The Israeli Invasion of Gaza: Rolling Updates (19 January)

Earlier updates: The Israeli Invasion of Gaza (18 January)
Latest Post: Scott Lucas on BBC Radio Wales about Obama, Economy, Gaza

Photo by Sameh Habeeb (see updates at 8:45 a.m. and 10:40 a.m.)

12:50 p.m. A steady as she goes day. Israeli officials kept quiet to judge the reaction their "unilateral cease-fire" --- whether the spin that Israeli forces are withdrawing as a present to President Obama will become clear in 24 hours. Arab states chose a surface appearance of consensus over the political issues that are redefining their relations; whether that changes tomorrow will be up to Syria. Some Europeans, far too late, decided to make a push for a settlement.

And all eyes turn to Washington where a new President is inaugurated, with the question of what the US might do to re-define the Gaza equation. My own suspicion is that Obama and his advisors are playing catch-up, so don't expect much beyond the surface naming of officials and maybe envoys to consider the American approach.

Good night and peace to all.

11:45 p.m. More Better Late than Never, Europe Style: European Foreign Ministers invite their Middle Eastern counterparts to Brussels for a bit of a chinwag later this week.

9:45 p.m. Further to Rafah Kid's blog on Israeli use of white phosphorous (5:30 p.m.) and the revelations of the mass killing at Khuza'a (yesterday's updates), The Guardian of London has posted a report, accompanied by a video of white phosphorous and of the effects on civilian victims.

8:40 p.m. Better Late than Never? After Europe's ineffective performance at the start of the Gaza conflict, the European Union has tried to recover some influence. German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier has proposed, after consultations with EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg, the current EU President, "humanitarian action, the prevention of illicit arms trafficking, re-opening crossing points into Gaza, help with reconstruction, and a resumption of the peace process".

The significance of the move probably lies not in any potential for success but in the politics behind it: "Steinmeier wanted to ensure the United States alone did not lead diplomatic efforts in the region."

8:25 p.m. Amnesty International has criticised Israeli deployment of white phosphorous weapons: "Such extensive use of this weapon in Gaza's densely populated residential neighborhoods is inherently indiscriminate. Its repeated use in this manner, despite evidence of its indiscriminate effects and its toll on civilians, is a war crime."

An Israeli military spokesman has replied, ""In response to the claims ... relating to the use of phosphorus weapons, and in order to remove any ambiguity, an investigative team has been established in southern command to look into the issue."

8:15 p.m. Ghassan al-Khatib, former Palestinian Minister of Planning says "no ways" for reconstruction aid or materials to get into Gaza under current conditions.

I think rebuilding of Gaza might be a way off.

5:30 p.m. Rafah Kid continues to offer essential reporting from Gaza: his latest entry describes the Israeli attacks, civilian casualties, and the situation in Gazan hospitals. His description of "chemical burns" and "an unextinguished incendiary device" points to the use of white phosphorous. If Palestinians and Israelis do not agree, then an "international mechanism" will have to be found to deliver the aid.

Rafah Kid also describes the killing of a local farmer by Israeli troops after the start of the cease-fire.

5:20 p.m. Update on the Kuwait summit: shadow Arab unity? Sheikh Hamad, the Qatari Prime Minister, issued what was in effect a holding statement, praising "a reconciliation led today by [Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah] with ... the emir of Kuwait.... We left with an understanding that undoubtedly a new page had been turned that would benefit and strengthen the Arab position."

It could well be that Saudi economic clout has brought all Arab countries onto the political fence, but it would be well worth keeping an eye on the next signals out of Syria.

5:15 p.m. Welcome to the Re-Occupation, however. Israeli officials say, "Israel intends to exert control over the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip following its 22-day offensive, and is seeking guarantees that no U.N. projects will benefit Hamas."

Bottom line: no recognition of Hamas, no lifting of economic restrictions, including the "freeing" of border crossings.

5:10 p.m. Situation is little changed on military front, with no resumption of violence but no further developments on the Israeli withdrawal.

