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| Israel-Palestine |
| Palestinian Militants Defy Abbas, Kill 6 Israelis |
| 2005-01-14 |
| Palestinian militants killed six Israelis in a bombing and shooting attack at the main commercial crossing into Gaza, mounting their strongest challenge yet to President-elect Mahmoud Abbas and his call for non-violence. Hours after the incident, there was still no comment from Abbas, while Israel signaled it would weigh its response to the operation carefully to avoid weakening a leader it has said it could do business with after years of shunning Yasser Arafat (news - web sites). Israeli Transport Minister Meir Sheetrit said on Israel Radio on Friday the terminal, a major lifeline for supplies to 1.3 million Palestinians in Gaza, would remain closed until further notice as a result of the attack. Abbas swept to power with an overwhelming victory in last Sunday's presidential poll in the West Bank and Gaza and will be sworn in on Saturday to replace Arafat, who died on Nov. 11. The new Palestinian leader has urged a cease-fire in more than four years of bloodshed to allow resumption of talks with Israel on peace and Palestinian statehood, a call rejected by militants he has said he planned to co-opt rather than confront. "The attack was a continuation of resistance," said Abu Abir of the Popular Resistance Committees, another of the three factions which issued a joint claim of responsibility. It called the operation a response to Israel's killing of a West Bank militant and other Palestinians in recent days. Hamas Islamic militants were also involved and said they had hoped to kidnap Israeli soldiers in order to swap them for Palestinians held in Israeli jails. The Karni attack was the bloodiest incident in Gaza in more than a week and caused the highest number of Israeli deaths since a tunnel rigged with explosives blew up on Dec. 12, killing five soldiers. STRENGTHENING ABBAS "Israel must press ahead with...its own military moves in order to try to prevent the next attack," Israeli Justice Minister Tzipi Livni told Army Radio. But she said: "We must try to strengthen Abu Mazen (Abbas) as a leader, assuming that that at some time or other he will be able take control of the terror organizations." In a statement, the Israeli army said that militants had planted a large explosive at a door separating the Israeli and Palestinian sides of the terminal, blasting a hole through which three gunmen infiltrated the Israeli side. "As a result of the explosion and during exchanges of fire which evolved at the scene, six Israeli civilians and three Palestinians were killed," the army said. Shortly after the blast, Israeli helicopters fired missiles at a clinic in a Gaza refugee camp run by a charity allied with militants, injuring one passerby, the army and witnesses said. Israel's military commander in Gaza said the army's fight against militants, in the run-up to a planned Israeli withdrawal from the area later this year, was on-going. "Just last month, more than 40 terrorists were killed in dozens of operations in Gaza, most of them very selective attacks by our forces," Brigadier Aviv Kochavi told Army Radio. "The fighting will continue without announcing (this or that operation)." |
| Posted by:tipper |
| #12 Abbas is nothing...... exactly like all the wheelchairs juindu of this blog. the Russian expatriate squatters living in iszra gonna have to paid rent soon and back here in turkey and corn land. hunt season will open again as open every 74 year. juiced where is your historic memory? |
| Posted by: sibilla ecumenica 2005-01-14 3:46:26 AM |
| #11 Dang fine hiakoo EoZ! ima make hiakoo also roses red trolls yeller and soon we will take back our oil and send the population to siberia where they will milk love goats. |
| Posted by: Atom Ant 2005-01-14 6:30:42 PM |
| #10 The new Palestinian leader has urged a cease-fire in more than four years of bloodshed to allow resumption of talks with Israel on peace and Palestinian statehood, a call rejected by militants he has said he planned to co-opt rather than confront. The problem with "co-opting" terrorists (How in the hell does one do that anyway?) is that there is no immediate incentive to stop their deadly activities. Action is required now, not later. |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2005-01-14 2:41:25 PM |
| #9 Abbas is nothing...... exactly like all the wheelchairs juindu of this blog. the Russian expatriate squatters living in iszra gonna have to paid rent soon and back here in turkey and corn land. hunt season will open again as open every 74 year. juiced where is your historic memory? OK Sibilla here's a short haiku just for you, Me iszra juiced juindo I pay rent to god say your final prayers 'cuz soon allah have close encounter with you in the corn and turkey sandwich land |
| Posted by: EoZ 2005-01-14 1:56:42 PM |
| #8 Hmmm...I'm not sure that he can control Hamas anymore than Israel or we can. But that doesn't mean that he can't act as a leader who will move the Pal's forward. I'm probably being overly optimistic - but I'm not hurting anyone. |
| Posted by: 2b 2005-01-14 9:46:08 AM |
| #7 Difference doesnt mean success. Arafat encouraged terror. Abbas clearly does not - but IF his discouragement is toothless, if he is a pacifist who opposes terror but lacks the cojones to DO anything, he will be little better. However it is distincly too soon to know. I THINK Sharon thinks there IS a difference. Though of course thats impossible to prove, since even if he didnt, hed have no choice at this point but to make nicey-nice with Abbas. It is certainly very true that the ball is now in Abbas' court - AAMB is affiliated with Fatah, and Fatah now has Abbas' name on it, as in "Abbas' Fatah". Its one thing to say he cant control Hamas, to admit that he cant even control Fatah is very damaging. |
| Posted by: Liberalhawk 2005-01-14 9:41:18 AM |
| #6 Turkey and corn land? I'll bet they got some good restaurants... |
| Posted by: tu3031 2005-01-14 9:09:32 AM |
| #5 here in turkey we are come git our church back now soon back rent due to tune juicy clearing haus |
| Posted by: Shipman 2005-01-14 7:54:49 AM |
| #4 the terminal, a major lifeline for supplies to 1.3 million Palestinians in Gaza would remain closed until further notice as a result of the attack. cause, meet effect. I'm not a rose colored glasses kind of person - but I have to say that my surprise meter has twitched a bit with Abbas. It may just be because Arafat was soooooo bad and such a corrupt leader that anyone would look better. It will be interesting to see how he handles this first challenge. |
| Posted by: 2b 2005-01-14 6:43:17 AM |
| #3 Indeed, Abbas is nothing, nothing new. Surely no one thinks anything of substance has changed. The cast of characters, minus Arafart, adds up to the same twisted pile of hate, corruption, and human offal that it did before his departure. There is no Road Map. There is no peace process. There is only the visceral hatred of the Paleos and the sham that those who hide it better pretend to fall for when some minor detail changes. |
| Posted by: .com 2005-01-14 4:30:04 AM |
| #2 Fred Full Troll Alert ! Prepare the fumigator, this one is particularely illiterate and smelly. |
| Posted by: EoZ 2005-01-14 3:51:33 AM |
| #1 [Off-topic or abusive comments deleted] |
| Posted by: sibilla ecumenica TROLL 2005-01-14 3:46:26 AM |