Israeli Minister Threatens Gaza “Holocaust”

BillCosby · 03-01-2008, 01:32 PM

In Israel and the Occupied Territories, at least eighteen Palestinians have been killed in continued Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip. Thursday’s Palestinian toll includes four young boys, killed by bombs as they were playing soccer. The youngest was eight years old. Another Palestinian child was killed along with two adult civilians. Palestinian officials say at least nine Palestinian militants also died. At least thirty-one Palestinians, including nine children, have died in the past two days of Israeli attacks. Israel says it’s responding to Palestinian rocket fire, with forty-five rockets launched from Gaza on Thursday. One Israeli was killed this week in the town of Sderot, the thirteenth Israeli killed by Palestinian rockets in the last seven years. A seventeen-year-old girl was lightly injured Thursday when Palestinian rockets struck the Israeli town of Ashkelon. Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak is warning of a full-scale Israeli invasion of Gaza. In what could be a first for an Israeli official, Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilnai has threatened a “holocaust” in Gaza if rocket fire continues. Vilnai said, “The more Qassam fire intensifies and the rockets reach a longer range, [the Palestinians] will bring upon themselves a bigger holocaust, because we will use all our might to defend ourselves.” An opinion poll taken this week shows 64 percent of Israelis favor a ceasefire with Hamas, the highest majority to date. Hamas has made several proposals for a truce, but the Israeli government has rejected its overtures.

Jonesy · 03-01-2008, 03:26 PM

An even bigger holocaust... good job admitting you have been perpetrating a Palestinian holocaust already.

Signs of desperation. Accurate, at least... since world opinion of Israels behavior is dropping sharply and will continue to do so as long as they stay on the same path.

Palestinians are not bringing this on themselves, you have brought Palestinian attacks on you by stealing their land and oppressing them for decades.

Teri B. · 03-01-2008, 04:34 PM

Palestinians: 85 killed since Israeli operation in Gaza began

JERUSALEM (CNN) -- For the fourth day in a row, Israeli forces launched air and ground operations against militants in northern Gaza on Saturday, aimed at stopping what Israel says is a steady barrage of rocket fire into its towns.

The United Nations Security Council was to discuss "the situation in the Middle East, including Palestine," on Saturday evening, according to an e-mail.

Fifty-two Palestinians have been killed and 200 wounded since Friday in Gaza, Palestinian medical sources said, in the deadliest 24 hours of violence in more than a year.

The sources said 85 people, including civilians and children, have been killed in the Jebaliyah area since the incursion began Wednesday.

Israel launched airstrikes and limited ground operations in northern Gaza after militants fired rockets into Israeli territory.

Two Israeli soldiers were killed and seven wounded in clashes Saturday, the Israel Defense Forces announced.

Hamas security and medical sources told CNN that an Israeli airstrike early Saturday in northern Gaza killed Hamas commander Iyyad al-Ashram.

The Israeli military confirmed that it had "hit" at least 23 armed Palestinians late Friday and early Saturday. Watch as Israeli-Palestinian fighting escalates »

An IDF spokeswoman said the operations mostly involved ground forces backed by air support. Some of the Palestinian militants targeted were seen planting explosives and firing at IDF troops, she said.

Meanwhile, the Israeli government announced that more than 50 Qassam rockets had been fired into Israel from Gaza on Saturday, injuring 22 people in Sderot and Ashkelon and causing property damage. The IDF said earlier that some of those injured were children.

The government put the number of rockets at more than 90 since Thursday.

Israel's defense minister has said the Jewish state is "ready for escalation" in the confrontation with militants in Gaza.

"The big military operation is actual and concrete," Ehud Barak said. "We are not eager for it [but] are not deterred by it."

Israel is threatening to launch a major ground offensive into Gaza unless Hamas, the Islamic militant organization that seized control of the Palestinian territory in June, stops the daily rocket attacks into Israel.

