It's May 13, 2024, 02:48:32 AM
Israelis fire on crowds in Gaza The Israeli army has opened fire on a crowd of Palestinian demonstrators in the town of Rafah in southern Gaza. At least 10 people were killed and 60 injured, though some reports put the number of casualties higher. The army said it did not deliberately target protesters, but a helicopter and tanks had fired warning shots to stop crowds entering a battle zone. Thousands of people were demonstrating against a massive Israeli operation in the refugee camp on the edge of Rafah. We are very concerned about reports from Gaza and the number of Palestinians who are said to be injured and killed US spokesman Scott McClellan Israeli forces entered Rafah refugee camp on Tuesday to attack militants and find and destroy tunnels used to smuggle weapons. It has been one of the largest and bloodiest operations in Gaza since Israel occupied it in 1967, leaving at least 34 dead and 100 wounded. There have been no Israeli casualties. The United States says it is "very concerned" about the number of Palestinian dead and injured and has asked Israel for "the facts". "We urge all parties to exercise maximum restraint," said White House press secretary Scott McClellan. Hospital chaos The incident happened as about 3,000 demonstrators marched down the main street of Rafah towards the Tel Sultan area where Israeli raids have been concentrated in the last two days. Dramatic TV footage of the incident showed a large explosion going off in the middle of a crowd as Israeli helicopters flew overhead firing anti-missile flares. Dozens of wounded - many of them children - were evacuated by ambulance, private cars and donkey carts to the Rafah hospital, witnesses said. A BBC correspondent at the hospital said the floors were drenched in blood as doctors treated incoming patients in corridors and on staircases. The Israeli military said it was too early to say exactly what had happened, although it suggested that explosives laid by Palestinians could have been responsible. Army spokeswoman Brig Gen Ruth Yaron said that Israeli forces had fired warning shots after seeing "armed men in the midst of the demonstration". "Tank shells were fired at [an abandoned] structure, at no point in the direction of the demonstrators," she said, although she admitted that it was possible that there may have been "casualties as a result of the tank shells". "We regret the loss of innocent life and are offering to treat those who are injured in our hospitals," she added. Besieged district The bloodshed came shortly after reports that thousands of Tel Sultan residents had complied with an Israeli demand that they surrender. Twenty-four Palestinians have already died in Tel Sultan during an operation dubbed "Operation Rainbow" by the Israeli army. Soldiers had called on loudspeakers for all males aged 16 or over to come out carrying white flags or risk the demolition of their family homes. Israeli commanders later told journalists they only wanted militants to come out. Israeli actions have raised an international outcry after army chief Lt Gen Moshe Yaalon said troops would flatten rows of homes in Rafah camp to widen a patrol road along the border with Egypt. Palestinian militants are active in the area, and seven Israeli soldiers were killed nearby in ambushes last week. The area also houses tunnels for smuggling weapons from Egyptian territory less than a kilometre away, the army says. However, the army said on Tuesday that there was no plan to carry out systematic demolition of homes during the operation. Story from BBC NEWS:http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/world/middle_east/3728681.stm
PNA and Arab Group Call for Security Council Deliberation on Rafah 18/05/2004 Palestinian National Authority (PNA) and the Arab member states in the United Nations called yesterday for convening an extraordinary session of the security council in the wake of the Israeli unjustified demolition of hundreds of Palestinian-owned houses in the Gaza Strip city of Rafah. Nabil Abu Rodeina, President Yasser Arafat’s advisor, stated Monday that the PNA would ask the United Nations’ Security Council to convene urgently to deliberate the Israeli decision to knock down hundreds of Palestinian houses in Rafah, labeling the Israeli move as “a genocide against the Palestinian people” and warning of the ‘grave consequences’ of such an Israeli escalation. From his part, head of the Palestinian Legislative Council, Rawhi Fatouh, was quoted as saying that “such a decision is one more evidence that Israel is following a policy of state-sponsored terrorism, derived from Israel’s racist ideology, that is based on war crimes, genocide and collective punishment”.On the Arab level, the Arab states group in the United Nations joined the PNA in its call for the urgent session of the Security Council, a matter deemed very necessary by the group, as the demolition constitutes one more Nakbah ‘catastrophe’ for Palestinian refugees. The League of Arab States, declared yesterday that the demolition of houses in Rafah as well as the displacement of its inhabitants, is a ‘war crime’, that requires a firm position by the international community. In the meantime, the UNRWA, is to meet the emerging needs of displaced families in Rafah, has rapidly appraised the situation by ensuring tents, kitchen nets and blankets for at least 1,500 Palestinian inhabitants and demanding Israel to halt knocking down of houses.United Nations Commissioner General for Refugees Affairs in the Near East, Mr. Peter Hanssan, said “the demolition of houses has been rapidly increasing recently , a fact that has required the UNRWA to tackle the emerging human disaster by helping those who lost their homes”Hanssan warned of more houses demolition in Rafah, confirming such actions are real breaching of the international humanitarian law, as this is a part of the collective punishment policy. Noteworthy, Israeli occupying forces began early on Tuesday a large-scale military campaign in Rafah, killing at least 13 Palestinians, wounding dozens others and resuming destruction of more Palestinian houses amidst harsh criticism for such Israeli offensives against the Palestinian refugees. Source: MOFA + IPC
The World and American people need to know the ongoing and dangerous tragedy between Palestinians , Israelis and the US policies towards this tragedy . As lives of the young and old Palestinians are increasingly lost and devastated, the US policies keep on supporting Israel.The following statistics shows how fair the US policies towards the Palestinian people : The U.S. gives $15,139,178 per day to the Israeli government and military and $568,744 to Palestinian NGO's 892 Israelis and 2,546 Palestinians have been killed since September 29, 2000 5,973 Israelis and 23,930 Palestinians have been injured since September 29, 2000 The Israeli unemployment rate is 10.4%, while the Palestinian unemployment is estimated at 37-67% 1 Israeli school has been fired upon by Palestinians and 185 Palestinian schools have been shelled or fired upon by Israelis since September 29, 2000 1 Israeli home has been destroyed by Palestinians and 2,202 Palestinian homes have been completely destroyed (14,436 partially destroyed) since September 29, 2000 60+ new Jewish-only settlements have been built on confiscated Palestinian land between March 2001 and July 11, 2003. There have been 0 cases of Palestinians confiscating Israeli land and building settlements Source : www.ifamericansknew.org
Quote from: Don Rizzle on May 10, 2006, 03:16:12 AMiraq would just get annexed by iranThat would be a great solution. If Iran and the majority of Iraqi's are pleased with it, then why shouldn't they do it?
iraq would just get annexed by iran
April 29, 2002 In our struggle against apartheid, the great supporters were Jewish people. They almost instinctively had to be on the side of the disenfranchised, of the voiceless ones, fighting injustice, oppression and evil. I have continued to feel strongly with the Jews. I am patron of a Holocaust centre in South Africa. I believe Israel has a right to secure borders. What is not so understandable, not justified, is what it did to another people to guarantee its existence. I've been very deeply distressed in my visit to the Holy Land; it reminded me so much of what happened to us black people in South Africa. I have seen the humiliation of the Palestinians at checkpoints and roadblocks, suffering like us when young white police officers prevented us from moving about. My heart aches. I say why are our memories so short. Have our Jewish sisters and brothers forgotten their humiliation? Have they forgotten the collective punishment, the home demolitions, in their own history so soon? Have they turned their backs on their profound and noble religious traditions? Have they forgotten that God cares deeply about the downtrodden? Israel will never get true security and safety through oppressing another people. A true peace can ultimately be built only on justice. We condemn the violence of suicide bombers, and we condemn the corruption of young minds taught hatred; but we also condemn the violence of military incursions in the occupied lands, and the inhumanity that won't let ambulances reach the injured. -Archbishop Desmond Tutu
Donald Neff in the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs - On Sept. 10, 1972, the United States employed its veto in the UN Security Council for only the second time in history—to shield Israel. That veto, as it turned out, signalled the start of a cynical policy to use the U.S. veto repeatedly to shield Israel from international criticism, censure and sanctions. Washington used its veto 32 times to shield Israel from critical draft United Nations Security Council resolutions between 1972 and 1997. This constituted nearly half of the total U.S. vetoes cast since the founding of the U.N.
