Hamas on Wednesday remained as defiant as ever and said it would continue to fire rockets at Israel as an act of "self-defense." Hamas also mocked what it described as the "state of confusion" in Israel over how to react to the latest spree of rocket and mortar attacks.
The movement also claimed that the Egyptians had given Israel a "green light" to launch a limited military operation in the Gaza Strip to overthrow the Hamas government. "Israel will pay a heavy price for its crimes against the Palestinians," said Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum. "Israel's actions enhance our determination to pursue the path of resistance through all means available."
The armed wing of Hamas, Izzadin Kassam, said it would not be deterred by Israel's threats of a military operation. The group also threatened to expand the range of its rockets and missiles so that they would reach more Israeli communities. "We won't succumb to the logic of threats made by the Zionist war criminals," the group said in a leaflet. "Today we are prepared more than ever to foil any aggression against our people." The Hamas wing also warned that if Israel carried out its threats it would face a "volcano of fury that would turn the Zionists' tears into blood."
Boasting that it had fired dozens of rockets and mortars at Israeli towns in the past few days, the group pointed out that Israel was "hopeless and desperate" because it doesn't know what to do to stop the attacks. "The enemy is in a state of confusion and doesn't know what to do," the leaflet read. "Their fragile cabinet has met in a desperate attempt to stop the rockets while thousands of settlers have found refuge in shelters which, by God's will, will become their permanent homes."
Hamas legislator and spokesman Mushir al-Masri said Wednesday's rocket attacks on Ashkelon and nearby communities were a warning message to Israel as to what awaits it when and if it decides to enter the Gaza Strip. He too threatened that Israel would pay a "heavy price" if it launched an attack. "Israel's threats don't scare us," he said. "We're not afraid of assassinations and invasions and we are prepared to sacrifice our leaders."
In another development, a top Hamas official in Gaza City told The Jerusalem Post Wednesday that the Egyptians have given Israel a "green light" to target Hamas figures and installations. The official claimed that Egyptian Intelligence Chief Gen. Omar Suleiman told Defense Ministry envoy Amos Gilad last week that Cairo would not oppose a "limited operation" that would lead to the downfall of the Hamas government in the Gaza Strip.
The allegation by the Hamas official followed a report in the London-based Al-Quds Al-Arabi newspaper, in which Suleiman was quoted as saying that the time has come to "teach the Hamas leaders a good lesson." Citing "informed" Palestinian sources, the report added that Suleiman made it clear to Gilad that Egypt was not opposed to a limited operation that would bring down the Hamas regime.
The report said that Suleiman was furious with Hamas because of the movement's last-minute decision to boycott a "national reconciliation" conference he was planning to convene in Cairo in early November. According to the newspaper, Suleiman referred to Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal as the head of a "gang" and said told Gilad that Cairo would like to see the movement's leaders punished.
"The Hamas leaders have become very arrogant," the report quoted the Egyptian official as saying. "It's time to teach these leaders a lesson so that they would wake up from their dreams."
#3
article doesn't say but apparently the Saudis are increasingly ticked at Hamas for a number of reasons, the most incendiary of which is that Hamas is growing closer and closer to Iran
#4
I believe that all of this plays into a larger Iranian strategy of creating the mayhem some of the Iranian leadership believes will precipitate the coming of the 12th imam. It is very childlike thinking. The prophecy says the mahdi will come during such a period of turmoil so they believe they can cause the coming by creating mayhem.
They need to go. The world should be getting tired of idiots like this.
Israel is doing a massive public affairs initiative prior to the operation.
This includes going on Al Aribiya, appealing to Gazans to overthrow Hamas, etc. Of note was this from Olmert (on Al Arabiya)
: "Israel left Gaza about three years ago with no intention of returning... Is the spirit of Islam to kill innocent children, to fire rockets at kindergartens and civilians? I don't think that is the spirit of Islam.
