Major Gaza Attack 'Back on Agenda'
Various | 09.02.2008 23:23 | Anti-militarism | World
This is what the consistent escalation of this has been all about. Israel plotted a massive operation, and possible reoccupation, long before the Annapolis conference. Now, they're just awaiting an opportune time to attack, when they can dupe the public and media with some sort of 'justification' which can adequately taint the Framing of the attack.
ANALYSIS: Major IDF operation in Gaza back on the agenda
By Amos Harel and Avi Issacharoff
Tags: Israel, IDF, Gaza, Hamas
The rocket barrages against communities inside Israel and the Israel Defense Forces operations in the Gaza Strip that have left at least 16 Palestinians dead over the past three days all point in one direction: Following many weeks of being kept on ice, the likelihood of a major military operation in the Gaza Strip is once more at the forefront.
(It's always 'been at the forefront'. This is what the consistent escalation of this has been all about. Israel plotted a massive operation, and possible reoccupation, long before the Annapolis conference. Now, they're just awaiting an opportune time to attack, when they can dupe the public and media with some sort of 'justification' which can adequately taint the Framing of the attack.)
In recent months it seemed that the major IDF operation (which had been discussed sporadically for about a year and a half) had been dropped from the agenda. There were a number of reasons for this.
Firstly, the political leadership found it difficult to accept that the operational plans produced by the IDF were realistic. The concerns that a major ground operation would have limited gains against Hamas and would cost the IDF many casualties, in parallel with an inability to plan for a scenario that would restore relative calm in the Strip, raised many reservations in Jerusalem.
Playing a role in the background, meanwhile, was the paralysis that took hold of the political leadership as the release of the final Winograd Report loomed. So long as there was a question mark hanging over the Olmert government, there was a reluctance to make any decisions concerning an operation in the Strip.
However, the apparent change in recent weeks does not only stem from the fact that the prime minister has managed to survive the Winograd trial.
(Only because, as Amnesty International points out, the report acknowledged Israeli war crimes, but refused to suggest prosecutions.)
It is mainly linked to developments along the border between the Strip and Egypt, which have added a new element of instability to the already complex situation. Egypt may have announced this week that it has resealed the Philadelphi Route at Rafah, but it is doubtful whether this is a hermetic closure.
(This raises an interesting question; Who were the "masked men" who initiated the border breach?)
The Hamas operation which brought down the wall greatly impressed the IDF. An officer who held a senior post in the past in Southern Command said Thursday that he had told his Palestinian Authority counterparts at the time, security officials loyal to Mahmoud Abbas, that the wall would stand for many years after the disengagement. His assessment, he admits, was mistaken. What Hamas managed to achieve is a fundamental change in the situation in the area.
Why would the breach in the wall expedite an Israeli operation? Because the absence of stability contributes to escalation and the loss of control. The action has bolstered the confidence of Hamas' military wing. This operational success may lead them to take more risks.
(It has also partially weakened Israel's complete starvation of Gaza, which was in great part designed to 'soften up' Gaza for the coming invasion.)
On Wednesday, the Hamas representative in Tehran threatened Israel with a wave of suicide bombings inside the country. To this must be added the situation in Rafah. While smuggling had previously been rampant, the absence of any border controls in recent weeks appears to have enabled Hamas to intensify its effort to bolster its arsenal. At the same time, terrorist organizations have managed to send a number of teams into Sinai, with the aim of carrying out attacks in Israel. Without a wall, Egypt's ability to seal the border against the terror cells is limited.
(The actual evidence doesn't support these Israeli accusations, meant to bolster their justifications for the planned assault on Gaza. Note that Hamas also said this action would come in response to further aggression by Israel, which has doubled its attacks on Gaza, and greatly increased its murder of Palestinians, since Annapolis - as predicted. Israel could accept Hamas' repeated cease-fire offers, but they won't. Israel's ruling Extemists, intent on retaking Gaza, will not negotiate or compromise in the name of peace.)
