From the World Tribune, "Palestinians refuse to disarm insurgency groups"
GAZA CITY — The Palestinian Authority has ruled out the prospect that it would disarm insurgency groups in the West Bank or Gaza Strip.The PA assertion came in wake of a May 2 clash between Hamas and security forces in which Egypt obtained the release of detained insurgents.
Officials said Hamas and other insurgency groups demanded a pledge that the PA would not seek their arrest or weapons.
"We have no intention of withdrawing weapons of resistance," Col. Rashid Abu Shback, the director of the Preventive Security Apparatus in the Gaza Strip, said.
At a news conference on Wednesday, Abu Shback rejected Israeli calls for disarming insurgents before the handover of West Bank cities to the PA...
I think it's more a case of 'can not' than 'will not'. Whilst the security forces have engaged militants on several occasions, its very damaging domestically for them to do so.
An uprising by Hamas would be quite capable of bringing down the Palestinian government so I believe that the current approach, whilst not ideal, is the only realistic way forward.
What will be interesting is the outcome of the local elections yesterday - it looked like Fatah were in the lead this time which would make a change from the thrashing they got in the last elections from Hamas. Perhaps this represents a public swing away from such extremism?
Unintended Consequences of Palestinian Statehood
When Palestine becomes a state, any cross border attacks on Israel will take on a whole new texture. It will not matter to the Israelis, nor to any other member of the UN, whether such attacks are the work of the Palestinian armed forces or they be perpetrated by the militias. The impunity extended by international law of war to any state attacked by a hostile neighbor will provide ample cover for asymmetric Israeli response on a scale perhaps not seen since 1973.
Dr. Mack:
I think this is what Sharon is counting on -- that if the terror continues despite Israeli withdrawals (and it probably will), that he will have a much freer hand than he has had of late, and that the Palestinians will be exposed for what they truly are.
While it was pretty much kept quiet, the EU reps in the West Bank and Ramallah told the PA not to come crying to them about Israeli operations as long as they were "killing babies". And having trouble back home with Muslim terrorists in most of the EU countries probably doesn't help the Palestinian cause all that much either.
Dr.Mack:
In that case Philistine statehood would last only a few hours...
In that case Philistine statehood would last only a few hours...
lols
well - here is what I think will happen when this world establishes a state called Palestine - a name that the Koran's god forgot to mention:
Mar 13:14 When ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet,
STANDING WHERE IT OUGHT NOT,
Mat 24:21 Then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
Isa 14:31 Howl, O gate; cry, O city; thou, whole Palestina, art dissolved: for there shall come from the north a smoke, and none shall be alone
IN HIS APPOINTED TIMES.
Uri Avnery; leader Gush-Shalom says “Aren’t You Ashamed?” the Government of Ariel Sharon likes to shot children and leave them to bleed to death! Shocking but true!
By Dr. Jack Shepard
by Dr. Jack Shepard is founder of People for Peace Group
join at http://www.shepardusgov.com
This is exactly how other Israeli Soldiers over 2 years ago killed British UN staffer Iain Hook; first they shot him in the back.
Then they blocked the ambulance from reaching Iain Hook causing him to bleed to death before he reached the hospital.
It is shocking that cold blooded murders of children is condoled by Ariel Sharon’s Government.
Especially this murder of children has created extreme hatred to spread through the Islamic World toward America and our brave Soldiers American serving in Iraq.
If Ariel Sharon does not keep is promises to President George W. Bush and continues to do everything in his power to block President George W. Bush’s vision of peace in the Middle East; our Mission in Iraq will be impossible to win.
Our American Troops will continue to die and suffer; because of the hatred toward America caused by these Atrocities and murder of 100’s of Palestinian children by the Israeli Military following orders of Ariel Sharon.
Ariel Sharon who really has no interest in supporting any peace effort with President Bush. Quite the opposite Ariel Sharon is now doing everything he possible can like condoling the killing of 5 young Palestinian boys in just the last 2 weeks just to infuriate the Palestinians end their cease-fire.
My fellow Americans must soon understand with allies like the Government of Ariel Sharon; who need enemies. 75% of the Israeli population wish peace not the continued war Ariel Sharon have created these last 4 years.
Until the American Press supports President Bush peace efforts in the Middle East by including the atrocities done by the Israeli Soldiers acting under the policies of Ariel Sharon which include the slaughter 100’s of Palestinian children; peace in Iraq and the entire Middle East with Ariel Sharon as the Prime Minister of Israel is impossible.
