Israel, Gaza, and the Middle East Conflict

wahine · 06-12-2003, 04:55 PM

In light of recent events, (and hopefully a thread isn't made on this already) I thought perhaps we should discuss who is right in the battle for the land that the Dome of the Rock is on. Including the discussion on the terrorist attacks and counter attacks (and counter counter attacks etc). Also on the peace talks.

I only found an article on the Gaza attack so here it is.

GAZA CITY (CNN) -- An Israeli helicopter gunship fired at a car in Gaza City on Thursday, killing seven Palestinians and wounding at least 25, Palestinian medical officials said. It was the third Israeli helicopter attack in Gaza in 24 hours.

The apparent target of the attack was Yasser Taha, a senior member of Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that has rejected calls for a cease-fire. He was killed along with his wife and 3-year-old daughter, when a missile hit their car, the medical officials said.

Taha had been wanted by Israel for months. Israeli forces had bulldozed his house in Gaza several months ago. They also had arrested his father and brother.

Hamas spokesman Mahmoud Al-Zahar called the strike a crime and warned that every Israeli is now a target.

Israel Defense Forces had no immediate comment on the attack.

At a Cabinet meeting Thursday, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said Israel would not abandon its policy of targeting militant leaders, explaining that it was not a condition of last week's Israeli-Palestinian summit in Jordan to launch the so-called road map to Mideast peace, according to Israeli Army Radio and Israeli sources.

he ongoing violence, however, has underscored the difficulties both sides face in pursuing the plan.

hough the Bush administration had no official comment on Thursday's attack, a U.S. official involved in national security matters did say, "We have taken a dangerous turn in the road but we believe we are still on the road. We are committed, and we just have to somehow find a way to get through this difficult period together."

Thursday's attack in Gaza came a day after a suicide bomber killed 16 people in Jerusalem. Hamas' militant wing Izzedine al Qassam claimed responsibility for the attack.

In a statement faxed to news agencies in Jerusalem, Hamas warned that the suicide bombing was the beginning of a series of attacks and said international visitors should leave Israel to protect themselves.

"The Jerusalem attack is the beginning of a new series of revenge attacks ... in which we will target every Zionist occupying our land," the Hamas statement said. "We call on international citizens to leave the Zionist entity immediately to preserve their lives."

Shortly after Wednesday's suicide bombing, Israeli helicopter gunships launched an attack in Gaza, targeting Hamas militants. Palestinian hospital sources said seven people were killed -- including three Hamas militants -- and 40 were wounded.

Wednesday night, Israeli forces launched another helicopter attack killing two Hamas members in a neighborhood east of Gaza City, according to Palestinian security sources. The two helicopter strikes on Wednesday were not retaliation for the suicide bombing and had been planned earlier, Israel Defense Forces said.

In the wake of the bus bombing, Sharon vowed Israel would continue to pursue "murderous terrorist organizations" that "initiate, fund and send out terrorists." But he also said Israel is committed to moving forward with the road map, according to Israeli sources and Israeli Army Radio.
At Thursday's Cabinet meeting, Sharon characterized Palestinian leaders as "crybabies" and said Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas was "like a chick who hasn't grown his feathers," according to Israeli Army Radio and Israeli sources.

Abbas -- who pledged to crack down on terror groups as prime minister -- has been trying to negotiate a cease-fire with Hamas and other radical groups.

Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom on Thursday said, "This government will not march or walk in two tracks in the same time in parallel. I mean terror by day and negotiation by night. If these terrorist contacts will continue, I think that we won't be able to continue at the same time with the peace process."

Abbas and Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat on Wednesday condemned the Jerusalem bombing and the Israeli attacks in Gaza. "Ending this deterioration requires the commitment of all parties to end violence and cease-fire and begin serious implementation of the road map," Abbas said. His spokesman said Abbas was referring to all Israelis and all Palestinians -- including Hamas -- in that call.