In light of these developments, it is once more possible to hear Defense Minister Ehud Barak talk about his desire to avoid a major operation, but at the same time that such a step may be inevitable. The current steps being taken - continuing the economic blockade (Collective Punishment, a War Crime), which has been broken by Hamas; limiting the amount of electricity being supplied; limited ground operations ¬ are all considered essential before a final decision on embarking on a massive operation.
(Barak has never stopped talking about the planned and predicted attack on Gaza, and both air & ground operations have already taken place.)
What would a massive operation include? Israel faces three main challenges in the Strip, each of which is concentrated in a different geographic location: the Qassam attacks against Ashkelon and Sderot (northern Strip); the strengthening of the terrorist groups in Rafah ¬ (where the smuggling takes place); and the Hamas regime (Gaza City).
(Just as Israel's own defense staff warned that imposing Collective Punishment on Gaza would provoke the rockets Israel is now trying to blame for its War Crimes, an attack will further intensify this retaliation, which the media will allow Israel to use to justify its brutality. By refusing to talk with Hamas, the democratically-elected representative of the Palestinians, and opt instead for war, Israel's ruling Extremists have once again proven themselves to be Israel's greatest threat.)
It is fair to assume that for the latter, the IDF will opt to deal with the regime from a distance - relying on an air operation. A ground operation would include a combination of sorts for dealing with the first two problems. If it turns out that Philadelphi Route remains entirely breached, this may be an incentive for a ground operation toward Rafah. However that introduces a separate dilemma: An operation close to the border with Egypt may lead to friction with Cairo.
(Note that trying to fight a ground war from the air is known to produce a horrific number of civilian casualties. Pursuing this course out of political expediency is no different than deliberately targeting civilians.)
In cabinet discussions, senior IDF officers have made it clear that they need time in such an operation. They stressed that there is no point in carrying out a major initiative if they are not allowed to carry out the necessary search and destroy missions and arrests in the areas the army will bring under its control, following the initial offensive. Another critical element will be the weather, which is likely to delay a major operation for at least a month.
(The cutting off of communications in the region last week suggests that something is definitely in the worls. Something they don't want the world to see.)
Meanwhile, the combative attitude adopted by Cairo recently in its statements against Hamas is further exacerbating relations between the two sides. Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit warned yesterday that Egypt would "break the legs" of Palestinians who try to enter Sinai ¬ a statement that sounded almost like a declaration of war.
(But Egypt knows that it can only Appease Israel and the US for so long, before its people turns against it.)
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/952319.html
Israel to Intensify Strikes If Rocket Fire Continues
6 Gunmen, 1 Civilian Killed in Gaza Raid
Feb. 7, 2008. Israeli ground forces backed by warplanes exchanged fire with Hamas gunmen in the northern Gaza Strip on Thursday, killing a teacher and six militants in escalating violence that is hobbling peace efforts. (AP Photo/Tara Todras-Whitehill) (Tara Todras-whitehill - AP)
(Violence provoked and pursued by Israeli politicians who are not willing to negotiate or compromise in the name of peace. These Extremists can't accept the 'peace process' because they know that any 'just peace' will involve them giving back a portion of what they've stolen from the Palestinians - and their violent Cult isn't prepared to do this.)
By Ellen Knickmeyer
Washington Post Foreign Service
Friday, February 8, 2008; Page A14
JERUSALEM, Feb. 7 -- Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak threatened Thursday to intensify military operations in the Gaza Strip if fighters continue using the Palestinian territory for rocket attacks on southern Israel. Earlier in the day, Israeli troops supported by tanks, artillery and fighter jets raided Gaza, killing six Palestinian gunmen, according to Palestinian and news service accounts.
(Of course, what the media doesn't say with this Framing of the issue is that Israel's imposition of illegal measures of Collective Punishment is what provoked the rockets in the first place.)
Also, a 42-year-old Palestinian high school chemistry teacher was killed when a shell hit a school just before classes started in the morning, said Jamil Suleiman, director of the hospital in the Gaza village of Beit Hanoun. Three 16-year-old Palestinian boys, all students, were wounded, Suleiman said.
("a 42-year-old Palestinian high school chemistry teacher was killed when a shell hit a school", "when a shell hit a school", "when a shell hit a school" ...)
