Violence Threatens Truce

Arab News ^ | , 8 June 2005 | Hisham Abu Taha

[mdittmar]

GAZA CITY, 8 June 2005 — A fresh wave of violence killed at least five Palestinians and a Chinese worker yesterday and threatened a four-month cease-fire between Palestinians and Israel. While the two sides said they would continue to observe the truce, the fighting raised already heightened tensions and threatened nascent efforts to coordinate Israel’s upcoming withdrawal from the Gaza Strip with the Palestinians.

“The situation is deteriorating. The whole cease-fire may collapse,” said Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat, calling for international intervention.

Three Palestinians, including a district leader of Islamic Jihad, were gunned down during Israeli operations in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

A Chinese and a Palestinian worker died in a subsequent Palestinian revenge attack on a Jewish settlement in the southern Gaza Strip. Separately, a Palestinian was killed before dawn by Israeli troops while crossing the Rafah border.

The Palestinian leadership accused Israel of jeopardizing the relative calm by gunning down the Jihad chief, while Israeli officials warned they would decide “when and how to respond” to the Palestinian reprisals.

Mraweh Khaled Kamil, a chief of Islamic Jihad’s armed wing in the Jenin area, was killed during the Israeli operation in the northern West Bank town of Qabatiya as he hunkered down with others.

A 23-year-old civilian was also killed and nine other Palestinians and an Israeli soldier were injured. “The truce is in peril and this killing will not go unpunished. Our patience is running out,” said Khader Adnan, a spokesman for Islamic Jihad, after Kamil was pronounced dead.

Within hours the faction took its revenge. It claimed a blast at greenhouses in the Jewish settlement of Ganei Tal, which the military said killed a Chinese and a Palestinian worker and wounded six other Palestinians.

Hamas claimed the attack to “answer the Israelis trying to enter Al-Aqsa” - referring to Israelis who on Monday toured Jerusalem’s disputed mosque compound.

Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qorei blamed Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon for the latest bout of violence. This “shows the policy of targeted killings has resumed and that is a threat to the current calm and Palestinian efforts to preserve it,” he said.

Meanwhile, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, who began a visit to the region, said his government will have no dealings with the leadership of Hamas, hours after acknowledging in a radio interview that British diplomats recently met with members of the group.

Straw, beginning a two-day regional visit by meeting Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, condemned the Palestinian rocket attack. He said such violence “illustrates the wanton, random terror which Hamas and other similar organizations are ready to practice” to undermine peace efforts and the government of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

“Our policy is clear,” Straw told reporters at the start of the meeting. “We will have no dealings with the leadership of Hamas or other such organizations unless and until they wholly renounce violence and they renounce their charter calling for the destruction of the state of Israel.”

Earlier, Straw said in a radio interview that British diplomats recently met with two mayors in the West Bank and Gaza who were elected to represent Hamas.

[mdittmar]

And "The Beat Goes On"

[Red Sea Swimmer]

Chaotic outbreaks of violence require coordinated responses of trust building and communication. The originators of this violence must be contained and stopped.

[Asclepius]

“The situation is deteriorating. The whole cease-fire may collapse,” said Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat, calling for international intervention.

That's one bloody massacre of a cease-fire, wouldn't you say?--I'd hate to get caught in a cross-cease-fire. God help us all if a full blown truce breaks out. The living will envy the dead. I mean, what few of them are left.

[mdittmar]

Chaotic outbreaks of violence require coordinated responses of trust building and communication.

...to God's ears,I'm not so optimistic.

[Blood of Tyrants]

Threaten? Why do they insist on calling it a "cease fire" when the Palistinian terrorists never stopped firing?

[Red Sea Swimmer]

There are many weapons in the Peacemakers arsenal. Trust Building and Communication are part of that arsenal. However, at times force must be employed. Sometimes when real evil rears its ugly head it must be killed and defeated. The key to leadership in the pursuit of peace is how to use force when it is necessary, i.e. How much force is necessary to solve a problem.

If you are having a party with friends and a bothersome guest starts to stir up trouble and destroy the good energy of the event, the unruly guest must either (1) Pull his head in. (2) Leave the event. (3) If he doesn't leave, kick him out. (4) If he tries to get back in and create more problems he must be stopped. Jail if necessary. (5) If he comes back armed, insane and with the intent to kill or harm some of the guests, then if necessary he must be killed.

Imagine the Holy Land is like an Event Space. The rules above should be adhered to, to facilitate the peaceful, dynamic and productive unfolding of the place's potential.

[Alouette]

A fresh wave of violence killed at least five Palestinians and a Chinese worker yesterday and threatened a four-month cease-fire between Palestinians and Israel.

A "fresh wave of violence" is that a natural disaster, like a tsunami?

Or was the "cease-fire" broken (actually never even observed in the first place) by genocidal Palestinians addicted to Jew-killing.

FRmail me to be added or removed from this Judaic/pro-Israel ping list.

WARNING: This is a high volume ping list

[mdittmar]

Patience kills,you know better than I.

[MaxMax]

Say it isn't so.

[mdittmar]

P.S.Ronald Reagan,fortieth U.S. president(click to listen)

[mdittmar]

P.S.Ronald Reagan,fortieth U.S. president(click to listen)

[SJackson]

If you'd like to be on or off this middle east/political ping list, please FR mail me.

What nonsense. I realize most everyone reading this is aware, but there hasn't been any escalation in violence, it's been ongoing. The just managed to kill a couple of infidels yesterday. Not Jews, but an infidel is an infidel.

[Chu Gary]

Now why is it that I feel this story is strictly one-sided? I say, don't let a single Pali into Israel and finish that damn barrier, pronto! Then tell the Palis to pound sand.

[mdittmar]

I say, don't let a single Pali into Israel and finish that damn barrier, pronto! Then tell the Palis to pound sand.

Doesn't seem like brain surgery,but some how it is?

[Just A Nobody]

Now why is it that I feel this story is strictly one-sided?

Check the source: ARAB NEWS by Hisham Abu Taha

[BIGLOOK]

Recall how the Hashemite King of Jordan dealt with Palestinians in the 70s. How the Egyptians and the Kuwaitis dealt with Palestinians similarly.

The "Palestinians" have been a wandering tribe of troublemakers for decades. Their banishment from former homes and exile to Israel's borders and the Gaza strip serves the Arabs.......liken it to the the manipulation of the VC by the NVA and NVN govt.