5 p.m. Have just finished set of media interviews on Obama inauguration with Birmingham radio stations and on Gaza with Iranian News Agency

2:35 p.m. Latest from the Kuwait Summit: Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has made his plea to have some role in Gaza, though I am not sure he has thought through his suggestion of "simultaneous" Presidential and parliamentary elections: at this point, he and Fatah might be hard-pressed to win in sections of the West Bank and Gaza.

Abbas does have one vote, however: the hopeless-beyond-hapless United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has urged Arab leaders to support Abbas as head of a Palestinian unity government. And, behind the scenes, a "senior European official" has tried to support the plan by saying that "there will be no international assistance to rebuild Gaza's infrastructure with Hamas in power".

All of this appears somewhat desperate, an impression not lost on Syrian President Bashir al-Assad as he pressed his political advantage of support for Hamas. He has called for the declaration of Israel as "a terrorist state".

Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, sits firmly on the fence. King Abdullah has tried to deflect the political issues by promising $1 billion in reconstruction assistance to Gaza --- a declaration that only has salience if Israel, backed by the US and Europe, allows the aid. He has also declared that "one drop of Palestinian blood" is worth more than all the money in the world, which I am sure will comforting any bleeding Gazans who hear the statement.

2:30 p.m. No Politics Here: Israeli sources say they will fully withdraw from Gaza before President-elect Barack Obama takes oath of office.

2:25 p.m. Meanwhile, Turkey has bailed out of the Egyptian proposals. Following Hosni Mubarak's announcement that Egypt would never accept international monitors on its side of the Egypt-Gaza border, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has withdrawn Turkey's offer to participate in an international force.

2 p.m. Trying to recover his position, Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas has told the Arab economic summit at Kuwait: "What is required, if we were to agree and I hope we shall agree, is a national unity government that undertakes ... lifting the (Israeli) blockade, opening the crossings, reconstruction and holding simultaneous presidential and legislative elections."

Abbas's position is tenuous because his term as President of the West Bank expired last week. The PA-controlled Ministry of Justice in Ramallah decided that Abbas's term would be extended until 25 January to coincide with the end of the legislative term, but Hamas have announced their intentions to declare an "interim" President for the West Bank.

11:40 a.m. Hamas military spokesman Abu Obeida says the organisation will re-arm despite the Israeli agreement with the US and European countries to block shipments: "Do whatever you want. Manufacturing the holy weapons is our mission and we know how to acquire weapons,"

11:30 a.m. Requiem for the United Nations leadership --- Robert Fisk in The Independent of London:

When I asked Mr Ban [UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon] if he would consider a UN war crimes tribunal in Gaza, he said this would not be for him to "determine". But only a few journalists bothered to listen to him and his officials were quickly folding up the UN flag on the table.

11:25 a.m. Donald Macintyre in The Independent of London:

Even in the darkness, we could see the piles of rubble: one had been the police station, destroyed in the heavy bombing on the first day of Israel's offensive, killing 22 Hamas policemen; another pile accounted for the houses that had been destroyed around Muntasa, a favoured children's play area and park which the Israelis say militants had used for firing rockets – residents deny the claim. The park is no more, a field of smashed masonry and concrete.

11:10 a.m. Israeli military says that it is withdrawing some reservists but regular units are holding their positions.

11:o5 a.m. "Utter devastation": With no diplomatic or military developments, Al Jazeera and Press TV are giving extensive coverage to the scale of the destruction from the Israeli assault. Other news services in Britain, including CNN, have moved to other stories.

10:40 a.m. Sometimes Internet activism works....We updated two hours ago on the removal of photojournalist Sameh Habeeb's album from the Google-owned Picasa website for "violation of Terms of Service". Well, after a lot of cyber-chatter, the album has reappeared.

9 a.m. Jerusalem Post editor David Horovitz explains the failure of Israel's efforts to achieve regime change: Gazans are too stupid to remove Hamas from power....

Unlike Hizbullah, [Hamas] cannot credibly claim to have fought bravely against the IDF. Its fighters, rather, melted away into the deepest recesses of civilian protection. And while the likes of Marzouk and his colleague Khaled Mashaal sounded consistently indomitable from the comfort and safety of the Syrian capital, the local Gaza leadership simply hid....