Israel denied targeting the school, saying it was firing at rocket teams that use the border village as a base for attacks on Israel. On Thursday, fighters fired at least seven rockets at the southern Israeli town of Sderot, wounding one person, the Israeli military said.
(You'd think that Israel would develop better precision weapons since, year after year, theirs never seem to go where they aim them ...)
Fighting between Israel and the armed Hamas movement that controls Gaza has increased since mid-January, when militants responded to a visit by President Bush to Israel with stepped-up launches of their handmade Qassam rockets and Israel intensified airstrikes.
(The rockets were still a response to the Collective Punishment. But notice how no Israeli excuse is ignored by the media ...)
Israeli authorities say they have held off on larger ground or air offensives so as to minimize casualties. That could change, Barak said Thursday. "If the Qassam fire continues, we will intensify our activity, and the other side's losses, until we resolve the Qassam rocket problem," he said during a visit to a military base in Israel's north.
(The rockets will no doubt continue, since Israel is not about to end its illegal Collective Punishment of Gaza - despite international condemnation - which is what provoked the rockets in the first place ...)
Israeli troops entered Gaza early Thursday, drawing out Palestinian fighters in gun battles. Hamas said gunfire and Israeli missiles killed five of its men. A fighter from the Islamic Jihad group was also killed, news agencies said.
Fighting between Hamas and its political rival, Fatah, last summer broke up a unity government that the two had formed and left Hamas in charge of Gaza and Fatah in charge of the West Bank.
(Note that this 'fighting' was, in fact, a failed Coup attempt sponsored by the US and Israel, which used corrupt elements of Fatah as proxies. They no doubt view it as a success nonetheless, because it achieved their plan for 'Divide & Rule'.)
The recent escalation of hostilities has overshadowed peace talks that had resumed between Israel and Fatah after Bush's visit.
Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev this week urged Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, a Fatah leader, to bring what Regev called "rogue elements" in the West Bank under control. Hamas asserted responsibility for a suicide bombing Monday that killed a 73-year-old Israeli woman in southern Israel. Hamas said it had dispatched the two attackers from the West Bank town of Hebron.
(However, this conflicted with three other versions of the attack by Israel and other Palestinian groups.)
Until Monday's bombing, Hamas had not claimed to have carried out a suicide attack in Israel since 2004.
Israel's Defense Ministry on Thursday directed the country's Infrastructures Ministry to proceed with a small cut in electricity to Gaza, the first of a possible series of power supply reductions meant to pressure Hamas to stop its rocket attacks.
(Actually, these inexcusable War Crimes are what provoked the rockets in the first place ...)
Since last month, Israel has sharply reduced shipments of fuel and other goods to Gaza.
(Which is a War Crime ...)
"The combination of military action on the one hand and sanctions on Gaza on the other . . . will eventually bring the Qassam fire to a halt," Barak said at the military base.
On Jan. 23, (unidentified) 'fighters' (masked men) eased the pressure of the sanctions (Collective Punishment) in Gaza by blowing up miles of the territory's border fence with Egypt, allowing hundreds of thousands of Gaza residents to cross over and shop in that country. Egypt resealed the border Sunday.
On Thursday, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit warned Gazans not to breach the wall again. "Whoever breaks the border line shall have his foot broken," Egypt's state news service quoted him as saying.
Aboul Gheit also said Egypt was working diplomatically to ease restrictions on Gazans entering and leaving the strip through legal Gaza-Egypt border crossings. He urged Hamas to halt attacks on Israel in the meantime, saying rockets "lost in the sands of Israel" only give Israel an excuse for attacks on Gaza.
Special correspondent Samuel Sockol contributed to this report.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/07/AR2008020700656.html?hpid=sec-world
ALERT: Annapolis a Charade: Israeli Extremists Plotting Massive AggressionAuthor
https://israel.indymedia.org/newswire/display/7906/index.php
In Germany, according to historian Richard Evans, in 1931-1932, if enough Germans of conscience had begun to say No -- history would have had an entirely diferent outcome.
