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Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Palestinian prime minister calls Israel's offensive a plan to topple his government

2006-07-01

The Palestinian prime minister said Friday that Israel's offensive is aimed at toppling the Hamas-led government, but maintained he is working with mediators to resolve the crisis over a captive Israeli soldier. Israel kept up the pressure in Gaza, destroying the interior minister's office and targeting a car carrying militants in an airstrike. Israel also said it attacked a militant cell, killing a local Islamic Jihad leader the first reported death in the offensive. With the crisis threatening to boil over into major fighting, the U.N. Security Council scheduled an emergency debate Friday. The Palestinians sought for a resolution condemning Israel's actions and demanding a halt to all military operations.

Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh urged his people to remain steadfast. Though he did not directly address Israel's demand that militants hand over the abducted soldier, he implied the government would not trade him for eight Palestinian Cabinet ministers detained by Israel on Thursday. He also accused Israel of using the soldier's abduction as a pretext for launching a major offensive with the aim of bringing down his government. This total war is proof of a premeditated plan, he said.

What were the daily rocket attacks on Israel, the death of two soldiers and the kidnapping of one soldier and a civilian?

Haniyeh spoke in a sermon at a Gaza mosque on Friday, the Muslim day of worship, as Hamas gunmen stood guard outside. It was his first public appearance since Israeli Cpl. Gilad Shalit, 19, was captured Sunday in a militant raid on an army post in Israel that sparked the crisis and sent Hamas' top leaders into hiding.

Posted by:Fred

#9 It's that bruise, Barbara. It appears to have muddled my thinking. ;-)

Posted by: trailing wife 2006-07-01 10:22

#8 Yet the MSM and the left hold Bush and Rummie personally responsible for the acts of some idiots in a prison in Iraq one night - it was front-page for over a year and was already being investigated.

Posted by: CrazyFool 2006-07-01 09:45

#7 TW - someone else suggested that was what Hamas was doing. I just suggested it would be fun for President Bush to try it.

(Well, it would. Leftie seething would be a sight to behold. :-D)

Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2006-07-01 09:35

#6 tw, I didn't see it here. It was somewhere else. Must be a popular idea (and a good one if she came up with it, too!) ;)

Posted by: Swamp Blondie 2006-07-01 09:15

#5 Israel has over 60 Hamas VIPs in custody by now -- government ministers, MPs, etc -- and plans to try them on a variety of terror-related charges. They are currently being processed at one of the maximum security facilities.

Swamp Blondie, it was Barbara Skolaut who suggested that. Truly a startling thought.

Posted by: trailing wife 2006-07-01 08:33

#4 I can't remember where I read it yesterday, but just imagine that the Navy shelled the living crap out of some place (let's say some garden spot in North Korea), and then President Bush said, "Hey, like, I can't control those guys! They're nuts! I'll try to, you know, talk them down and stuff, but no guarantees."

I'm sure the rest of the world would buy that, too.

I do have to agree with him on one point, however. One Israeli, civilian or soldier, is worth far more than eight miserable Palestinian Cabinet ministers.

Posted by: Swamp Blondie 2006-07-01 06:58

#3 Ismail, it may come as a surprise, but you're not the center of the world. Nobody in Israel---including our most ardent lefties---cares if you live or die.

Posted by: gromgoru 2006-07-01 06:15

#2 I don't know about premeditated, but I recognize a cracking-good ass-stomping when I see it. Roll on, Israel. I'll be buying a LOT of pizza for the IDF, lol.

You're dead, dood. Hiding in mosques (per FoxNews reporting) won't save your murderous ass.

Posted by: Gromorong Cruper1582 2006-07-01 04:29

#1 This total war is proof of a premeditated plan

And Hamas' actions were impromptu?

Posted by: Fordesque 2006-07-01 02:00

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