Israel On Alert And Gaza Braces For Reprisals

In a story I was just reading that Israel is on alert and Gaza braced for reprisals on Friday as crowds mourned eight teenagers killed by a Palestinian gunman at a Jewish religious school in an attack claimed by the Islamist Hamas.

Residents of the impoverished Gaza Strip were bracing for punitive Israeli military strikes after the attack which shook the faltering peace talks and provoked strong condemnation from around the world.

Thousands gathered in Jerusalem for the funerals of the teenagers killed in the attack carried out by a Palestinian resident of occupied east Jerusalem, who sprayed automatic gunfire at the students before being gunned down by an army officer late on Thursday.

In a rare move, the Organisation of the Islamic Conference -- the Muslim world's biggest political bloc -- also condemned the Jerusalem killings, saying it abhorred "violence and terror."

Police arrested more than 10 relatives and friends of 25-year-old Alaa Hisham Abu Dheim of the Jabal al-Mukaber area, where a mourning tent draped in Palestinian and Hamas flags was set up.
The attack, the first in four years in Jerusalem, was claimed by a senior official of the Islamist movement, which refuses to recognise the Jewish state's right to exist.

"Hamas is responsible for the attack. The Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades will officially claim the attack at the right moment," the Gaza official told AFP on condition of anonymity, referring to the group's armed wing.
Thursday's attack came after a surge in violence that left more than 130 Palestinians dead in and around Hamas-run Gaza in eight days. Three Israeli soldiers and one civilian were also killed in the same period.

The army sealed off the occupied West Bank and Israeli police declared a "general state of alert."
Israel's main ally, US President George W. Bush, led a global chorus of outrage, but the UN Security Council failed to agree on a condemnation amid Libyan opposition.
The students -- most of them 15 or 16 years old and including one US citizen -- were shot dead at the Merkaz Harav Yeshiva, a theological school in predominantly Jewish west Jerusalem. Another nine were wounded.
Thousands of people, many clad in the traditional black attire of Orthodox Jews, long curls hanging down from their kippas, attended an emotional funeral ceremony at the school Friday.
"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" a rabbi cried out, choking with emotion.

The gunman had entered the school with an AK47 assault rifle and headed for the library, where he opened fire at students gathered for a special evening prayer before being gunned down by law enforcement officers, police said.
The school is considered the centre of Israeli religious nationalism, where the Gush Emunim (Bloc of the Faith) settler movement was born after the 1967 Six-Day War.

Hamas earlier hailed the attack as "heroic" as hundreds of people poured into the streets of Gaza to celebrate the shootings on Thursday. But it also indicated it would consider a truce if Israel meets its conditions.
The White House on Friday denounced as "fairly disgusting" the celebrations in Gaza.
"This was a vicious attack, there is nothing that can explain away this kind of attack. But the most important thing is that the peace process continues and that the parties are committed to it," a spokesman said.

Immediately after the attack, the Lebanese Hezbollah Shiite group said it was carried out to avenge the death of its senior commander, Imad Mughnieh, assassinated in a Damascus bombing on Februaury 12.
Moderate Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas denounced the strike. "We condemn all attacks against civilians, be they Palestinian or Israeli," his office quoted him as saying in a statement.

Israel slammed the attack as aiming to end the chances for peace in the region and vowed to defend itself.
A senior government official stressed nonetheless that peace talks would continue. "Israel will maintain its policy of talking to moderates ... and at the same time fight the radicals of Hamas," the official told AFP.

In a rare move, the Organisation of the Islamic Conference -- the Muslim world's biggest political bloc -- also condemned the Jerusalem killings, saying it abhorred "violence and terror."
Russia's foreign ministry joined in the condemnations but called for Israeli restraint.

"Israel has the right, as with every other state, to defend the lives and the security of its citizens. At the same time, it is evident that innocent civilians must not become victims of the fight against terrorism," it added.

It will surely be a long and violent weekend for the residents of Gaza, and Israel, as it looks like "cooler" heads will not prevail on either side!!