If we go any further down this road the tears will be those of conservatives as well as progressives. They will be (Israeli) tears.
The time for weeping has to stop; the time for confronting must begin.
Adapted from "American Tears"
www.huffingtonpost.com/naomi-wolf/american-tears_b_68141.html
Censoring Neo-Con Role in Gaza Crisis
http://winnipeg.indymedia.org/item.php?10619S
Warnings Pour in For Israel to Cease Collective Punishment
http://winnipeg.indymedia.org/item.php?10555S
Red Cross Condemns Gaza Collective Punishment (the First Round)
winnipeg.indymedia.org/item.php?8994S
As Predicted: Gaza Reoccupation Planned
www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/01/388658.html
As Predicted: Israel Attacks Gaza
alaanasnews.blogspot.com/2007/12/as-predicted-israel-attacks-gaza.html
Gaza Food Supplies 'Getting Worse by the Day'
winnipeg.indymedia.org/item.php?10015S
Israel Destroys Gaza Interior Ministry, Blocks UN Aid
today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=topNews&storyid=2008-01-18T
Probe: At Least Half of Palestinians Killed by IDF Were Civilians
www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/944276.html
Israeli Attacks on Palestinians, Killings, Doubled Since Annapolis
www.uruknet.de/?p=m40008&hd=&size=1&l=e
UN Condemns Collective Punishment of Gaza
www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/01/389757.html?c=on#c187937
UN Condemns 'Cowardly Israeli War Crime'
www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/01/389828.html
It's All Right, I'm Only Bleeding
http://winnipeg.indymedia.org/item.php?10557S
Bush's Delusions Die in Gaza
http://winnipeg.indymedia.org/postitem.php?randid=56676&parenttype=&parentitem=
An Experiment in Famine: Hamas is Not the Real Issue
http://winnipeg.indymedia.org/item.php?10872S
Jewish Groups Condemn Collective Punishment of Gaza
http://winnipeg.indymedia.org/item.php?10877S
The Strangulation of Gaza
http://winnipeg.indymedia.org/item.php?10998S
Starting Tomorrow: Escalation in Collective Punishment of Gaza
http://winnipeg.indymedia.org/item.php?10999S
EU envoy warns Gaza could become the next Somalia
http://winnipeg.indymedia.org/item.php?11028S
By Amos Harel and Avi Issacharoff
Tags: Israel, IDF, Gaza, Hamas
The rocket barrages against communities inside Israel and the Israel Defense Forces operations in the Gaza Strip that have left at least 16 Palestinians dead over the past three days all point in one direction: Following many weeks of being kept on ice, the likelihood of a major military operation in the Gaza Strip is once more at the forefront.
(It's always 'been at the forefront'. This is what the consistent escalation of this has been all about. Israel plotted a massive operation, and possible reoccupation, long before the Annapolis conference. Now, they're just awaiting an opportune time to attack, when they can dupe the public and media with some sort of 'justification' which can adequately taint the Framing of the attack.)
In recent months it seemed that the major IDF operation (which had been discussed sporadically for about a year and a half) had been dropped from the agenda. There were a number of reasons for this.
Firstly, the political leadership found it difficult to accept that the operational plans produced by the IDF were realistic. The concerns that a major ground operation would have limited gains against Hamas and would cost the IDF many casualties, in parallel with an inability to plan for a scenario that would restore relative calm in the Strip, raised many reservations in Jerusalem.
Playing a role in the background, meanwhile, was the paralysis that took hold of the political leadership as the release of the final Winograd Report loomed. So long as there was a question mark hanging over the Olmert government, there was a reluctance to make any decisions concerning an operation in the Strip.
However, the apparent change in recent weeks does not only stem from the fact that the prime minister has managed to survive the Winograd trial.
(Only because, as Amnesty International points out, the report acknowledged Israeli war crimes, but refused to suggest prosecutions.)
It is mainly linked to developments along the border between the Strip and Egypt, which have added a new element of instability to the already complex situation. Egypt may have announced this week that it has resealed the Philadelphi Route at Rafah, but it is doubtful whether this is a hermetic closure.