The short-range Qassam missiles are fired from Gaza into Sderot and surrounding communities almost daily.

"We have to blame the Hamas," said Matan Vilnai, Israel's deputy defense minister. "It's their responsibility, and they are going to pay for it. I feel sorry for their population, because they are using their population in order to launch rockets from their area to our area."

He told Israeli Army Radio that militants were "bringing onto themselves a worse shoah," a Hebrew word usually used to refer to the Holocaust.

That drew a strong reaction from exiled Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal, who told the Arabic network Al-Jazeera from Damascus, Syria: "From last Wednesday until now, that is the real Holocaust."

Palestinian leaders in the West Bank are threatening to call off peace talks with Israel because of the ongoing operations.

"Babies no more than 5 months old are being bombed," Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said. "We ask the world to see with its own eyes and judge for itself who is really carrying out international terrorism."

Meshaal said, "Whoever comes to us with an Israeli commitment to stop the attacks in Gaza and the West Bank, we are willing to deal with that seriously and stop on our end."

But, he told Al-Jazeera, "There is no choice ahead of us and the Palestinian people, and ahead of the forces and the military wings, but to wage a war that is imposed on us. ... We cannot find any other alternative that would lift the occupation and attacks."

Meanwhile, Israeli citizens urged their government to respond harshly to the barrage of Palestinian rocket attacks. A college student was killed last week, and an 8-year-old boy's leg had to be amputated after he was wounded in an attack.

Before this week's battles, a poll showed that 64 percent of Israelis favored negotiating with Hamas, a group that has refused to recognize Israel's existence, in an attempt to reach an agreement.

Border access between Gaza and neighboring Israel and Egypt has been greatly restricted since June, when Hamas took over the territory.

Human rights groups have protested the blockade of electricity and fuel shipments into Gaza, blaming Israel for punishing civilians along with the territory's Hamas leadership.

Teri B. · 03-01-2008, 04:36 PM

Will this misery and destruction never end? And where's the U.S. in all this - oh, yeah - silent.

The_Heretic · 03-01-2008, 04:36 PM

There's no way one side will win a military or paramilitary fight with the other. The Israeli public has the right idea. Decalre a ceasefire, get out of the occupied lands and let things cool off for the next couple decades.

Jonesy · 03-01-2008, 04:39 PM

If Israel wants to kill itself by traveling the road of war, why not commit normal suicide instead? Humans today face new species-wide threats. Mass-death is reaching beyond only war. Now we have to deal with the planetary imbalances caused by excessive use of technology. Global warming is likely to only be the first of many threats capable of extinctioning the species.

BillCosby · 03-01-2008, 04:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Teri B.

Will this misery and destruction never end? And where's the U.S. in all this - oh, yeah - silent.

I would not consider the us participation as being silence........

They are & have been complicit in these crimes....

SOon when the world squawks about it they may need to slow down any motions to stop this or provide a few blocks in the un or other world body............. Perhaps some tanks, helicopters or new & improved cluster bombs........

Jonesy · 03-01-2008, 05:05 PM

Israel and Palestine should stop being so self-centered. There's a whole world of people here. Their conflict is about the only thing left preventing world peace - other than the Israel-allied U.S. Iraq thing (the African genocides don't count, as we all know they are contained and short-term). Why don't these two help each other instead of killing each other?

chambers92 · 03-01-2008, 05:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The_Heretic

There's no way one side will win a military or paramilitary fight with the other. The Israeli public has the right idea. Decalre a ceasefire, get out of the occupied lands and let things cool off for the next couple decades.

Unfortunately, the Israeli government doesn't care that 64% of it's citizens favor talks with Hamas and want peace.

chambers92 · 03-01-2008, 05:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jonesy

Israel and Palestine should stop being so self-centered. ?

..................