"That Hamas does this in opposition to the spirit of Islam is the main reason for your suffering, and ours. I say to you in a last minute call, stop it. You, the residents of Gaza, can stop it."
Israel said it would keep Gaza border crossings closed on Wednesday after mortars and rockets were fired from Gaza into South Israel on Tuesday night. The previous day it had said it would re-open them to allow a limited amount of food, medicines and fuel from Egypt into the impoverished territory.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/25/2008 00:00 ||
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A special "VIP tunnel" was recently dug to smuggle wealthy or important people under the border between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, Palestinian sources report.
The tunnel has electricity and telephone service, and it is high enough that people can walk upright. In most of Gaza's numerous smuggling tunnels, people have to stoop or even crawl.
The tunnel is also unusually wide, enabling cattle or large electrical appliances, such as refrigerators, to be brought through it. Passage through this tunnel, however, is more expensive than it is at any of the others.
Altogether, there are thought to be hundreds of tunnels leading from Egypt into Gaza. Some specialize in conveying fuel, others focus on other merchandise and still others are for human transit. Hamas collects taxes on all the tunnels and uses this money to reinforce its government in Gaza.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/25/2008 00:00 ||
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An Israel Air Force strike killed a Hamas gunman in the southern Gaza Strip after Palestinian militants fired dozens of rockets and mortars into southern Israel on Wednesday, dampening prospects for a renewed cease fire.
The six-month cease fire between Israel and Hamas expired last week.
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's government said it had shown restraint until now but vowed to act if the salvoes continued. Aides to Olmert, who met his security cabinet, would not reveal what options were under discussion.
Before nightfall on Wednesday, militants had fired more than 30 rockets and 30 mortar shells at Israel. While most struck unpopulated areas, two struck homes, causing damage but no injuries.
An Israel Defense Forces spokesman said Wednesday's air strike hit a group of militants who had just fired mortars at Israel.
Palestinian medical workers said one Hamas militant was killed in the strike and two other Palestinians were wounded, including a cameraman from Hamas' television station. They added that the Hamas man had belonged to the organization's military wing, Iz al-Din al-Qassam, and that he was killed east of the southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah.
The latest violence erupted on Tuesday night when Israeli soldiers killed three Hamas gunmen. The army said the men were preparing to plant explosives along the border.
Meanwhile Wednesday, Hamas' military wing warned that "thousands of additional Israelis will soon be within the range of our rockets if Israel continues with its aggression."
"The residents of the south will stay in the bomb shelters for a long time," the Hamas statement continued, adding that "threats of an [Israeli] military offensive don't scare us because we are more prepared than ever.
The Magen David Adom rescue service declared its highest level of alert by late morning, as some 40 rockets and mortar shells were launched at Israel between 9 A.M. and 1 P.M.
One of the rockets exploded next to a children's playground in the southern town of Netivot and a mortar shell scored a direct hit on a house in Kibbutz Sha'ar Hanegev, causing extensive damage. A house in the community of Sdot Negev was also severely damaged after it absorbed a direct rocket hit.
Two more rockets, including a Grad-type missile, exploded in a public area in the northern Negev city of Ashkelon.
The Home Front Command warned all Gaza-area residents to keep children indoors as the barrage continues and the Sderot municipality told all of its residents not leave their homes until the situation has stabilized.
The security cabinet held an urgent session on Wednesday morning to discuss how Israel should respond to the fire, calling in Defense Minister Ehud Barak for consultations.
The defense establishment, meanwhile, ordered border crossings to Gaza to remain closed on Wednesday in response to the attacks.
On Tuesday, Israel had said it would to open the border to allow food and medicine to enter the Gaza Strip, after days in which the crossings were closed due to the ongoing rocket fire from Gaza.
The shipment of humanitarian aid was to include five trucks from Egypt, which requested that Israel open the Kerem Shalom crossing to let the convoy pass, and 30 from the West Bank containing goods supplied by international organizations.