why? the truth is palestinians have lost way move lives lost thousands of homes about 90% percent of their land too
israel needs to keep fighting terrorism. because if they stop then it gives a reason for terrorists to contiue.
lol nazis....then i guess im one too cause i got something to say.im also glad about what israel is doing. I mean they are the biggest target of suicide bombers in the whole world. Israel is really doing alot to protect their citizens. America is not really good at fighting the old terrorism thing....all we do is invade iraq.israel needs to keep fighting terrorism. because if they stop then it gives a reason for terrorists to contiue.
Israel intensifies Gaza offensive Israeli forces have pushed deeper into southern Gaza, a day after the United Nations condemned Israel for killing at least eight Palestinian protesters. Helicopter gunships fired missiles as troops moved into two areas on the south side of the town of Rafah. So far on Thursday, seven Palestinians have been reported killed by Israeli forces in Rafah refugee camp. Defying a rare rebuke from Washington, Israel vowed to continue its operations against militants and arms smugglers. About 40 Palestinians have died since Tuesday when Israel launched one of its biggest operations in Gaza in decades. The longer the IDF remain in this area, the greater the number of mistakes and mishaps will be... Editorial in Yediot Aharonot Thirteen Israeli soldiers have been killed by Palestinian militants since the offensive began. The latest deaths occurred when three Palestinian militants died after being hit by an Israeli missile, while another two were killed by tank fire. Two other Palestinians were shot dead in Rafah and the Tel Sultan neighbourhood of Rafah refugee camp. Early on Thursday, Israeli forces moved into two southern districts of Rafah, trading fire with gunmen. A BBC correspondent in Rafah says tank shelling and machine gun fire can be heard across the town. Killings condemned On Wednesday, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution condemning Israel's killing of civilians in the Gaza Strip. [The UN is] gravely concerned by the recent demolition of homes committed by Israel, the occupying power, in the Rafah refugee camp UN Security Council resolution Palestinian sources said at least eight Palestinians died when an Israeli tank opened fire on demonstrators protesting against the demolition of homes in Rafah. Israel put the death toll at seven. The Security Council resolution, which was adopted by 14 votes to 0, also urged Israel not to demolish homes in violation of international law. The US, which usually vetoes anti-Israeli resolutions, abstained from the vote. The White House issued a statement, saying it did not believe Israel's actions in Gaza served "the purposes of peace and security". US Secretary of State Colin Powell reinforced the message, saying: "I believe the activities of the Israeli Defence Forces in Gaza in recent days have caused a problem and have worsened the situation, and I think made it more difficult for us to move forward and get back into the peace process." UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and the European Union have also condemned Israel's actions. The UN says recent house demolitions in Rafah by the Israeli army have left about 1,600 residents homeless. The army says its operations are designed to destroy tunnels used to smuggle weapons under the border with Egypt. Israel 'sorry' Israeli army chief Lt Gen Moshe Yaalon apologised for the civilian deaths, but said troops did not deliberately fire on marchers. "No commander or soldier gave an order or got an order or deliberately aimed at civilians and we're sorry that innocent civilians got hit, we don't aim at Palestinian civilians." Wednesday's killings happened as about 3,000 demonstrators marched down Rafah's main street towards Israeli lines in the Tel Sultan area. The Israeli army said one of its helicopters fired a warning missile at open ground to hold back the crowd after several gunmen were spotted among the marchers. When the crowd continued to advance, the army said, four tank shells were fired at an abandoned building which obstructed Israeli soldiers' view of protesters who were passing behind it. At least one of the shells tore through the building and hit the crowd, it added. Palestinian sources say that there were no gunmen among the crowd and that the demonstration was peaceful. Many of the injured and some of the dead were school-aged children. Story from BBC NEWS:http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/world/middle_east/3731371.stm
These citizens have no business being in this land, this country has no business being in existence.