03-01-2008, 01:32 PM	#1 (permalink)
BillCosby The party of the pissed!! Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 4,504 My Mood: Thanks: 183 Thanked 119 Times in 92 Posts	Israeli Minister Threatens Gaza “Holocaust” In Israel and the Occupied Territories, at least eighteen Palestinians have been killed in continued Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip. Thursday’s Palestinian toll includes four young boys, killed by bombs as they were playing soccer. The youngest was eight years old. Another Palestinian child was killed along with two adult civilians. Palestinian officials say at least nine Palestinian militants also died. At least thirty-one Palestinians, including nine children, have died in the past two days of Israeli attacks. Israel says it’s responding to Palestinian rocket fire, with forty-five rockets launched from Gaza on Thursday. One Israeli was killed this week in the town of Sderot, the thirteenth Israeli killed by Palestinian rockets in the last seven years. A seventeen-year-old girl was lightly injured Thursday when Palestinian rockets struck the Israeli town of Ashkelon. Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak is warning of a full-scale Israeli invasion of Gaza. *In what could be a first for an Israeli official, Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilnai has threatened a “holocaust” in Gaza if rocket fire continues. Vilnai said,* “The more Qassam fire intensifies and the rockets reach a longer range, [the Palestinians] will bring upon themselves a bigger holocaust, because we will use all our might to defend ourselves.” An opinion poll taken this week shows 64 percent of Israelis favor a ceasefire with Hamas, the highest majority to date. Hamas has made several proposals for a truce, but the Israeli government has rejected its overtures. __________________ Preventive war is not war!!!!Counter-terror is not terror
	Top

03-01-2008, 03:26 PM	#2 (permalink)
Jonesy Truth Lion Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 2,554 Thanks: 10 Thanked 32 Times in 23 Posts	An even bigger holocaust... good job admitting you have been perpetrating a Palestinian holocaust already. Signs of desperation. Accurate, at least... since world opinion of Israels behavior is dropping sharply and will continue to do so as long as they stay on the same path. Palestinians are not bringing this on themselves, you have brought Palestinian attacks on you by stealing their land and oppressing them for decades.
	Top