...continued

06-12-2003, 04:55 PM	#1
wahine The Original Amazonian Coconut Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Answering no questions, telling no lies. Posts: 753	Israel, Gaza, etc. In light of recent events, (and hopefully a thread isn't made on this already) I thought perhaps we should discuss who is right in the battle for the land that the Dome of the Rock is on. Including the discussion on the terrorist attacks and counter attacks (and counter counter attacks etc). Also on the peace talks. I only found an article on the Gaza attack so here it is. GAZA CITY (CNN) -- An Israeli helicopter gunship fired at a car in Gaza City on Thursday, killing seven Palestinians and wounding at least 25, Palestinian medical officials said. It was the third Israeli helicopter attack in Gaza in 24 hours. The apparent target of the attack was Yasser Taha, a senior member of Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that has rejected calls for a cease-fire. He was killed along with his wife and 3-year-old daughter, when a missile hit their car, the medical officials said. Taha had been wanted by Israel for months. Israeli forces had bulldozed his house in Gaza several months ago. They also had arrested his father and brother. Hamas spokesman Mahmoud Al-Zahar called the strike a crime and warned that every Israeli is now a target. Israel Defense Forces had no immediate comment on the attack. At a Cabinet meeting Thursday, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said Israel would not abandon its policy of targeting militant leaders, explaining that it was not a condition of last week's Israeli-Palestinian summit in Jordan to launch the so-called road map to Mideast peace, according to Israeli Army Radio and Israeli sources. he ongoing violence, however, has underscored the difficulties both sides face in pursuing the plan. hough the Bush administration had no official comment on Thursday's attack, a U.S. official involved in national security matters did say, "We have taken a dangerous turn in the road but we believe we are still on the road. We are committed, and we just have to somehow find a way to get through this difficult period together." Thursday's attack in Gaza came a day after a suicide bomber killed 16 people in Jerusalem. Hamas' militant wing Izzedine al Qassam claimed responsibility for the attack. In a statement faxed to news agencies in Jerusalem, Hamas warned that the suicide bombing was the beginning of a series of attacks and said international visitors should leave Israel to protect themselves. "The Jerusalem attack is the beginning of a new series of revenge attacks ... in which we will target every Zionist occupying our land," the Hamas statement said. "We call on international citizens to leave the Zionist entity immediately to preserve their lives." Shortly after Wednesday's suicide bombing, Israeli helicopter gunships launched an attack in Gaza, targeting Hamas militants. Palestinian hospital sources said seven people were killed -- including three Hamas militants -- and 40 were wounded. Wednesday night, Israeli forces launched another helicopter attack killing two Hamas members in a neighborhood east of Gaza City, according to Palestinian security sources. The two helicopter strikes on Wednesday were not retaliation for the suicide bombing and had been planned earlier, Israel Defense Forces said. In the wake of the bus bombing, Sharon vowed Israel would continue to pursue "murderous terrorist organizations" that "initiate, fund and send out terrorists." But he also said Israel is committed to moving forward with the road map, according to Israeli sources and Israeli Army Radio. At Thursday's Cabinet meeting, Sharon characterized Palestinian leaders as "crybabies" and said Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas was "like a chick who hasn't grown his feathers," according to Israeli Army Radio and Israeli sources. Abbas -- who pledged to crack down on terror groups as prime minister -- has been trying to negotiate a cease-fire with Hamas and other radical groups. Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom on Thursday said, "This government will not march or walk in two tracks in the same time in parallel. I mean terror by day and negotiation by night. If these terrorist contacts will continue, I think that we won't be able to continue at the same time with the peace process." Abbas and Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat on Wednesday condemned the Jerusalem bombing and the Israeli attacks in Gaza. "Ending this deterioration requires the commitment of all parties to end violence and cease-fire and begin serious implementation of the road map," Abbas said. His spokesman said Abbas was referring to all Israelis and all Palestinians -- including Hamas -- in that call. ...continued __________________ Hem, hem Last edited by wahine : 06-12-2003 at 05:00 PM.