Quotes:
Two IDF soldiers killed in southern Strip, two others wounded; at least 1 Palestinian killed, about a dozen wounded; Barak warns of "ramifications" for Hamas.
Meanwhile on Saturday, hostilities in the Gaza Strip continued on as two Kassam rockets were fired at Israel. One fell inside the Strip, while the other exploded near a kibbutz in the Sha'ar Hanegev area.
On Friday evening, Major Eliraz Peretz, 31, from Eli, deputy commander of the Golani Brigade's Battalion 12 and Staff Sergeant Ilan Sviatkovsky from Rishon Lezion, were killed in the southern Gaza Strip. The IDF made the announcement several hours after clashes between the IDF and armed Palestinians occurred near the town of Khan Yunis.
In a hint of warning, the prime minister added "Israel's strong positions against those wishing to harm its civilians and soldiers - are well known."
Defense Minister Ehud Barak warned on Friday that were Hamas to "loosen its grip" on terrorist activity in the Gaza Strip, there would be "ramifications." Speaking to Channel 2, he said Hamas - which claimed responsibility for the ambush in which Peretz and Sviatkovsky were killed - would be held accountable for terrorist activity in the Strip.
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So we can easily see that this most recent skirmish shows no signs of dying down anytime soon.
In the midst of this escalating conflict we see more evidence that the U.S.-Israeli problems continue to grow:
"At the root of the rift"
In a strikingly critical piece in The Washington Post on Thursday, Jackson Diehl, the paper’s former Jerusalem correspondent, accused Obama of adding “more poison to a US-Israeli relationship that already was at its lowest point in two decades. Tuesday night the White House refused to allow nonofficial photographers record the president’s meeting with Netanyahu; no statement was issued afterward. Netanyahu is being treated as if he were an unsavory Third World dictator, needed for strategic reasons but conspicuously held at arms length."
Netanyahu slammed back that “The Jewish people were building Jerusalem 3,000 years ago and the Jewish people are building Jerusalem today.
Turning to the matter of Iran, he asserted, “It is better to go to war than to allow the Holocaust to develop a second time. I hope and pray that other options will work...”
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Netanyahu must know by now that the so-called "sanctions" won't work. Iran's leadership have literally laughed at the idea of these weak sanctions - and has promised repeatedly that they will continue to their race to develop nuclear weapons in order to realize Ahmadinejad's obsession with the complete annihilation of Israel. That fact is conveniently forgotten by "The Nations", but it isn't forgotten by Israel. After all, their very existence is at stake.
so, lets see if i got this straight, several years ago isreal gave up hebron for peace, in return the get attacts from hebron. they give up more land for peace, in return the get more attacks from the land they give up. then, they give up gaza, in return they get attacks from gaza. now, they`re to give up more land? for what? more attacks? NO SENSE!
ReplyDeleteYou got it Hartdawg - thats a pretty reasonable summary, and it is what Netanyahu presented to Obama...
ReplyDeleteAdditionally, I have to think this:
If they need a "Palestinian state", why doesn't Gaza classify?
And you are exactly right - EVERY single time Israel gives up land they receive nothing but violence in return.
Also - it is worth looking up and reading the stories - the stories of Israeli citizens who lived in Gaza and were forcibly "relocated" and had to completely uproot and give up their homes, land and businesses...All for the "international community"....
Its so ridiculous - and then to think that Israel is painted as the "bad guys"...Its surreal and bizarre at the same time. Then Gaza gets taken over by Hamas who do nothing but create carnage and launch missiles into Israeli civilian areas...
Yea - Israel should give up more land...Its worked so well in the past......sigh.....