Middle East News
Israeli soldier, two Palestinians killed on Gaza border (Roundup)
Jan 27, 2009, 14:10 GMT
The donkey cart of a Palestinian family passes by a destroyed home in the east Jabaliya neighbourhood, northern Gaza Strip on 26 January 2009. EPA/MOHAMMED SABER
Tel Aviv - A bomb planted by Palestinian militants along the Gaza Strip border killed an Israeli soldier Tuesday morning, leading to Israeli retaliatory actions that killed two Palestinians in the most serious clash between the sides since the end last week of Israel's offensive against Gaza militants.
Israel also closed the crossing points into the Gaza Strip 'until further notice,' an Israeli official said.
The latest violence came as Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said he expected the Islamic Hamas movement, which administers the Gaza Strip, and Israel to agree next week on a long-term truce.
It was unclear whether the bombing and subsequent airstrikes would lead to a new cycle of violence, ending chances of the sides agreeing to a lasting ceasefire to replace the one which ended on December 19. When that one expired, Hamas began regular rocket barrages on southern Israel, leading to the massive Israeli Operation Cast Lead, which opened on December 27.
Aboul Gheit told reporters in Cairo that 'Egyptian efforts towards a truce indicate that we can reach a lasting ceasefire in the first week of February.'
Aboul Gheit went on to say that Egypt would then strive for reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah, the feuding Palestinian political factions.
'If we can reach agreements during the last week of February, this will pave the way for the reconstruction of Gaza,' he said, after meeting with EU foreign-policy chief Javier Solana and Egyptian President Hosny Mubarak in Cairo.
'Then the peace process can be put back on track in cooperation with the US envoy to the Middle East, George Mitchell,' he continued.
Arab media have reported that Hamas is demanding that any truce will see the crossing points into the Gaza Strip opened continuously. Israel however, is only willing to open them partially, and conditions this on the release of Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier snatched in a cross-border raid from Gaza on June 25, 2006.
Hamas further wants its operatives to be stationed at the Rafah border crossing, along with European observers and officials from the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority (PA).
The crossing has been closed since Hamas seized control of security installations in the Gaza Strip in June 2007. Egypt has previously said that the crossing will only be opened with PA officials and EU observers, as laid down in a November 2005 US- brokered agreement, which Hamas did not recognize.
Israel also wants, as part of the truce, that Hamas end its arms smuggling into the strip, a condition the Islamist movement has rejected.
An Israeli military spokesman in Tel Aviv said the blast occurred as the soldiers were patrolling the Israeli side of the border fence. In addition to the non-commissioned officer killed, one officer was seriously wounded and two soldiers received light injuries.
Israel almost immediately shelled Palestinian structures near the Kissufum crossing, east of Gaza city, where the blast took place, killing a Palestinian farmer.
An Israeli airstrike in the mid-afternoon killed a Hamas militant riding a motorcycle, Palestinians said.
No Palestinian militant group claimed responsibility for the blast, which came nine days after Israel, and then the Palestinian militias, instituted separate ceasefires to bring the Gaza Strip fighting to an end.
Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said Israel had to respond to the attack.
'If someone fires or places a charge or smuggles arms, Israel must retaliate,' she said. 'If we are attacked we must strike back. The way we conduct ourselves after the operation is just as important,' she said.
COMMENT
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Older Talkback
page: 1
Laying siege to a country IS an offensive military strategy, so in that sense Israel is the aggressor.
Christians, muslims and jews have been killing each other for so long that they forget what normal unoccupied living is like.
Whine, b*tch, moan, complain, snivel, jesus bombs, nobody understands me, poor me, more whining, I'm trying to save the world, more jesus bombs, more snivelling...
... are you aware of the irony in your statement:
You bitch that I bitch, hence you are bitching about what you do.
At least I bitch about something real. You simply bitch about bitching ... and that is pathetic.
... of course, the real pathetic nature of your statement is the following:
- Any statement that might be in favor of the Palestinians is called 'bitching'.
- Any statement in favor of the nation that the U.S. favors is called good and patriotic (a good christian statement).