Ariel Sharon has placed the very safety of Israel and America in jeopardy; by creation a situation where now 1000’s of suicide bomber are rushing to Iraq to kill themselves and prevent America from ever winning our mission in Iraq and having our brave soldiers return home as winners.Ariel Sharon is now solely responsible for a dramatic worldwide increase of anti-Semitism and anti-Americanism.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Uri Avnery; leader Gush-Shalom wrote. join at www.gush-shalom.org
The use of lethal force on Palestinian demonstrators, even when they throw stones, expresses abysmal contempt for the life of non-Jews. That same officer would not have fired on Jewish demonstrators in similar circumstances. The thought would not even have crossed his mind. But Palestinians, and Arabs generally, are not considered full human beings.
Opening live fire on unarmed 14 and 15- year old boys shows a deeply-rooted racist mentality. The boys’ age was clear to the officer who shot them. They could not have “endangered his life", as he claims, if they had not been quite close. He certainly would have found other ways to drive them off if they had been the children of orthodox Jews or settlers.
One of the boys was wounded only in the thigh. The wound was probably not mortal, but the boy was left to bleed to death. The army did not treat him, as it would have treated a wounded soldier. It seems that an ambulance from the village was not able to approach.
The protection of children is a profound human instinct. A person must be a hatred-ridden racist, or have a twisted mind, for this instinct to be put out of action, whatever the origin of the boys.
There is no more appropriate day to protest against such an act, and the mental attitudes lurking behind it, than Holocaust Day
At the very same time, the spontaneous demonstration in front of the Defense Ministry in Tel-Aviv was taking place. Its purpose was to protest the killing of two Palestinian boys, aged 14 and 15, at Beit Likiya village, during a demonstration against the Fence.
Beit Likiya lies some kilometers south of Bil’in, the site of the large demonstration I reported on last week. The circumstances are similar: the land of Beit Likiya is also being stolen by the Fence. The bulldozers work from morning to night and their rattle, rather like a continuous burst of heavy-machine-gun fire, resonates around all the villages in the vicinity.
The villagers know that beyond this fence, on their land, their source of livelihood for many generations, new neighborhoods of the nearby settlement will be built. Like the villagers of Bil’in, they protest every day. Men, women and children march towards the armed soldiers, with blaring loudspeakers, lying down on the ground, chaining themselves to their olive trees, and sometimes the youngsters of the village throw stones and are brutally driven away by the soldiers.
When Jewish Israelis take part in the demonstrations, the soldiers generally use tear gas, stun grenades, rubber-coated steel bullets, and now also salt-bullets. When there are no Jews around, they may use live ammunition, too.
This time, a group of soldiers stood facing the village boys, who threw stones. Nobody was seriously hurt. Nobody’s life was in danger. But the commander, a lieutenant, fired live rounds. Two boys were killed.
One of the boys was wounded only in the thigh. The wound was probably not mortal, but the boy was left to bleed to death. The army did not treat him, as it would have treated a wounded soldier. It seems that an ambulance from the village was not able to approach.
Within a few hours, Israeli peace activists mounted a protest. The call was transmitted by word of mouth, by phone and e-mail. About 250 men and women gathered in front of the Defense Ministry, many young people, not a few elderly ones, among them some from the Holocaust generation. Some of the drivers using this central Tel-Aviv artery raised their thumbs or sounded their horn in support.
By Dr. Jack Shepard — Monday, May 9, 2005 @ 8:16 am
Israeli Soldier shots child and let’s him bleed to death:Relatives of two Palestinains boys shot dead, May 4, 2005
By Dr. Jack Shepard
Opening live fire on unarmed 14 and
15- year old boys shows a deeply-rooted racist mentality. The boys’ age was clear to the officer who shot them. They could not have “endangered his life", as he claims, if they had not been quite close. He certainly would have found other ways to drive them off if they had been the children of orthodox Jews or settlers.
One of the boys was wounded only in the thigh. The wound was probably not mortal, but the boy was left to bleed to death. The army did not treat him, as it would have treated a wounded soldier. It seems that an ambulance from the village was not able to approach.
The protection of children is a profound human instinct. A person must be a hatred-ridden racist, or have a twisted mind, for this instinct to be put out of action, whatever the origin of the boys.
There is no more appropriate day to protest against such an act, and the mental attitudes lurking behind it, than Holocaust Day
At the very same time, the spontaneous demonstration in front of the Defense Ministry in Tel-Aviv was taking place. Its purpose was to protest the killing of two Palestinian boys, aged 14 and 15, at Beit Likiya village, during a demonstration against the Fence.
Do you weep for Israeli children? They are killed on purpose. A whole family of little girls were machine-gunned in their carseats at point blank range. I weep for the Israeli children.