ISRAELI OFFENSIVE ADVANCES INTO GAZA AND WEST BANK KILLING PALESTINIAN TERRORISTS
Randy L. Harrington
July 06, 2006
GAZA—Israel in its offensive strike in Gaza killed several Palestinians in air strikes and battles with Palestinian terrorists on Thursday. This has been the worst violence since Israel left Gaza last year.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert ordered tanks and soldiers into northern Gaza after Palestinian terrorists led by Hamas fired a second long-range rocket into the Israeli interior.
Israel's offensive means that the attack on Gaza and the West Bank that started a week ago has expanded. One objective is to recover the Israeli Soldier, Gilad Shalit that Palestinian terrorists representing the Palestinian Authority kidnapped on June 25.
Palestinian Prime Minister Ismael Haniyeh referred to the Israeli invasion as a crime against humanity and said that it was a “hopeless attempt to bring down the Palestinian government.” An aide to the Palestinian Interior Minster-- Saeb Erekat, called for the International community to protect Palestinians in a “time of war.” Western nations have ignored the Palestinian state mainly because of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abba's decalred Fatah—or dedication to carrying out terror attacks against Israel.
Israel flew two air strikes on Thursday against the town of Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza that killed four armed gunmen. A night-time air strike in Beit Lahiya also fired at Palestinian gunmen.
Beit Lahiya was the area of the heaviest ground fighting as Palestinian gunmen used anti-tank weapons, and rockets fired from alleyways in an attempt to battle approaching Israeli troops, tanks, and Apache attack helicopters.
One woman complained to a local radio station that “Israeli tanks are outside our house. Children are screaming and the house in shaking.” However, the woman also told the radio station that she refused to leave the area, and protect the children.
Israeli aircraft also used their air-to-ground missiles at targets in the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis taking out strategic targets, and enemy combatants.
In the West Bank city of Jeni Israeli troops killed two Palestinian gunman, and a 16 year old rock thrower on Thursday.
The death toll to the Palestinians is the highest in any single day since Israeli forces killed 28 Palestinian terrorists in September 2004 in northern Gaza.
Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz said that although Israel left Gaza last year after a 38 year occupation that “no one should see that as a guarantee that we cannot reach territory in which we feel we have no choice but to operate.” Olmert indicated through a spokesman that Isreal will re-occupy parts of the Gaza strip indefinitely to protect Israel's interests.
Palestinians often fire rockets from north Gaza settlements that once belonged to Israel. Another objective of Israel's offensive is to push into these former settlements, create a buffer zone so that the Palestinian terrorist government can't fire rockets into Israel.
Sala Bardawil, a Palestinian Authority Legislator said yesterday that the Palestinian government is not a real government, but is a government that depends on charity to survive.
The Palestinian government has reached out to the west asking for support, and complaining of human rights abuses by Israel, while at the same time the Palestinian supports acts of terrorism in their Jihad, and Fatah against Israel and the western world.
The Israeli offensive, and the Palestinian acts of terror have pretty much ended any hopes that peace talks would resume, or that intermediaries would be successful at achieving peace. There has been no talk of Palestinian Hamas' terrorist demands that Israel release Palestinian prisoners, and there has been no more mention of the kidnapped Israeli soldier.
SOURCES/CONTRIBUTORS: Israel Post; AP Wire
Copyright 2006 Randy L. Harrington. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert ordered tanks and soldiers into northern Gaza after Palestinian terrorists led by Hamas fired a second long-range rocket into the Israeli interior.
Israel's offensive means that the attack on Gaza and the West Bank that started a week ago has expanded. One objective is to recover the Israeli Soldier, Gilad Shalit that Palestinian terrorists representing the Palestinian Authority kidnapped on June 25.
Palestinian Prime Minister Ismael Haniyeh referred to the Israeli invasion as a crime against humanity and said that it was a “hopeless attempt to bring down the Palestinian government.” An aide to the Palestinian Interior Minster-- Saeb Erekat, called for the International community to protect Palestinians in a “time of war.” Western nations have ignored the Palestinian state mainly because of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abba's decalred Fatah—or dedication to carrying out terror attacks against Israel.
Israel flew two air strikes on Thursday against the town of Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza that killed four armed gunmen. A night-time air strike in Beit Lahiya also fired at Palestinian gunmen.
Beit Lahiya was the area of the heaviest ground fighting as Palestinian gunmen used anti-tank weapons, and rockets fired from alleyways in an attempt to battle approaching Israeli troops, tanks, and Apache attack helicopters.
One woman complained to a local radio station that “Israeli tanks are outside our house. Children are screaming and the house in shaking.” However, the woman also told the radio station that she refused to leave the area, and protect the children.
Israeli aircraft also used their air-to-ground missiles at targets in the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis taking out strategic targets, and enemy combatants.
In the West Bank city of Jeni Israeli troops killed two Palestinian gunman, and a 16 year old rock thrower on Thursday.
The death toll to the Palestinians is the highest in any single day since Israeli forces killed 28 Palestinian terrorists in September 2004 in northern Gaza.
Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz said that although Israel left Gaza last year after a 38 year occupation that “no one should see that as a guarantee that we cannot reach territory in which we feel we have no choice but to operate.” Olmert indicated through a spokesman that Isreal will re-occupy parts of the Gaza strip indefinitely to protect Israel's interests.
Palestinians often fire rockets from north Gaza settlements that once belonged to Israel. Another objective of Israel's offensive is to push into these former settlements, create a buffer zone so that the Palestinian terrorist government can't fire rockets into Israel.
Sala Bardawil, a Palestinian Authority Legislator said yesterday that the Palestinian government is not a real government, but is a government that depends on charity to survive.
The Palestinian government has reached out to the west asking for support, and complaining of human rights abuses by Israel, while at the same time the Palestinian supports acts of terrorism in their Jihad, and Fatah against Israel and the western world.
The Israeli offensive, and the Palestinian acts of terror have pretty much ended any hopes that peace talks would resume, or that intermediaries would be successful at achieving peace. There has been no talk of Palestinian Hamas' terrorist demands that Israel release Palestinian prisoners, and there has been no more mention of the kidnapped Israeli soldier.
SOURCES/CONTRIBUTORS: Israel Post; AP Wire
Copyright 2006 Randy L. Harrington. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.