after missile is fired into peaceful demo
freethepeeps | 19.05.2004 11:43
Really Bad News
Anees called several moments after I posted that last message. Practically the entire town turned out for the demonstration. As they made they way down Sea street (the main road from the town sqare) to Tel Al Sultan an Apache helicopter opened fire on them and fired a missile into the crowd. Anees is currently trapped there while ambulances race to and from the scene. No way of knowing figures at the moment but Anees thinks maybe twenty dead. As I was speaking to Anees I could hear ambulances wailing and people screaming. I will update this post when I get more information. http://www.rafahkid.net
Anees called several moments after I posted that last message. Practically the entire town turned out for the demonstration. As they made they way down Sea street (the main road from the town sqare) to Tel Al Sultan an Apache helicopter opened fire on them and fired a missile into the crowd. Anees is currently trapped there while ambulances race to and from the scene. No way of knowing figures at the moment but Anees thinks maybe twenty dead. As I was speaking to Anees I could hear ambulances wailing and people screaming. I will update this post when I get more information. http://www.rafahkid.net
With 20 dead yesterday, including a 13 year old boy and his 16 year old sister, killed while collecting their laundry from the roof, Rafah looks set to be worse than Jenin 2002.
Reports coming in now suggest that as many as 20 have been killed after an Apache fired a missile into a peaceful demonstration.
The water and power have been disconnected, and the town has been sealed off.
Demonstrate outside the Israeli embassy 2-7pm or Palrliament Square 6 - 10pm.
Reports coming in now suggest that as many as 20 have been killed after an Apache fired a missile into a peaceful demonstration.
The water and power have been disconnected, and the town has been sealed off.
Demonstrate outside the Israeli embassy 2-7pm or Palrliament Square 6 - 10pm.
freethepeeps
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Comments
Hide the following 8 comments
Xenophobic comments hidden
19.05.2004 16:50
Trivialising the word "nazi" in this way does a great disservice to the memory of the victims of the nazis.
Please refer to our editorial guidelines:
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/static/editorial.html
ta
an IMC admin
No Platform For Hatred
19.05.2004 17:14
"Intifada" means lots of different things to different people. Clearly, if it means support for terrorism (even against Israeli soldiers), it is wrong, if only because it leads to a still greater number of Palestinian casualties.
The argument that there can be no civilians in this type of war is compelling, but insane. Ironically, this is also the argument that Bin Laden used to blow up the World Trade Centre. If children go out onto the streets to throw stones at Israeli tanks, this is regrettable, but it doesn't justify the use of live ammunition as a response. All violent acts are wrong, but some are a great deal more objectionable than others.
What we are seeing in Palestinian society is a complete collapse of moral values; in other words, a victory for nihilism. It is easy to blame the Palestinians for their own plight, but this would be to fall into the pro-Zionist trap. In actual fact, it was the refusal of the Israeli government to properly ratify the Oslo Peace Accords that led to this appalling situation.
I believe that we should work towards inter-faith dialogue, and encourage moderates on both sides to continue negotiations. These efforts are going on all over the world, but of course they receive far less publicity than the daily round of bloodshed. The extremists will always be with us but thankfully they do represent a small (if vocal) minority.
For a viable two-state solution!
For peace and justice for all the world's peoples!
For an end to political murder!
Down with Arafat AND Sharon!
Andy B
no more messing about
19.05.2004 17:57
full right of return for all refugees
full reparations for 50 years of theft
war crimes trials for israeli generals, politicians and others involved in theft and murder
no more compromise
an international brigade necessary?
more tunnels & fund raising for more advanced weapons for the Palestinians.
no more meely mouthed, wishy washy equivicating.
full boycott of EVERYTHING israeli.
in short - fuck talking peace to those who can only lie lie lie - whats the point in waiting around to be shelled and THEN accused?
destroy israel
karen elliot
Like I said previous
19.05.2004 22:41
The jackboot is firmly on the other foot now and it's a M:F fucking Israeli foot ........
Zx
saddened
20.05.2004 06:52
I understand that it has gone past the stage of peaceful negotiation and protest (as this event shows - protest ends in tragedy).
Those of you who have turned this article into an argument, trying to defend the attack are nothing better than sick idiots. Firing a missile into a crowd of protesters as a 'warning missile' is just beyond stupid.
fredrico
e-mail: musteatvegan@yahoo.co.uk
Negotiation is the only game in town!
20.05.2004 09:34
I don't think Israel needs to be "destroyed" either (although an effective boycott of articles sourced from the Occupied Territories might help). What we need is a different kind of "Intifada" - one that is aimed at the political leadership that cynically keeps this war going.
Arafat and his EU-funded Palestinian Authority are part of the problem. The extreme religious parties are part of the problem. Armed settlers are part of the proplem. An Israeli government that is committed to military force as a substitute for negotiation is part of the problem. The active collusion of conservative Republicans in Washington is part of the problem.
The third "Intifada" has to aim squarely at eliminating all these elements from the equation. This will only happen - paradoxically - when ordinary Israelis realise that they have more in common with the Palestinians than they do with their own government.
Andy B
Or we could remain in the real world...
20.05.2004 20:11
Skyver Bill
But what if . . . ?
21.05.2004 15:29
But it is clear that the Israel Defence Force cannot be militarily defeated. There are 540,000 soldiers in the IDF. If your definition of "the real world" includes providing justifications for one of the world's most pointless conflicts, then I'd rather stick to my own (admittedly over-active) imagination!
One of my Israeli mates is a deserter from the IDF. He came to live in London because he didn't fancy getting his head blown off by some lunatic from the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade. When more Israeli citizens get ideas like this, the Sharon regime is going to have problems.
I understand that the situation is very very desperate indeed, but calling for more violence really isn't the answer.
Not all Israelis support Sharon. A small but significant minority want a complete withdrawal from the Occupied Territories. Spouting inflammatory rhetoric just pisses them off and makes life very hard indeed for people who are actually trying to do something constructive.
Andy B