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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| Israeli warplanes pound |
| 2005-10-27 |
| GAZA (Reuters) - Israeli warplanes fired missiles into the Gaza Strip on Thursday, targeting Palestinian militant sites hours after a suicide bomber killed five people in a crowded Israeli market. The Israeli military said it launched the air strike to prevent militants from firing rockets into the Jewish state during the worst flare-up of violence since Israel withdrew from Gaza last month after 38 years of occupation. Palestinian witnesses said Israel later launched a second air raid that damaged a road in northern Gaza. No casualties were reported in the air strikes, the third day running that Israel has mounted such action in response to Palestinian rocket attacks. The air strikes occurred amid heightened tension over the suicide bombing in the Israeli coastal city of Hadera -- the first such attack since Israel's Gaza pullout and another blow to international hopes for a revival of peacemaking. Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the bombing, saying it was avenging Israel's killing of one of its top West Bank commanders on Monday, as the bloodshed threatened to unravel an already shaky cease-fire. Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz ordered a military operation in the northern West Bank, where Palestinian security sources said the bomber had come from. Neither the Defense Ministry nor the army would disclose when such an assault would begin. The suicide bomber launched the attack in front of a sandwich stand in the main outdoor market in Hadera, a frequent target of attacks in a 5-year-old Palestinian uprising. Medics said five people were killed and 30 were wounded. "BLOOD AND CHAOS" "It was chaos, bodies and blood on the ground, people running everywhere," said Eduard Khanukai, 49, owner of a money exchange shop. The attack was the first bombing in the Jewish state since August 28, when a suicide bomber wounded 20 people in Beersheba. Israeli officials noted the attack followed remarks in Tehran by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that Israel should be "wiped off the map". "What makes these people dangerous is that their violent language is transformed into violent action," Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the bombing and pledged to try to salvage the truce he engineered earlier this year. "It harms the interest of the Palestinian people and leads to expansion of the cycle of violence," he said. Fallout from Wednesday's blast was swift. Israel, which suspended security contacts after three young Jewish settlers were killed in a West Bank ambush last week, canceled a meeting between the Israeli and Palestinian transport ministers. Islamic Jihad, sworn to Israel's destruction, had vowed revenge after Israeli troops shot dead West Bank commander Loai Assadi, the most senior militant killed since the truce began. Khader Habib, an Islamic Jihad leader in Gaza, called the Hadera bombing "a natural reaction to crimes of the occupation". Israel and the United States said the Palestinian Authority needed to rein in militants to push forward stalled peace talks. Abbas has so far preferred to negotiate with armed groups. "The Palestinians need to prepare some real action to stop terrorism if they want to move the process forward," said a top Israeli official, who declined to be identified. "They condemn every attack and we bury our dead." Leaders from Islamic Jihad and several other militant groups in Gaza rejoiced at news of the bombing and vowed to continue responding to Israeli attacks against Palestinians despite the cease-fire. Asked about Abbas's condemnation of the bombing, an Islamic Jihad spokesman said: "Anyone who criticizes the resistance is a violator to the national consensus and stands beside the enemy." Here's a solution: For every Israeli who is wounded by Palestinian terrorism, another acre disappears behind the fence. For every Israeli death at the hands of Palestinian terrorists, another ten acres disappears behind the fence. Whenever a rocket or mortar is fired into Israel, a cluster bomb distributes anti-personnel mines over an acre that surrounds the launch site. Whenever a mortar or rocket attack kills an Israeli citizen, a cluster bomb distributes anti-personnel mines over a ten-acre swath surrounding the launch site. Let the Palestinians tiptoe through the minefield of their own making. If they love death so much, they should welcome the opportunity to die so readily as a result of their attacks. If they prove to be not-so-eager, let them begin to interdict these attacks. If they prove unable to, then Israel is certainly entitled to continue such a program unabated. Can you tell my sympathy meter has fused? Israel's withdrawal from Gaza was the utmost in good faith gestures. If its sole reward is more attacks, then let all Palestinians share in the joy. |
| Posted by:Zenster |
| #20 On sending the Palestinians to Mexico - What have you got against the Mexicans ? |
| Posted by: buwaya 2005-10-27 22:10 |