But will the people of Gaza, who chose Hamas as their leadership three years ago, internalize any of this?.... Will Gazans get the message? Or, confronted with the ruins all around them, will they instead redouble their hostility to Israel, forgive Hamas what was either cynicism or foolishness, and rededicate themselves to helping their elected Islamist leadership to eventually prevail over the Zionists?

8:45 a.m. More on photojournalist Sameh Habeeb, whose reports from Gaza have been a vital first-hand source during the conflict. Picasa has bravely removed his entire album of photographs because "the content...violates our Terms of Service".

8:15 a.m. Alive in Gaza has posted a new audio interview with photojournalist Sameh Habeeb in Gaza City: "No One Wants to Talk about Politics".

8:10 a.m. More background on the run-up to the conflict, this time from the humanitarian front. The UN's chief humanitarian co-ordinator in Israel, Maxwell Gaylard, says that Tel Aviv that "deliberately blocked the United Nations from building up vital food supplies in Gaza that feed a million people daily".

A spokesman for the Israeli Foreign Ministry replied that the claim is "unqualified bullshit".

Morning update (8 a.m. Israel/Gaza time): Little military action overnight, as both Israel and Hamas settled into their political and military positions. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert says there will be a pullout "with highest possible speed" if "the cease-fire remains stable". Hamas leaders are claiming victory in their resistance to the Israeli invasion.

Almost 100 bodies were pulled out of the Gazan rubble yesterday, including 23 from the site of the Zeitoun mass killing of members of the al-Samouni clan. Despite statements from survivors that "it was an intentional massacre", the Israeli military continues to deny any responsibility: ""The [Israel Defense Forces] is not familiar with any order to civilians to enter any particular building. The IDF does not give those orders."

With the Israeli destruction and bulldozing of more than 4000 buildings and houses, ten of thousands of Gazans are homeless. Ambulances and aid, including medical supplies, are still blocked at the Egypt-Gaza border, and only a few dozen wounded Gazans were brought into Egypt for treatment.

Comments

[eman maslouh]

After Germany was defeated in the world war , the whole world has deceided to take some measurements to control the irrationale and execessive usage of force by the deutsch army:
1. according to Treaty of versailles , this caused Germany to lose a significant portion of its territory, prohibited the annexation of other states, limited the size of German armed forces and imposed massive reparations

3. Germany has also to pay back the alleis all the war expenses and lost .

The same thing happend again after WWII , in addition to paying huge compansations for the jew peoples as an apologize and pay back for the genocide (Holocust)

2009 What we have here:
1. A Paranoid country that is addicted to the usage of execessive and irrational military force in unjustified wars causing sever losses and destructions among civilians population and infraconstruction,
a. One time in lebanon 2006 in lebanon due to the capture af 2 soldiers( destroying bridges in beyruth, electricity station and hospitals........

b.2 years later made the gaza genocide claiming that she is only looking for some rebelles threatening its safty.

2. a government that ignores the U.N decesions CONSTANTLY SAYING THAT THEY WILL MAKE WHAT THEY WANT REGARDLESS WHAT THE U.N said.

3. AN ARMY that accused with its leaders of using illegel expermental weapons
among civilians , not to mention breaking the GENEVA principles something like thousand time.
AND NOW AFTER THIER SADISM HAS REACHED ITS ORGASM; THEY DECLARED A UNILATERAL CEASFEAR..

OFCOURSE WE SHALL BE HAPPY ....
BUT IS THAT ALL ; SHALL WE CALL THIS THE HAPPY END WERE THE CRIMINAL IS PUNISHED FOR HIS CRIMES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Rajan]

For each rocket (which appears to have been as capable of inflicting any damage as ordinary 4th of July firecrackers) the Hamas had fired towards Israel, the IDF had killed 2-3 Palestinians, wounding many more and causing horrific destruction of the physical infrastructure in an already dilapidated territory. To fight with such ineffective weapon against a superbly trained and technologically advanced enemy and invite instant, massive retaliation is not defiance; it is utter suicidal stupidity. For the Hamas leaders who, to save their own own hides, have all fled to the safe havens in Beirut, Damascus or Tehran, to have made fiery speeches from there exhorting their ignorant and gullible henchmen trapped in the Gaza strip to pursue such a senseless path of self-destruction was nothing but cowardice and a criminal act of betrayal. And to claim the unilateral ceasefire declared by Israel after it had inflicted a crushing blow on the Hamas militants (with more to come if the fragile ceasefire were broken) as a victory for the Hamas is nothing but self-delusion of the most heinous kind.

