"Israel Launches Airstrikes Against Hamas," from AP, with thanks to DC Watson:
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) - Israel launched a "crushing" retaliation Saturday against Hamas in the Gaza Strip with deadly airstrikes and troops massed at the border, after militants fired 35 rockets at Israeli towns - their first major attack since the Gaza pullout.
But note AP's venomously biased reporting: Hamas' rocket barrage didn't "threaten to derail" the truce, but Israel's "escalation" does.
The escalation threatened to derail a shaky seven-month-old truce and squashed hopes that Israel's ceding the coastal strip to the Palestinians would invigorate peacemaking. Israel's reprisals drew fresh Hamas threats of vengeance, and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas came under growing Israeli pressure to confront the militants.Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz told security chiefs in a meeting that "the ground of Gaza should shake" and that he wanted to exact a high price from Palestinians everywhere, not just Hamas.
He promised a "crushing" response, including airstrikes, targeted killings and arrest raids, participants said afterward. A large-scale ground operation was seen as a last resort, after Israel won international praise for leaving Gaza just two weeks ago.
Interview with Mahmoud az-Zahar
Hamas leader in Gaza on Dutch tv last thursday. (Mainly in English)
http://www.netwerk.tv/index.jsp?p=items&r=deze_week&a=191007
Some real gems here:
http://www.islam-online.net/English/News/2005-09/23/article06.shtml
http://editorial.gettyimages.com/source/search/details_pop.aspx?iid=55761013&cdi=0',%20'',%20'width=640,height=500,menubar=no,resizable=yes,scrollbars=yes,status=no,titlebar=no,toolbar=no
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1127528431833
http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2005/07/suicide-bombers-supported-by-arab-bank.html
That's AP. Imagine what a report from the most devout supporter of terrorism, Al-Reuters, would look like.
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dolphin, CAGE co-founder.
http://www.acage.org
This isn't anything new from AP or Ibrahim Barzak,. of course. This has been his bread-and-butter for years now.
Still, it's good to see Israel doing something other than their usual tactic of bending over.
I wonder about hammas's thinking on this. They fire a couple of rockets at israel which do fairly minimal damage. Israel returns with very acurate fire which takes out a few of their senior leaders. Who do you think is going to last longer in this one.
This is amazing....I had just read the AP story, and noted exactly the same thing - that the "escalation" is responsible for threatening the "shaky truce" and came here to jihadwatch to make a comment.
This is not even moral relativism, it is amorality, on the part of the AP and all the papers that carried it. I find these blatant misrepresentations more insidious and scary than even the pronouncements of hamas - at least they are truthful that they want to kill every Israeli.
We need to really slap the people who write these stories. I want them going home ashamed and unnerved from the demonstrations outside their places of work, and outside their homes, for keeping free peoples deceived about the truth. The real story should begin....
"Hamas yesterday re-ignited the intifada against Israel, with the launching of 35 rockets aimed to kill Israeli citizens, casting doubt on the effectiveness of the gaza pullout as a means to curb rising tensions in the region...."
These events should not suprise anyone as it was so predictable. Sharon knew what would happen and
the Palestinians hurt their credibilty and Sharon will respond will force that few can argue with.
God bless Israel.