| #19 Good points, ed, I'll go with the caltrops then. Either that or simply salt the earth with herbicides or whatnot. There must be some sort of punitive measure. Killing non-combatants isn't the best solution. However, since a majority of Palestinians support the aims of Hamas and al Aqsa, I'm beginning to think that there are no Palestinian non-combatants. Much like the way they regard the Israeli population. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2005-10-27 19:10 |
| #18 Zen, I was referring to the Israeli tactic of firing expensive missiles into empty fields. Might as well as take $100,000 and set it on fire. As for scattering mines, I am against it. The opposition will disarm the mines and use them against the Israelis. |
| Posted by: ed 2005-10-27 18:04 |
| #17 ed, I trust you were referring to Israeli retaliation strategy and not my own cluster bomb suggestion. Sowing small minefields over every launch point would certainly send a strong message to the Palestinians. Even if it were not minefields but merely some truly vicious non-ferrous caltrops that would deflate tractor tires and lacerate feet or livestock hooves, the results would still be acceptable. I don't see much argument over steering the fence, so I'll leave that one where it stands. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2005-10-27 16:02 |
| #16 Jordan river water. |
| Posted by: ed 2005-10-27 14:36 |
| #15 .com is right. But his solution is too close to being the final one. That's why Israel will never adopt it. I still like the idea of buying Baja California from Mexico, about the same size and the same climate as Israel. Bring 'em all over and give them $50,000 per person. Let them decide if they want to be an independent country, 51st state, or part of Mexico. Let the Paleos seeth. The only other alternative is continued war till the Paleo population bomb takes effect. |
| Posted by: Angolush Thruter6981 2005-10-27 14:33 |
| #14 The West Bank has valuable resources? Who knew? |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2005-10-27 14:20 |
| #13 Somehow we need to get the Palestinians out of the West Bank as we don't want to destroy valuable resources. I like the idea of taking an acre of land away or maybe deport them to Gaza. Build a lead fence and it would only take one nuke. |
| Posted by: Danielle 2005-10-27 10:14 |
| #12 Ed, you really nailed us down on this. It seems the bombing of empty field crap number used by Mofaz and Sharon (for internal political reasons)is kind of growing stale. If I were Abu Maazen I would buy a good insurance policy (including a generous "act of hostility" indemnification clause). Its high time to give the Palestinian stables a very thorough cleaning. I hope we go really aggressive on them soon. |
| Posted by: Elder of Zion 2005-10-27 08:07 |
| #11 And none of this wasting missiles on empty fields crap. It's as stupid as targeting cruise missiles at empty palaces when the US had to occupy them later anyway. Time to think like the Palis and target the densest gatherings of those homicidal lemmings. |
| Posted by: ed 2005-10-27 07:51 |
| #10 Two thousand pounders in the largest mosque during Friday prayers for each bombing. Oh, and extend the fence outward each time. |
| Posted by: ed 2005-10-27 07:47 |
| #9 How come I have this feeling in my guts and a faint wisper in my ears going so: "The shite is going to hit the fan very very soon......?? Could it be the smug look upon Abu Maazen's face ? or the bloody visions of the Hadera bombed market on TV ? or maybe it's just the "Beauty of our Weapons" syndrom ? I am sick and tired of the Pali's and I hope the velvet gloves are going to come off soon ! |
| Posted by: Elder of Zion 2005-10-27 07:42 |
| #8 The only good Palestinian is a dead Palistinian. |
| Posted by: Scooter McGruder 2005-10-27 04:32 |
| #7 CA - Yeah, I hate it when you agree with me, too. |
| Posted by: .com 2005-10-27 03:33 |
| #6 Just need to light up their world with bright flashes from the heavens. |
| Posted by: 3dc 2005-10-27 02:54 |
| #5 Hate to do this, but I agree with com. I see the mask completely unveiled with Syria and Iran, and their minions in PaleoLand and Lebanon. In short, their cruisin' for a serious brusin' |
| Posted by: Captain America 2005-10-27 02:41 |
| #4 Dunno why, mebbe it's one of those history lesson thingys, but I think it will only end when one side is totally wiped out. No reason I can see since 1948 to think otherwise. But that's just me. |
| Posted by: .com 2005-10-27 01:45 |
| #3 Here's my solution: Two years of restraint on Israel's part. No retaliation, no reprisals, nothing. Then go apeshit on Gaza (because there's no way the Palestinians will follow suit and restrain themselves for two years, that's a given). No excuses that way, and no apologies. |
| Posted by: Rafael 2005-10-27 01:43 |
| #2 [and I used to be addicted to fairy tales] Once upon a time. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2005-10-27 01:40 |
| #1 You mean your sympathy meter actually had an input channel for the "Palestinians"? |
| Posted by: Juque Sperens1293 2005-10-27 01:33 |