[Dave]

eman maslouh,

Israel's experimental weapons use pales in comparison to that of other countries and past conflicts -- Hiroshima, Nagasaki, the use of 'binary weapons' in Indochina-which was a super stealthy way for the US to scoot around the chem-bio weapons ban.

[Mo]

There is no doubt that Israel has lost the war. They have shown very clearly to the whole world that they are barbaric racists. Also they failed to take a broken, impoverished, and unprotected city that had been under siege for well over a year.

[eman maslouh]

FEELING PAROUD OF THE IRRATIONAL AND MASSIVE USAGE OF MILITARY FORCE ; WHICH AT THE END CAME OUT WITH NOTHING BUT CIVILIANS DEATH AND INJURIES :
THEN TRYING TO JUSTIFY IT BY SAYING THAT THE OTHER SIDE WAS CRAZY AND MAKING SUICIDAL ACTION BY TRYING TO RESIST THE OCCUPATION OF HIS LAND ( YEP.. THOSE IDIOTS PALESTINIANS SHOULD GIVE THEIR LAND WITHOUT THE MINIMAL RESISTANCE EVEN WITH FIREWORK ROCKETS) ::
I CAN NOT SAY I AM SURPRISED; THERE ARE SO MANY PEOPLE WHO THOGHT THAT THEY CAN SOVE THEIR PROBLEMS BY VANISHING THE OTHERS; BUT AT THE END THEY GOT DISAPPOINTELY KICKED OUT CARRYING TO THEIR COUNTRIES MILITARY FAILURES AND ECONOMICAL PROBLEMS NOT TO MENTION A PAIR OF SHOES:

HAMAS HAS A VERY ORGANIZED STRUCTURE IN AND OUT PALESTIN ; AND THEY REPRESENT THE REALITY OF HE PALESTENIAN TRAGADY : THE PALESTENIAN WERE SCATTERED EVERWHERE BEEN CHASED OUT THEIR OWN LAND BUT NEVER GAVE UP AND NEVER FORGETTEN THEIR MOTHER LAND:
THERE WERE NO LEADER IN HAMAS WHO HAS PASSED OUT IN A NORMAL CIRCUMSTANCES ; AND WHO HASN'T YET BEEN KILLED HAS ALREADY BEEN THROUGH 2 OR 3 ASSISSANATION TRIALS BY ISRAEL (THAT INCLUDS THE LEADERS IN OR OUT PALESTIN)

JUSTIFYING THE USAGE OF ILLEGEL OR EXPERMENTAL WEAPONS BY ISRAEL ; BY SAYING THE U.S.A HAS DONE THE SAME IS TOTALY UNACCEPTABLE; OTHERWISE WE HAVE TO TEAR THE GENEVA PRINCIPLES APART AND GET RID OF THAT USELESS U.N AND SECURITY COUNCLE:
THEN WE WOULD NEVER HEAR SUCH WORTHLESS WORDS AS HUMAN RIGHTS AND INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY
AND EVERBODY FEEL WELCOME IN THE WILD JUNGLES

[Irfan Haqqee]

To Rajan:

You definitely have not followed the chronology of events:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KntmpoRXFX4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jOFXL62zw0&NR=1

Need I say more?

To Dave:

Are you saying we should forgive Israel for being less brutal than US ?!!

[Dave]

Hamas killed at least 16 Fatah members and injured dozens of their "agents"/supporters. Why should Israel have to cave into pressure from the international community and negotiate with Hamas?

And take a look at the pro-genocidal hatred in the link below. This is taking place all over the West. When it comes to Muslims and assimilation in the Western Hemisphere, it is worth noting how focused these people are on the East. They are fixated on it. Keep in mind that these are second and even third generation European Muslims!

http://blogs.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/timblair/index.php/dailytelegraph/comments/nazis_needed/

[Rajan]

EMAN MASLOUH:

I would like to make a few points in response to your comments.