Egypt Seals Gaza Border Breach And Israel Is Not Always Too Blame

The story coming out of the Middle East is that Egyptian forces sealed the last breach in the border with the Gaza Strip on Sunday, stopping an influx of Palestinians into Egypt across a frontier blown open by Hamas Islamists defying an Israeli-led blockade.

"It is closed. Go home," a militant from Hamas, which was cooperating with Egypt in holding back Palestinians wanting to leave Gaza, told the crowd gathered at the border. Many began to leave the area.

Egyptian forces used barbed wire and metal barricades to seal the only remaining gap on the Egyptian side of the frontier at Rafah, a town straddling the border. The story follows at the link at the bottom of the post!!Thanks!!

Here is a little aside in regard to the Israel and the reason the Gaza border was closed:
I hear many people who are constantly critical of Israel and the role that they play in the Middle East, in particular in regard to the oppression of the Palestinians, and I ask, "what are they supposed to do?" I really would like an answer, because if we had neighbors lobbing missiles across the border, homicide bombers blowing up cafes, bus stations, wedding receptions, etc., isn't there the slightest chance that we would respond with force, and once under our control, wouldn't we keep up the pressure until thet stopped completely. Hell we had 9/11, and not only invaded one country in response, (Afghanistan), but a second (Iraq), that had nothing to do with it (even though many people still believe they did-thanks to our President). Anyway my point is that we would kick their butts and make sure that they did not attack us again. In addition, I do not always side with Israel, but I do believe that they are fighting for their very existence, and have since the state was established in 1948.

I had relatives who were in the German army, which was not too bad, but I also had at least one relative, who was with the SS, and participated in the atrocities against the Jews, i.e. The Holocaust, so my frame of reference is about family guilt to a degree, and while I have sometimes made comments or laughed at an anti-Semetic joke, I am trying to be anything but that, because it is wrong, and stupid to make fun of, or hate people, just because of the color of their skin, where they came from, or what religion they are, and if we want violence to end around the world, it really needs to get down to individuals respecting all other individuals, and to not be so PC that you cannot joke with people. We ALL have something that can be funny about ourselves, and we should get a thicker skin, and laugh a lot more!!

Sorry for this long aside, but I for one am tired of the "blame Israel first people" who don't live where they live, and do not have people "daily" trying to kill them, and destroy their nation. Israel has made me uncomfortable with their responses, and many times I think they are completely wrong, and cross the line, but that is easy to say, when I am safe here, and not in a fight for my very survival. However, It is imperative that all efforts need to be made to bring peace and an acceptable settlement to the issues of nationhood, that the majority can live with, and make it a place where everyone is against the extremists, who will not accept anything but Israel's total annihilation, as that is merely a recipe for no peace and unending bloodshed on both sides!!



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Civil War In Gaza?

The news from the middle east continues to be grim as Hamas attacks Fatah positions in the Gaza Strip and efforts to end the violence fail.
The situation seems to be heading for an all out civil war as Hamas has given Fatah security forces an ultimatum to hand over their weapons by 7p.m. (noon EDT) Friday.
There are reports that President Mahmoud Abbas has called on exiled Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal to end the violence. Mashaal is currently in Damascus, Syria, and has not responded to President Abbas's request as of this morning.
The story reports that over 50 people have died since the fighting began on Monday, with Hamas blaming the fighting on the Fatah security forces who they say are corrupt and riddled with criminals, while Abbas just says that the fighting is madness and will tear their government apart.
The United Nations is limiting its' activities in Gaza after two Palestinians that worked for them were killed. The United States has issued a warning for reporters to leave the country. The warning was issued by a State Department spokesman on Tuesday.
It is such a shame that these people cannot get a moments rest from the violence that pervades their nation, whether it be fighting with the Israeli's or as is now happening with their countrymen.
The United Nations needs to step in and try and control the situation before all out war breaks out and it spills over to the West Bank, where Fatah holds the upper hand, and the whole region blows up with violence and reprisal killings.
The culprit here is Hamas's sponsor Syria, which continues to cause trouble there and in Lebanon. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi should call her new friends in Damascus and get them to reign in Hamas before it is fully out of control.
Another sad week in the Middle East.
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