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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan | |
| It's Back! And better then ever! Trucefire™!! | |
| 2007-02-02 | |
| AFP: 2/2/07, 14:40. Somebody put it on the stopwatch. GAZA CITY (AFP) - Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas and exiled Hamas political supremo Khaled Meshaal declared a ceasefire between their feuding factions in the Gaza Strip after internecine violence killed 25 people in just 24 hours. Oh, wait a minute... Shortly after the ceasefire was announced, unknown gunmen opened fire on the motorcade of the Egyptian envoy to the Gaza Strip, who has been at the heart of mediation efforts between Abbas's Fatah and the ruling Hamas faction. There were no injuries in the incident which cast doubts on the chances of the ceasefire, which came three days after the declaration of another truce. Nah, c'mon guys. Give it a chance. This could be the one... "President Mahmud Abbas and Hamas political chief Khaled Meshaal held a phone conversation this evening and agreed to make an effort to end the fighting," presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina told AFP. Howda we evah get this far... The two leaders also agreed to meet in the Muslim holy city of Mecca next Tuesday on the initiative of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, he added. Oh. Mecca. That should solve everything. Nizar Rayan, a Hamas official in the Gaza Strip, confirmed that "Abbas and Meshaal reached an agreement between Fatah and Hamas on an immediate ceasefire." Peace in our lunchtime. At least they can maybe put the fires out. Black smoke billowed into the sky from Gaza's Islamic University on Friday after the Hamas bastion was stormed overnight by Abbas's presidential guard and gunfire and mortar attacks erupted across the territory, also spreading to the West Bank. Masked fighters from Hamas and Fatah roamed the largely deserted streets to the rattle of gunfire as representatives of the rival parties met in Gaza City. The presidency blamed Hamas for the violence amid increasing international pressure on the factions to resolve their differences and negotiate a power-sharing agreement. Fatah, moderate and secular, and Hamas, radical and Islamist, have tried for months to form a national unity government™ acceptable to Western donors in the hope of ending a crippling aid freeze. Hamas has steadfastly rejected Western demands that it renounce violence and recognise Israel and past peace deals. Should we set the over/under?
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| Posted by:tu3031 |
| #14 must be hell for the census takers Paleolandistan |
| Posted by: macofromoc 2007-02-02 21:38 |
| #13 Allah is pleased so far, but wants more blood spilled in the streets of Gaza. If I recall correctly, Allah wants rivers of it. Oh, that's not what they meant by "running out of blood" ? |
| Posted by: Kalle (kafir forever) 2007-02-02 19:36 |
| #12 >EM>Health officials said Gaza was running out of blood and appealed for blood donors Well, let's see, we have Israeli blood, then we have goat blood, then we have chicken blood from Indonesia, donkey blood, and camel blood. That's type I, type g, type c positive, type d, and type c negative, which will it be ? |
| Posted by: wxjames 2007-02-02 19:27 |
| #11 Also, a long drawn out civil war can lead to one side winning and being so tired of the killing, that they are really interested in peace with their neighbors. Unpossible. Palestinians will never tire of killing. |
| Posted by: Rob Crawford 2007-02-02 19:15 |
| #10 This is the reason that the US and Israel unblocked funds for the Fatah-led faction of the Paleo "government" : Fatah needed to balance out the Iranian shipments to Hamas. Realistically, you want both sides more or less evenly balanced, so the feuding and bloodletting can continue for the maximum amount of time. That way, you kill off the cannon fodder on each side and decrease the total number of terrorists available to send against Israel and the West. Also, a long drawn out civil war can lead to one side winning and being so tired of the killing, that they are really interested in peace with their neighbors. Kind of rough on the civilians in Gaza, but then, I remember the Paleo crowds cheering and handing out candy on 9/11 - so F*&K them! |