The Hamas is not just the customary resistance to an occupying force. If it were so and if the Hamas' goal is only to evict Israel from Gaza and free itself from the Israeli occupation, all your accusations against Israel for using excessive force in retaliation would be quite valid. But, Hamas refuses to acknowledge the very existence of Israel and it has made the destruction of Israel as the core of its ideology.

In that context, faced with an enemy which has declared the total extinction of Israel as a nation as its sole objective, Israel will be within its rights to defend itself at any cost. Self-preservation is the basic instinct in any living organism, human beings included. You cannot expect anyone to negotiate with or fight with kid gloves an enemy who is hell bent on destroying you. The Jewish people, for the first time in their long history (the 'promised land' and the rest of the crap and mumbo-jumbo, apart), have taken over a piece of land, even if it is only a desert, as their homeland. Nothing is going to make them give it up from here to eternity.

Israel has agreed to deal with the Palestinian Authority in West Bank because the leaders running the government in West Bank have finally acknowledged the existence of Israel . But, the Hamas faction ruling in the Gaza strip has consisitently and stubbornly refused to do so and, therefore, Israel's attitude towards the Palestinians living in Gaza is conditioned by this fact. Has Israel blocked any of the crossings into the West Bank as it has done with those into Gaza?

On the other hand, if the Hamas comes to terms with the present day ground realities and becomes reconciled with the continued existence of Israel as a sovereign nation (as the Fatah faction appears to have done), however distasteful it may be to its supporters, and desists from mounting totally ineffective attacks on that country by firing rockets which are more symbolic than real, I am sure that Israel will also come to terms with the Hamas as the chosen representatives of the Palestinians living in the Gaza strip and progress can be made in the international efforts on the two-state creation front. Action and reaction are always opposite and, sometimes, more than equal!

The Palestinians and other Arab nationals have been duped by their so-called leaders to believe that the Hezbollah fighters had scored a great victory at the end of the 2006 conflict with Israel. What really happened was that Israel had achieved their major objective, namely, putting a permanent end to the periodical incursions by the Hezbollah militants into its territory and the daily rocket attacks from Lebanon into northern Israel. Has a single incursion by Hezbollah been made from Lebanon and has a single Hezbollah rocket been fired into northern Israel since the end of the 2006 conflict? Then, where does the victory against Israel come from? Similarly, the Hamas will be stopped for ever from firing their rockets into southern Israel from Gaza and they will not be allowed to smuggle in weapons from outside thru the Gaza-Egyptian border. These were the two major objectives Israel had in mounting its assault on Gaza. If the Hamas violates these two conditions for the ceasefire, they can expect some more punishment from the air and the ground from the Israeli side. Where, then, is the victory for the Hamas at the end of its three-week misery?

[ChrisE]

Mo-Many here put a lot of energy into criticising current Israeli actions as illegal and inhumane. We also argue that Hamas needs to be acknowledged as a political entity- which cannot be ignored and must be engaged.

But, at the same time, it is ridiculously one-sided to throw about terms such as 'barbaric racism' and that 'anyone who recognises Israel recognises the legitimacy of racism'.

Consider the following statements from Hamas- I would be interested in any analysis you can provide which refutes an accurate characterisation of 'racist'.

The annihilation of the Jews here in Palestine is one of the most splendid blessings for Palestine (Hamas cleric Muhsen Ab It’a, July 13, 2008)

“So it is not literally true that Jews today are descended from pigs and apes, but it is true that some of the ancestors of Jews were transformed into pigs and apes, and it is true that Allah continually makes the Jews pay for their crimes in many different ways. They are a cursed people.” (Senior Hamas leade, Nizar Rayyan- 2006)

Hamas should be recognised as political entity- because it is folly not to. We can even debate the strategic or symbolic implications of such rhetoric. At the same time, it seems impossible not to also recognise that deep anti-semetic racism is at the core of its ideology. Does hamas get a pass on this? Is their racism understandable? Are Israel the only racists- do you have smilar quotes from the Israeli government?

[ChrisE]

Thank you for providing these shocking quotes.

A couple of points, however- As far as I can see, none of the quotes come direct from the current Israeli government, speeches by official govt sources or charters of any legal political parties. Most, if not all, come from sources totally unrepresentative of the current Israeli government- radical clerics, politicians or academics. It is also the case that Hazan was severly rebuked for his statement- which doesn’t really happen with Hamas.