(This raises an interesting question; Who were the "masked men" who initiated the border breach?)
The Hamas operation which brought down the wall greatly impressed the IDF. An officer who held a senior post in the past in Southern Command said Thursday that he had told his Palestinian Authority counterparts at the time, security officials loyal to Mahmoud Abbas, that the wall would stand for many years after the disengagement. His assessment, he admits, was mistaken. What Hamas managed to achieve is a fundamental change in the situation in the area.
Why would the breach in the wall expedite an Israeli operation? Because the absence of stability contributes to escalation and the loss of control. The action has bolstered the confidence of Hamas' military wing. This operational success may lead them to take more risks.
(It has also partially weakened Israel's complete starvation of Gaza, which was in great part designed to 'soften up' Gaza for the coming invasion.)
On Wednesday, the Hamas representative in Tehran threatened Israel with a wave of suicide bombings inside the country. To this must be added the situation in Rafah. While smuggling had previously been rampant, the absence of any border controls in recent weeks appears to have enabled Hamas to intensify its effort to bolster its arsenal. At the same time, terrorist organizations have managed to send a number of teams into Sinai, with the aim of carrying out attacks in Israel. Without a wall, Egypt's ability to seal the border against the terror cells is limited.
(The actual evidence doesn't support these Israeli accusations, meant to bolster their justifications for the planned assault on Gaza. Note that Hamas also said this action would come in response to further aggression by Israel, which has doubled its attacks on Gaza, and greatly increased its murder of Palestinians, since Annapolis - as predicted. Israel could accept Hamas' repeated cease-fire offers, but they won't. Israel's ruling Extemists, intent on retaking Gaza, will not negotiate or compromise in the name of peace.)
In light of these developments, it is once more possible to hear Defense Minister Ehud Barak talk about his desire to avoid a major operation, but at the same time that such a step may be inevitable. The current steps being taken - continuing the economic blockade (Collective Punishment, a War Crime), which has been broken by Hamas; limiting the amount of electricity being supplied; limited ground operations ¬ are all considered essential before a final decision on embarking on a massive operation.
(Barak has never stopped talking about the planned and predicted attack on Gaza, and both air & ground operations have already taken place.)
What would a massive operation include? Israel faces three main challenges in the Strip, each of which is concentrated in a different geographic location: the Qassam attacks against Ashkelon and Sderot (northern Strip); the strengthening of the terrorist groups in Rafah ¬ (where the smuggling takes place); and the Hamas regime (Gaza City).
(Just as Israel's own defense staff warned that imposing Collective Punishment on Gaza would provoke the rockets Israel is now trying to blame for its War Crimes, an attack will further intensify this retaliation, which the media will allow Israel to use to justify its brutality. By refusing to talk with Hamas, the democratically-elected representative of the Palestinians, and opt instead for war, Israel's ruling Extremists have once again proven themselves to be Israel's greatest threat.)
It is fair to assume that for the latter, the IDF will opt to deal with the regime from a distance - relying on an air operation. A ground operation would include a combination of sorts for dealing with the first two problems. If it turns out that Philadelphi Route remains entirely breached, this may be an incentive for a ground operation toward Rafah. However that introduces a separate dilemma: An operation close to the border with Egypt may lead to friction with Cairo.
(Note that trying to fight a ground war from the air is known to produce a horrific number of civilian casualties. Pursuing this course out of political expediency is no different than deliberately targeting civilians.)
In cabinet discussions, senior IDF officers have made it clear that they need time in such an operation. They stressed that there is no point in carrying out a major initiative if they are not allowed to carry out the necessary search and destroy missions and arrests in the areas the army will bring under its control, following the initial offensive. Another critical element will be the weather, which is likely to delay a major operation for at least a month.
(The cutting off of communications in the region last week suggests that something is definitely in the worls. Something they don't want the world to see.)
Meanwhile, the combative attitude adopted by Cairo recently in its statements against Hamas is further exacerbating relations between the two sides. Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit warned yesterday that Egypt would "break the legs" of Palestinians who try to enter Sinai ¬ a statement that sounded almost like a declaration of war.