The rocket and mortar barrage came after a senior Hamas official said in an interview published Tuesday that the Islamist group would be willing to renew its cease-fire with Israel without adding any new conditions.
The barrage was apparently launched in response to the Israel Defense Forces' killing of three armed Palestinians on Tuesday, who were seen laying bombs along the Israel-Gaza border on Tuesday.
Six rockets struck the Negev on Tuesday and four more hit the day before, despite Hamas' declaration on Monday that militant factions had agreed to a 24-hour truce.
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12/25/2008 00:00 ||
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The defense establishment is currently preparing for a military move against Hamas targets in Gaza, after the Islamist group launched more than 70 rockets into Israel on Wednesday.
As an initial retaliatory measure, an Israel Air Force strike killed a Hamas gunman in the southern Gaza Strip on Wednesday. Israel's response will go beyond the air raid, an Israeli official told Haaretz. "Our response will be substantial and painful to Hamas," the official said.
By late morning Wednesday, the Magen David Adom rescue service declared its highest level of alert.
One of the rockets exploded next to a children's playground in the southern town of Netivot and a mortar shell scored a direct hit on a house in Kibbutz Sha'ar Hanegev, causing extensive damage. A house in the community of Sdot Negev was also severely damaged after it absorbed a direct rocket hit.
Two more rockets, including a Grad-type missile, exploded in a public area in the northern Negev city of Ashkelon.
During a cabinet meeting about the situation in and outside the Gaza Strip, a senior Israel Defense Forces officer gave ministers in attendance an overview of the potential retaliatory moves that the defense establishment is planning against Hamas' regime.
Most strikes will come from the air and be aimed at facilities believed to be of strategic importance to Hamas' political and military leadership. However, the officer said that weather conditions are currently preventing the air force from launching the raids.
According to officials in Jerusalem, the overview also included a special reference to the possible implications of attacking Hamas.
"We are not eager to strike, but we will not hesitate to act," one official said. "If Hamas is looking for noise, we will make Gaza very noisy."
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's government said it had shown restraint until now but vowed to act if the salvoes continued.
The same official said that Israel would be willing to extend the June cease-fire, which expired last week, if Hamas would agree to resuming it.
Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni is expected to arrive on Thursday in Cairo for a meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, whose administration helped facilitate the cease-fire. Sources close to Livni said she intended to tell Mubarak that Israel will not accept Hamas' current terms for a ceasefire. Hamas' statements also contained a similar mix of threats and assurances.
"Hamas will hit not only Sderot, but also what lies beyond Sderot," Hamas legislator Mushir al-Masri said, in a possible reference to extended ballistic capabilities.
Other spokespeople said the organization will agree to "resume" the ceasefire, if the organization's conditions are met. Hamas is demanding an improved ceasefire agreement, that also includes the West Bank.
In a statement by Hamas' military wing, Iz al-Din al-Qassam, a spokesperson warned that "thousands of additional Israelis will soon be within the range of our rockets if Israel continues with its aggression."
"The residents of the south will stay in the bomb shelters for a long time," the Hamas statement continued, adding that "threats of an [Israeli] military offensive don't scare us because we are more prepared than ever."
All Israeli towns within a 30-kilometer radius of the Gaza Strip were hooked up on Wednesday to an early warning system designed to deliver rocket launch alerts. Among the newly-connected towns and cities are Ofakim and Netivot.
Ashdod, with its center just outside the 30-kilometer mark, is expected to be connected to the system within the next 24 hours. Some towns are already connected to the "Color Red" system, which alerts residents living within a seven-kilometer radius of the Strip.
Meir Yifrach, head of Sdot Negev Regional Council, said that the current situation was intolerable and that "the people of the southern region of Israel are demanding that the government order the army to act in Gaza so that civilian life may be allowed to return to normal."
"It defies logic that the firing of so many Qassam should be allowed to cause so much fear and damage to the people of Israel during Hannukah," he said. "It started with a drizzle, then the Qassams began to rain down hard, and now we're already experiencing a deluge."