Meir Kahane called for the forced expulsion of Arabs from Israel, the West Bank and Gaza. His Party was outlawed in 1994

I also don't think that the Livni quote can be accurately described as her advocating "all Arabs should be expelled from Israel."

With respect, bringing out racist rhetoric that is 40+ years old is not too dissimilar to bringing out the rhetoric of US segregationist politicians in relation to the Bush administration.

I have no interest in defending these horrendous comments- and I don't doubt that racism is rife in Israel. I just wonder if your quotes show accurately that the current Israeli government engages in genocidal and racist rhetoric. I hasten to add that doesn't negate my disgust with Israeli action or that I support the rather simplistic notion of morale absolutism in the conflict proposed by many in Israel and in the US.

None of this, of course, undermines my central point that it is one sided to only identify Israel as guilty of racist rhetoric...

[Alex]

If someone tries to shoot a gun at you, but because the gun is not very good, only 1 of 12 bullets hits you, would that make you feel better about the person shooting at you.

[Mae]

I wouldn't have taken his house away, murdered and maimed a few members of his family in the process, herded the rest into a cell, children and all. Then provided them with just enough bread and water they will not starve in the hope that they will meekly accept their fate.

If I had done all those things and he somehow managed to get a gun and fire at me I would not by any stretch of the imagination wail about being the innocent victim of a ruthless thug. Although, if I had done all those things, I probably would be enough of a psychopath to expect sympathy and demand the public help me in making sure he never got another gun to try and defend and free himself and his family.

In the normal world I would be considered the criminal and he would be considered the victim. But I guess for Israel moral and ethical guidelines don't apply when it comes to Palestinians.

The rhetoric applied at comment no 12 is deeply distasteful as it divorces the Israeli-Palestinian conflict of all historical context. It is trying to elicit sympathy and agreement to justify an unforgiveable atrocity.

Appealing to fear is of course a favoured propaganda technique especially effective when coupled with the 'common man', 'disinformation' and 'oversimplification' techniques seen at work here. It's catchy I grant you, repeated ad nauseam wherever I wander on the net - and it did work on many people I know and myself - until two weeks ago. But when the War of the Worlds jellyfish smoke trails and the children shredded to pieces appeared on the news it stopped working. When the reality on the ground and the words of the Israeli spokespeople seemed to exist in parallel universes, I recognised it for the propaganda it was. I learned about it in my history classes.

And I want to say loud and clear, no I would not do this, and I would do everything in my power to stop my government from doing it. And I will not shrug it off, think 'how awful' and forget about it.

You fail to grasp the severity of the anger of even the pro-Israeli people I meet on the school playgrounds, in the supermarkets and at homes.

That anger only intensifies when one has to spend hours trying to convince people that killing civilians and destroying their world in the utterly ruthless, immoral, despiccable manner I have just seen in Gaza is wrong, that slaughtering children is unacceptable - and all this because the narrative of the story is falsified to such an unbelievable extent, the propaganda repeated unchecked on all media outlets.

I have never before in my life uttered even one word of criticism about Israel, but now I am telling everybody I meet about the crimes commited by the Israeli government, about the facts we don't get to hear about and I don't even have to lie or manipulate the truth.

The problem is, you see, that the majority already heartily despised Hamas and all the other factions and agreed with the claim that Israel is the innocent victim, morally right and justified in its actions. Until three weeks ago resistance was a dirty word but no longer. Israel might have shown the world its might but it has also acquired a spreading black stain on its soul.

[eman maslouh]

TO RAJAN
actually I hate long replies, but you left me no other choice !
1. the occupied lands are not only gaza according to the U.N decesion 424 whic israel as usual ignoring so if the mission of hamas ar any other resistance movment is far byeond Gaza then that is totally legal according to the U.N .