(But Egypt knows that it can only Appease Israel and the US for so long, before its people turns against it.)
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/952319.html Israel to Intensify Strikes If Rocket Fire Continues
6 Gunmen, 1 Civilian Killed in Gaza Raid
Feb. 7, 2008. Israeli ground forces backed by warplanes exchanged fire with Hamas gunmen in the northern Gaza Strip on Thursday, killing a teacher and six militants in escalating violence that is hobbling peace efforts. (AP Photo/Tara Todras-Whitehill) (Tara Todras-whitehill - AP)
(Violence provoked and pursued by Israeli politicians who are not willing to negotiate or compromise in the name of peace. These Extremists can't accept the 'peace process' because they know that any 'just peace' will involve them giving back a portion of what they've stolen from the Palestinians - and their violent Cult isn't prepared to do this.)
By Ellen Knickmeyer
Washington Post Foreign Service
Friday, February 8, 2008; Page A14
JERUSALEM, Feb. 7 -- Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak threatened Thursday to intensify military operations in the Gaza Strip if fighters continue using the Palestinian territory for rocket attacks on southern Israel. Earlier in the day, Israeli troops supported by tanks, artillery and fighter jets raided Gaza, killing six Palestinian gunmen, according to Palestinian and news service accounts.
(Of course, what the media doesn't say with this Framing of the issue is that Israel's imposition of illegal measures of Collective Punishment is what provoked the rockets in the first place.)
Also, a 42-year-old Palestinian high school chemistry teacher was killed when a shell hit a school just before classes started in the morning, said Jamil Suleiman, director of the hospital in the Gaza village of Beit Hanoun. Three 16-year-old Palestinian boys, all students, were wounded, Suleiman said.
("a 42-year-old Palestinian high school chemistry teacher was killed when a shell hit a school", "when a shell hit a school", "when a shell hit a school" ...)
Israel denied targeting the school, saying it was firing at rocket teams that use the border village as a base for attacks on Israel. On Thursday, fighters fired at least seven rockets at the southern Israeli town of Sderot, wounding one person, the Israeli military said.
(You'd think that Israel would develop better precision weapons since, year after year, theirs never seem to go where they aim them ...)
Fighting between Israel and the armed Hamas movement that controls Gaza has increased since mid-January, when militants responded to a visit by President Bush to Israel with stepped-up launches of their handmade Qassam rockets and Israel intensified airstrikes.
(The rockets were still a response to the Collective Punishment. But notice how no Israeli excuse is ignored by the media ...)
Israeli authorities say they have held off on larger ground or air offensives so as to minimize casualties. That could change, Barak said Thursday. "If the Qassam fire continues, we will intensify our activity, and the other side's losses, until we resolve the Qassam rocket problem," he said during a visit to a military base in Israel's north.
(The rockets will no doubt continue, since Israel is not about to end its illegal Collective Punishment of Gaza - despite international condemnation - which is what provoked the rockets in the first place ...)
Israeli troops entered Gaza early Thursday, drawing out Palestinian fighters in gun battles. Hamas said gunfire and Israeli missiles killed five of its men. A fighter from the Islamic Jihad group was also killed, news agencies said.
Fighting between Hamas and its political rival, Fatah, last summer broke up a unity government that the two had formed and left Hamas in charge of Gaza and Fatah in charge of the West Bank.
(Note that this 'fighting' was, in fact, a failed Coup attempt sponsored by the US and Israel, which used corrupt elements of Fatah as proxies. They no doubt view it as a success nonetheless, because it achieved their plan for 'Divide & Rule'.)
The recent escalation of hostilities has overshadowed peace talks that had resumed between Israel and Fatah after Bush's visit.
Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev this week urged Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, a Fatah leader, to bring what Regev called "rogue elements" in the West Bank under control. Hamas asserted responsibility for a suicide bombing Monday that killed a 73-year-old Israeli woman in southern Israel. Hamas said it had dispatched the two attackers from the West Bank town of Hebron.
(However, this conflicted with three other versions of the attack by Israel and other Palestinian groups.)