03-01-2008, 04:34 PM	#3 (permalink)
Teri B. Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 6,315 Blog Entries: 1 Thanks: 36 Thanked 56 Times in 34 Posts	Palestinians: 85 killed since Israeli operation in Gaza began JERUSALEM (CNN) -- For the fourth day in a row, Israeli forces launched air and ground operations against militants in northern Gaza on Saturday, aimed at stopping what Israel says is a steady barrage of rocket fire into its towns. The United Nations Security Council was to discuss "the situation in the Middle East, including Palestine," on Saturday evening, according to an e-mail. Fifty-two Palestinians have been killed and 200 wounded since Friday in Gaza, Palestinian medical sources said, in the deadliest 24 hours of violence in more than a year. The sources said 85 people, including civilians and children, have been killed in the Jebaliyah area since the incursion began Wednesday. Israel launched airstrikes and limited ground operations in northern Gaza after militants fired rockets into Israeli territory. Two Israeli soldiers were killed and seven wounded in clashes Saturday, the Israel Defense Forces announced. Hamas security and medical sources told CNN that an Israeli airstrike early Saturday in northern Gaza killed Hamas commander Iyyad al-Ashram. The Israeli military confirmed that it had "hit" at least 23 armed Palestinians late Friday and early Saturday. Watch as Israeli-Palestinian fighting escalates » An IDF spokeswoman said the operations mostly involved ground forces backed by air support. Some of the Palestinian militants targeted were seen planting explosives and firing at IDF troops, she said. Meanwhile, the Israeli government announced that more than 50 Qassam rockets had been fired into Israel from Gaza on Saturday, injuring 22 people in Sderot and Ashkelon and causing property damage. The IDF said earlier that some of those injured were children. The government put the number of rockets at more than 90 since Thursday. Israel's defense minister has said the Jewish state is "ready for escalation" in the confrontation with militants in Gaza. "The big military operation is actual and concrete," Ehud Barak said. "We are not eager for it [but] are not deterred by it." Israel is threatening to launch a major ground offensive into Gaza unless Hamas, the Islamic militant organization that seized control of the Palestinian territory in June, stops the daily rocket attacks into Israel. The short-range Qassam missiles are fired from Gaza into Sderot and surrounding communities almost daily. "We have to blame the Hamas," said Matan Vilnai, Israel's deputy defense minister. "It's their responsibility, and they are going to pay for it. I feel sorry for their population, because they are using their population in order to launch rockets from their area to our area." He told Israeli Army Radio that militants were "bringing onto themselves a worse shoah," a Hebrew word usually used to refer to the Holocaust. That drew a strong reaction from exiled Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal, who told the Arabic network Al-Jazeera from Damascus, Syria: "From last Wednesday until now, that is the real Holocaust." Palestinian leaders in the West Bank are threatening to call off peace talks with Israel because of the ongoing operations. "Babies no more than 5 months old are being bombed," Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said. "We ask the world to see with its own eyes and judge for itself who is really carrying out international terrorism." Meshaal said, "Whoever comes to us with an Israeli commitment to stop the attacks in Gaza and the West Bank, we are willing to deal with that seriously and stop on our end." But, he told Al-Jazeera, "There is no choice ahead of us and the Palestinian people, and ahead of the forces and the military wings, but to wage a war that is imposed on us. ... We cannot find any other alternative that would lift the occupation and attacks." Meanwhile, Israeli citizens urged their government to respond harshly to the barrage of Palestinian rocket attacks. A college student was killed last week, and an 8-year-old boy's leg had to be amputated after he was wounded in an attack. Before this week's battles, a poll showed that 64 percent of Israelis favored negotiating with Hamas, a group that has refused to recognize Israel's existence, in an attempt to reach an agreement. Border access between Gaza and neighboring Israel and Egypt has been greatly restricted since June, when Hamas took over the territory. Human rights groups have protested the blockade of electricity and fuel shipments into Gaza, blaming Israel for punishing civilians along with the territory's Hamas leadership.
	Top

03-01-2008, 04:36 PM	#4 (permalink)
Teri B. Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 6,315 Blog Entries: 1 Thanks: 36 Thanked 56 Times in 34 Posts	Will this misery and destruction never end? And where's the U.S. in all this - oh, yeah - silent.
	Top

03-01-2008, 04:36 PM	#5 (permalink)
The_Heretic Master of Quill-Fu Space Invaders Champion! Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Taylorsville, UT [stuck in the 20th century]. Posts: 6,174 Blog Entries: 4 Thanks: 28 Thanked 86 Times in 61 Posts	There's no way one side will win a military or paramilitary fight with the other. The Israeli public has the right idea. Decalre a ceasefire, get out of the occupied lands and let things cool off for the next couple decades. __________________ John McCain: "He's in Iraq... with a few centuries to kill." *You won't fight for the Bill of Right? Fine! I won't fight for you in the ballot box!*
	Top

03-01-2008, 04:39 PM	#6 (permalink)
Jonesy Truth Lion Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 2,554 Thanks: 10 Thanked 32 Times in 23 Posts	If Israel wants to kill itself by traveling the road of war, why not commit normal suicide instead? Humans today face new species-wide threats. Mass-death is reaching beyond only war. Now we have to deal with the planetary imbalances caused by excessive use of technology. Global warming is likely to only be the first of many threats capable of extinctioning the species.
	Top

03-01-2008, 05:05 PM	#8 (permalink)
Jonesy Truth Lion Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 2,554 Thanks: 10 Thanked 32 Times in 23 Posts	Israel and Palestine should stop being so self-centered. There's a whole world of people here. Their conflict is about the only thing left preventing world peace - other than the Israel-allied U.S. Iraq thing (the African genocides don't count, as we all know they are contained and short-term). Why don't these two help each other instead of killing each other?
	Top

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