2. There are more than 30 country in the U.N doesn't acknowledge israel , i wonder what israel is planing to do with them and with their children to punish them for their crime
3.yes the palestinian FORMER authority acknowledged israel, but how did israel respected that:
1.They surrounded The leader of Fatah , the president of palestinian authority and the one who has acknowledged Yasser Arafat in his office without electricity , water or even medications
claiming that israel doesn't want to deal with him and they want to talk with someone eles !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Does that ring a bell !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2. they spent years and years playing games in negotiations, going forward with building the ILLEGEL WALL according to lahai court , BUILDING MORE ILLEGEL SETELLMENTS ON OCCUPIED LANDS and very nice to Know that the president of the FORMER palestinian authority needed a permission to come in and out from RAMALLLAH not to mention jerusalim.

SO WHY SHOULD ANY OTHER PALESTINIAN GROUP ACKNOWLEDGE ISRAEL ; TO BE THE NEXT CLOWN !!!
AS FOR THE LAND THAT FINALLY THE JEWISH PEOPLE ((HAS TAKEN OVER )) ACCORDING TO YOUR WORDS:
WHAT DOES TAKEN OVER MEANS!!! OCCUPIED...STOLEN CAUSE THAT WHAT IS ACCTUALLY HAPPEND
AND THIS PIECE OF LAND WAS NEVER A DESERT; IT WAS THE CULTURAL RELEGIOUS AND ECONOMICAL HEART OF MIDDLE EAST ::
NO WONDER THAT THE BRAVE ISRAELI ARMY IS VERY BUSY WITH CUTTING THE PALESTINIAN'S (((((((((((OLIVE TREES )))))))))))))))DAY AND NIGHT CAUSE THESE ARE LIVING WITNESSES ON THE OLD CULTURAL AND BEAUTY OF THIS PLACE AND ON THE REAL OWNER OF THIS LAND WHO HAVE PLANTED AND CARED FOR THESE TREES ( AS MINIMUM 20 YEARS IS NEEDED TO GET OLIVES FROM A TREE; SO AS YOU SEE THE YOUNGEST OLIVE TREE IN PALESTINE IS OLDER THAN ISRAEL ITSELF )
AS FOR THAT HEZBOLLAH THING:::
OUR LEADERS DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING ABOUT IT;BUT THE ISRAELI LEADERS WHO ARE SAYING DAY AND NIGHT THINGS LIKE "WE HAVE LEARNED FROM LEBANON FAULT" OR "WE ARE NOT GOING TO REPEAT WHAT HAPPEND IN LEBANON" OR WHAT HAS OLMERT IN HIS VICTORY SPEECH SAID "WE HAVE APPROVED THAT WE STILL HAVE THE POWER ...!!!!!
NOT TO MENTION THE INTERROGATION OF OLMERT DUE TO THE WAR RESULTS!!!!
AS FAR AS I KNOW ISRAEL STARTED THE WAR ON LEBANON CAUSE OF "2 ISRAELI SOLDIERS WERE TAKEN AS HOSTAGES; CAUSE IF THEY HAVE STARTED THAT CAUSE OF ROCKETS( that was shooted on shabaa area not north israel which is an occupied land after 1967) THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN THE FUNNIEST THING I HAVE EVER HEARED AS ISRAEL DURING THE LEBANON WAR WAS SWIMMING IN ROCKETS :)))))))))))))))
AND THE ROCKETS WERE STOPPED AFTER A CEASFIRE WAS REQUESTED SURPRISINGLY BY U.S.A ENDED WITH EXCHANING OF THE HOSTAGES BETWEEN HEZBOLLAH AND ISRAEL ( SO THE AIMS OF REGAINING THE HOSTAGES THROUGH MASSIVE FORCE WASN'T ACHIEVED)
OUR GOVERNMENTS ARE TRYING TO DUPING US ALL THE TIME ; THAT'S TRUE:::
THIS IS HOW WE LEARND TO USE OUR MINDS TO UNDERSTAND.
UNLIKE OTHERS WHO ARE NOT WAITING FOR DUPING OF FACTS BY THEIR GOVERNMENTS ; AS THEY ARE DOING IT THEMSELVES.