| Posted by: Shieldwolf 2007-02-02 18:24 |
| #9 In a symbol that the two sides had returned to open warfare, their respective radio stations stopped playing songs of national unity and broadcast songs about armed struggle and fighting the enemy. Am I evil for finding that statement LOL-funny? |
| Posted by: xbalanke 2007-02-02 17:57 |
| #8 Fatah, moderate and secular, and Hamas, radical and Islamist, Riiigggghhhhtttt.... The only difference between the two is who's in charge. |
| Posted by: Rob Crawford 2007-02-02 17:53 |
| #7 UPDATE! http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,9294,2-10-1462_2063751,00.html Gaza City - Hamas fighters blew up a pro-Fatah radio station in Gaza, ambulances were caught in the crossfire and gunmen exchanged heavy fire in deserted streets as a new wave of factional fighting killed seven people on Friday in the chaotic coastal territory. The resurgent violence, which has killed a total of 13 people since Thursday, destroyed a brief truce between Fatah and Hamas and forced thousands of Gazans to huddle in their homes to escape the crossfire. Fatah forces stormed a Hamas-affiliated university on Friday afternoon, setting two buildings on fire and waging a shootout with Hamas forces inside the campus. Black smoke rose over the city. In a symbol that the two sides had returned to open warfare, their respective radio stations stopped playing songs of national unity and broadcast songs about armed struggle and fighting the enemy. Egyptian mediators blamed Hamas for violating the latest cease-fire deal by ambushing an official convoy. Gaza plunged into chaos On Friday morning, 50 officers from Abbas's presidential guard surrounded the Hamas-led Interior Ministry and exchanged fire with Hamas gunmen guarding the building. Outside of Gaza City, Hamas militants launched mortar shells at a Fatah training base in an attack that wounded 30 recruits, security officials said. One shell missed the base, hitting a nearby house and wounding two children inside. The roads of Gaza were nearly empty, sealed off by makeshift roadblocks of rubble and garbage. Only masked security officers, some with hand grenades clipped to their ammunition vests, were visible in the streets. The sound of gunfire mixed with the call to prayer, but the mosques were mostly empty for Friday afternoon prayers as people stayed at home in fear. Fighting in northern Gaza killed two Fatah-affiliated security officers and two Hamas gunmen early on Friday, according to hospital officials and Hamas. A woman and two children, ages eight and five, were also killed, health officials said. A total of 182 people were wounded, 19 of them critically, in the fighting since Thursday afternoon, the Health Ministry reported. Health officials said Gaza was running out of blood and appealed for blood donors. Ambulances had come under fire and one rescue worker was lightly injured by a ricocheting bullet, they said. A Red Crescent hospital near a security base in Gaza City was hit in cross fire and its windows and gates were pocked by bullet holes. Overnight, rival gunmen fought in the streets with mortar shells, rocket-propelled grenades and heavy calibre machine guns. Hamas gunmen blew up the Fatah-affiliated Voice of Labor radio station in the northern town of Jebaliya on Friday morning after a five-hour siege, according to Rasem Bayri, who heads the Palestinian Federation of Labor Unions. |
| Posted by: Brett 2007-02-02 17:31 |
| #6 Great pic, moose. A rat and some cute puppies. |
| Posted by: Brett 2007-02-02 16:59 |
| #5 |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2007-02-02 16:57 |
| #4 The presidency blamed Hamas for the violence amid increasing international pressure on the factions to resolve their differences and negotiate a power-sharing agreement. It sounds like that's exactly what they're doing - Pali style. |
| Posted by: xbalanke 2007-02-02 16:57 |
| #3 Well, they basically own Gaza. Is this what they mean by an Islamic Paradise?™ |
| Posted by: PlanetDan 2007-02-02 16:35 |
| #2 I'll take Hamas and 7 bodies...er, points, Alex. |
| Posted by: FOTSGreg 2007-02-02 16:21 |
| #1 It's hard to stop a civil war in a place where women have no voice. |
| Posted by: Penguin 2007-02-02 16:18 |