Posted by: Fred ||
12/25/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
I anticipate a substantial rise in throat lozenges' sales through EUrope, Turtle Bay neighborhood, and any places frequented by MSM members.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
12/25/2008 0:56 Comments ||
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#3
Make it clear to the world this is an attack on civilians and will be responded to without regard to collateral damage. Leave Gaza or Die.
Then attack until nothing moves. You have nothing to lose. US support will dry up in the next administration. The rest of the world is inconsequential.
Each day of electricity cuts increases the prospect that Palestinian Water Authority engineer Saadi Ali's nightmare will come true. Ali, in charge of the North Gaza Emergency Sewage Treatment Project, lives in constant fear of a recurrence of the calamity that took place in March 2007 when the dirt embankments surrounding a temporary infiltration pond of sewage water collapsed, and the effluent water that flooded the nearby Bedouin village of Umm al-Nasser led to the drowning deaths of five people. About 1,000 people were evacuated from their homes, animals died and considerable damage was caused to property and crops.
The temporary infiltration basin was originally built to lower the level of water in the nearby giant sewage lake that has slowly developed. Last November, the PWA, which is directly accountable to the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah, was slated to empty the lake and transfer the sewage water to new infiltration basins seven kilometers to the southeast away.
However, the initial operation of the emergency project's pumping station has been delayed for over a month now. Ever-lengthening electricity cuts, the result of Israel reducing the fuel supply to the bare minimum both to Gaza and its power plant, have severely hampered the project's activation.
Ali and the team of contractors and laborers working with him feel powerless in the face of the following threatening facts. The artificial sewage lake has a total area of 350 dunams that is one kilometer long and contains 2.5 million cubic meters of effluent water with depth ranging from eight to 13 meters. The site of the lake overlooks an inhabited agricultural area of over 1,000 dunams with a population of 10,000.
The dirt embankments surrounding the lake could collapse for a variety of reasons: heavy rainfall, stray Qassam rockets, mortars launched by the Israel Defense Forces, exchanges of gunfire.
The long, frequent electric power cuts are much more than simply "inconvenient." They are causing serious environmental harm that will also affect Gaza's Israeli neighbors. The flooding of the region surrounding the sewage lake would not only endanger the lives of many people, it would also inflict damage on fields and fill the open irrigation wells with sludge that would immediately contaminate the aquifer.
"About a month ago, the electric power cuts lasted between six and eight hours, and we tried to navigate our way around them," Ali said in a telephone conversation with Haaretz on Monday from Gaza. "Today, every electric power cut lasts 12 hours, and the power is then supplied for six hours. Since there is a shortage of natural gas for cooking, many people use electricity - when it is available - and the current is too weak to operate the [pumping station's] machines."
Another reason for the delay is the absence of the expert responsible for the operation of the new electric power system. He is a resident of Bethlehem and all the requests that he be granted an entry permit to Gaza have so far been denied.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/25/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Pals swimming in their own sewage. What an apt metaphor.
#5
They have learned that they often get it both ways. The people that fund them don't seem to realize/care that the money is transfered two weapons. They just look through their tears and see what is needed, needed so desperately and listen to the Pals explaination of how it is Israel's fault and they give, give, give and blame, blame, blame.
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Egypt gives "green light" to Gaza operation?
Israel said it would keep Gaza border crossings closed on Wednesday after mortars and rockets were fired from Gaza into South Israel on Tuesday night. The previous day it had said it would re-open them to allow a limited amount of food, medicines and fuel from Egypt into the impoverished territory.
A special "VIP tunnel" was recently dug to smuggle wealthy or important people under the border between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, Palestinian sources report. 
An Israel Air Force strike killed a Hamas gunman in the southern Gaza Strip after Palestinian militants fired dozens of rockets and mortars into southern Israel on Wednesday, dampening prospects for a renewed cease fire. 