[Mae]

To ChrisE

this is what Tzipi Livni said at a Tel Aviv High school

"Once a Palestinian state is established, I can come to the Palestinian citizens, whom we call Israeli Arabs, and say to them 'you are citizens with equal rights, but the national solution for you is elsewhere,' and

"The idea is to maintain two states for two peoples, that is my path to a democratic nation," she added. and further in the article it is stated that:

'Last month, Livni infuriated Israeli Arab lawmakers when she said: "It must be clear to everyone that the State of Israel is a national homeland for the Jewish people." At the time, Livni added that the national demands of Israeli Arabs should end the moment a Palestinian state is established.'

Clearly, she is not talking about forceful expulsion but intent of policy. Nonetheless, that too is racist.

One justification given frequently for the full-blown assault is that Hamas wants the destruction of Israel, based on its Charter written by a hardliner 20 years ago. If a historical quote is acceptable for one side of the debate it is also acceptable for the other. There is no space here for the laws passed or many of the government policies in use discriminating against Israeli Arabs. Arguably, the latter two would be more effective in proving racism than headline making comments by right wing extremists.

You said: "None of this, of course, undermines my central point that it is one sided to only identify Israel as guilty of racist rhetoric…"

The narrative presented to the public is one sided, it has convinced most countries as well as theEU and UN to denounce Hamas et al as terrorists in agreement with the views of most people. Please note, my comment did not seek to argue against that determination merely to point out that Israel, commonly portrayed as a democratic state under attack by Islamic terrorists, has deeply rooted problems in dealing with Palestinians inside or outside of the OT.

Furthermore, here are two quotes to show that contrary to its portrayal in the western media, Hamas is capable to develop away from its extremist roots when involved in the political process.

The Hamas election manifesto which does not call for the destruction of Israel, point 5:

‘5- in case the occupation state recognizes our people and their national rights and honor them and in case it offers a serious proposal to implement them with assurances on comprehensive withdrawal from the Palestinian territories occupied in 1967, including Jerusalem then we can consider mechanism of negotiations.’

http://www.jmcc.org/new/06/mar/hamasprog.htm

and a statemnt by the Minister of Health and Information in the Hamas-led Palestinian administration in Gaza, Bassem Naeem:

‘it should be made clear that neither Hamas nor the Palestinian government in Gaza denies the Nazi Holocaust. The Holocaust was not only a crime against humanity but one of the most abhorrent crimes in modern history. We condemn it as we condemn every abuse of humanity and all forms of discrimination on the basis of religion, race, gender or nationality.’

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/may/12/hamascondemnstheholocaust

(I have also quoted this elsewhere in the comments)

[Alex]

To Eman,

It is interesting how you refer to UN resolutions in your reply. People feel comfortable quoting UN resolutions when they is against Israel. What about United Nations General Assembly Resolution 181 on November 29, 1947, dividing the country into two states, one Arab and one Jewish.The Jewish community accepted the plan, but the Arab League and Arab Higher Committee rejected it. On December 1, 1947 the Arab Higher Committee proclaimed a 3-day strike, and Arab bands began attacking Jewish targets.

So let's be fair, both sides ignore UN resolutions when it is advantageous for them. In this conflict, both sides are to blame. And it is sad to see civilians die on both sides.

[eman maslouh]

to Alex..
Shall i tell you what is more interresting !
The Amnesia caused people to forget the very near actions and remmember only the very far one. So be left with an ambutated memory.
As for the 181 resolution was a conspiracy from u.s.a and britain giving the immigrants who had less than 10% from the land 50% from it as a gift for the Hagana groups ( the military zionist groups traind by great awesome britain) genocids against the original civilian owners of the land

A TOTAL UNFAIR .

the resolution was to be rejected at first till owners of the U.N( u.s.a , u.k ....)
managed to bribe the U.N ambassadors of other small poor lands ..
ANYWAY as i know all the arab countries that have established diplomatic relations have acknowledged israel and this resolution ...
not to mention the latest arab resloution in Beirut which can give israel acknowldgment , economic , cultural and diplomatic relations with all the arab world.
And which was a real chance for israeli government to achieve saftyand peace for its citizens if that what they are really looking for.
but israel out of kept on playing games , building the ILLEGEL WALL and SETTELMENTS
declare a war on lebanon to get 2 soldiers back and then this genocide in GAZA.

And now the chance is gone forever, cause if wars are made by governments , peace is only achieved by people.
what happend in gaza is never to be forgetten or forgiven.