Until Monday's bombing, Hamas had not claimed to have carried out a suicide attack in Israel since 2004.
Israel's Defense Ministry on Thursday directed the country's Infrastructures Ministry to proceed with a small cut in electricity to Gaza, the first of a possible series of power supply reductions meant to pressure Hamas to stop its rocket attacks.
(Actually, these inexcusable War Crimes are what provoked the rockets in the first place ...)
Since last month, Israel has sharply reduced shipments of fuel and other goods to Gaza.
(Which is a War Crime ...)
"The combination of military action on the one hand and sanctions on Gaza on the other . . . will eventually bring the Qassam fire to a halt," Barak said at the military base.
On Jan. 23, (unidentified) 'fighters' (masked men) eased the pressure of the sanctions (Collective Punishment) in Gaza by blowing up miles of the territory's border fence with Egypt, allowing hundreds of thousands of Gaza residents to cross over and shop in that country. Egypt resealed the border Sunday.
On Thursday, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit warned Gazans not to breach the wall again. "Whoever breaks the border line shall have his foot broken," Egypt's state news service quoted him as saying.
Aboul Gheit also said Egypt was working diplomatically to ease restrictions on Gazans entering and leaving the strip through legal Gaza-Egypt border crossings. He urged Hamas to halt attacks on Israel in the meantime, saying rockets "lost in the sands of Israel" only give Israel an excuse for attacks on Gaza.
Special correspondent Samuel Sockol contributed to this report.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/07/AR2008020700656.html?hpid=sec-world ALERT: Annapolis a Charade: Israeli Extremists Plotting Massive AggressionAuthor
https://israel.indymedia.org/newswire/display/7906/index.php In Germany, according to historian Richard Evans, in 1931-1932, if enough Germans of conscience had begun to say No -- history would have had an entirely diferent outcome.
If we go any further down this road the tears will be those of conservatives as well as progressives. They will be (Israeli) tears.
The time for weeping has to stop; the time for confronting must begin.
Adapted from "American Tears"
www.huffingtonpost.com/naomi-wolf/american-tears_b_68141.html
Censoring Neo-Con Role in Gaza Crisis
http://winnipeg.indymedia.org/item.php?10619S Warnings Pour in For Israel to Cease Collective Punishment
http://winnipeg.indymedia.org/item.php?10555S Red Cross Condemns Gaza Collective Punishment (the First Round)
winnipeg.indymedia.org/item.php?8994S
As Predicted: Gaza Reoccupation Planned
www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/01/388658.html
As Predicted: Israel Attacks Gaza
alaanasnews.blogspot.com/2007/12/as-predicted-israel-attacks-gaza.html
Gaza Food Supplies 'Getting Worse by the Day'
winnipeg.indymedia.org/item.php?10015S
Israel Destroys Gaza Interior Ministry, Blocks UN Aid
today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=topNews&storyid=2008-01-18T
Probe: At Least Half of Palestinians Killed by IDF Were Civilians
www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/944276.html
Israeli Attacks on Palestinians, Killings, Doubled Since Annapolis
www.uruknet.de/?p=m40008&hd=&size=1&l=e
UN Condemns Collective Punishment of Gaza
www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/01/389757.html?c=on#c187937
UN Condemns 'Cowardly Israeli War Crime'
www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/01/389828.html
It's All Right, I'm Only Bleeding
http://winnipeg.indymedia.org/item.php?10557S Bush's Delusions Die in Gaza
http://winnipeg.indymedia.org/postitem.php?randid=56676&parenttype=&parentitem= An Experiment in Famine: Hamas is Not the Real Issue
http://winnipeg.indymedia.org/item.php?10872S Jewish Groups Condemn Collective Punishment of Gaza
http://winnipeg.indymedia.org/item.php?10877S The Strangulation of Gaza
http://winnipeg.indymedia.org/item.php?10998S Starting Tomorrow: Escalation in Collective Punishment of Gaza
http://winnipeg.indymedia.org/item.php?10999S EU envoy warns Gaza could become the next Somalia
http://winnipeg.indymedia.org/item.php?11028S
Various