The nature of the Middle East conflict is very clear: People on each side polarizing the issues with hardly anyone taking a balanced point of view of the pros and cons on both sides.
Unfortunately, the United States State Department is a very very polarizing institution and hence there is absolutely no capability for them to have such a balanced point of view.
...crank it back up!
Lance & SP4 are adolescent chimpanzees.
More whining, b*tching, moaning, complaining, snivelling, more jesus bombs, nobody understands me, poor me, yet more whining, I'm trying to save the world, a lot more jesus bombs, and even more snivelling.
Lance, your post of Jan 27th, 2009 - 22:08:25, contains obscenities and would be removed if one should report the comment to the editors. That is why people, intelligent people, use things like asterisks. You know, the shift + 8 keys. Or is that too technologically complex for a bean-brain like you to understand.
This is a family site. Please respect the fact that there are children younger than you who do visit this site. After all, we wouldn't want to corrupt their innocent little minds, now would we, dickhead.
Lance, your post of Jan 28th, 2009 - 01:24:33, contains obscenities and would be removed if one should report the comment to the editors. That is why people, intelligent people, use things like asterisks. You know, the shift + 8 keys. Or is that too technologically complex for a bean-brain like you to understand.
This is a family site. Please respect the fact that there are children younger than you who do visit this site. After all, we wouldn't want to corrupt their innocent little minds, now would we, dickhead.
'Please do not write in all CAPS or use expletives (including f*** etc), such posts will be deleted.'
Hey, boll weevil, can't you read? That little quote is in RED, and is above where you type your drivel, before posting. Maybe you can read, at some basic level, but to you comprehend the words? Most likely, not.
you people don't like me. I'm going to pack up my keyboard and go play somewhere else, where there are nice people. You are all BAD people. I hope a jesus bomb falls on all of you.
People so easly forget- Jews are gods chosen people so they're allowed to kill... god told them to do it.
Lance you are such a swine - yes do take your keyboard and go and good ridance. P.S. Did you hear that Eygpt (a great country) has come out against Iran, Hamas, and Hezbollah. So GO, GO, Please Go and don't bother us with your rediculous rantings.
I always knew that Eygpt wouldnt fall for the mein kampf BS.
The major difference between Israël and Palestina is that Israël is from the beginning responding on atttacks! How bad or cruel they might seem sometimes, they're only defending themselves. God bless Israël
I dreamed this exact scene last night but the donkey was saying 'I am Mohammed...the chosen prophet to lead jihad against the world and Israel...come sit down and we will ride into the sunset of paradise.'
Hungarian Crusader
'Israel also wants, as part of the truce, that Hamas end its arms smuggling into the strip'
The parasite state that would shrivel up and die without picking the pockets of the US taxpayers did not add that it, too, would end smuggling billions and billions of dollars in loans and weapons from the US, so it doesn't seem quite fair. Furthermore there is no Israeli in any Palestine prison but upwards of 10,000 Palestinians (hundreds of them children) in Israeli prisons while we keep hearing about one IOF soldier they want returned. Israel's borders--to the extent to which it has any because they keep metastasizing into Palestine land--are under the control of the self-declared 'state for Jews' while the Palestinians in Gaza have been under siege with illegal Israeli checkpoints ever since Hamas emerged voctorious in elections.
What kind of a 'truce' is that? A zionist truce: 'I agree to stop killing you outright as long as you stop twitching or kicking while I press my boot on your neck more and more every day.'
ahhh...another flurry of rants....another reading left on the floors as it enters the mind and exits the proper orifice.
If Israel followed the thinking of religious Muslim fanatics way of thinking they would of blown the wazoo out of all its neighbors long ago. But nope they turned the cheek many a time, only to be slapped again and again.
defend yourself Israel, its your right. Sit back and watch as the ceasefire leaks from the UN inaction, until its a torrent once again and Israel has to respond with with force once again.
page: 1
HamasMustGOJan 27th, 2009 - 17:10:24
Once again Hamas is trying to start an offensive with Israel !!!
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