Israeli Terrorism in Palestine

by Dr. Abdul Ruff

(December 31, New Delhi, Sri Lanka Guardian) Colonialism and imperialism employ military genocides to terrorize the nations now under their yoke and Israel, USA and India top the list of aggressors. Fascist Israel, like India, pursues a anti-Islamic terrorist policy and keeps killing the innocent Palestinians with a view to silencing them in their efforts to get back their lost nation now under Israeli custody with support from US-led western powers. Over 300 Palestinians have been killed in two days of Israeli terror attacks in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.
Yes, Israel plays tricks with the UN and UNSC and fools the USA and Arab world that are seen busy finding a lasting solution for Palestine with the re-creation of their own state. Israeli state warlords are killing the innocent Palestinians. After letting the truce collapsing, Israel began official blockage of Gaza and on 27 Dec killed Palestinians almost en-masse. At least 227 people were killed during coordinated Israeli attacks on Hamas police compounds in the Gaza Strip on the same day. More than 700 people were injured, including children, as Israeli warplanes and combat helicopters fired at least 30 missiles on the security installations which were reduced to rubble.

With a view to cushion the international outcry over Israeli terrorism in Palestine, Tel Aviv insists F-16 bombers struck since a truce with Hamas militants expired. Emboldened by support form US-led Western terror powers, Israel believes in direct killing of Palestinians. The Israeli terror attacks followed a decision by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's security cabinet to widen reprisals for “cross-border” Palestinian rocket attacks on Israel. He had warned Hamas to stop firing rockets or pay a heavy price. Israel eased a blockade of the Strip bowing to international pressure to reopen border crossings. Israel withdrew its forces and settlers from Gaza in 2005 and Olmert has said he does not wish to re-occupy the coastal strip. Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni discussed the crisis last week with President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, which borders Gaza to the west and which brokered the truce in June. Mubarak urged restraint on both sides.

Emboldened by the continued support from global state terrorists like the USA, the Israeli military confirmed they had conducted strikes, saying they targeted "terrorist infrastructure". An Israeli military spokeswoman said Hamas leaders could be attacked as part of the offensive. Major Avital Leibovitch, said: "Anything belonging to Hamas could be a target. You can interpret that as you like." The attacks took place as youngsters left school for the day and television pictures from one compound showed uniformed bodies lying in a pile as those wounded writhed in pain. Rescuers carried bodies showing signs of life to cars and ambulances, while others tried to revive the unconscious. One of the police stations had been hosting a graduation ceremony at the time of the attacks. Gaza police Chief Tawfiq Jabber is among those killed in the raids which took just minutes and left columns of thick black smoke billowing across the area. There were more casualties in Khan Younis, a refugee camp in the south. At one site, a huge crater was left in the ground. Nearby medics carried people into an ambulance. Later, a retaliatory strike by Palestinian militants from Gaza killed an Israeli woman. Another two people in the Israeli town of Netivot were wounded, the Magen David Adom ambulance service said.

Usual Condemnations

Perhaps as a courtesy or a mere formality, the UK & US have urged Israel to avoid civilian casualties and said Hamas must stop rocket attacks into Israel for the violence to cease. However, the White House did not call for an end to the air strikes. That is US-Israel strategy in Palestine.

UK premier Gordon Brown has pleaded with Israel to show "restraint" after a devastating wave of air-strikes killed more than 200 people in Gaza. Hundreds more have been injured as the territory suffered its bloodiest day for decades - raising fears that tit-for-tat clashes are spiraling out of control. Downing Street said the Prime Minister had called his counterpart Ehud Olmert asking him to "show restraint" and seek a peaceful settlement with Hamas - which has been running Gaza since last year. But, in a statement, Brown pointedly did not call for Tel Aviv to stop the assault.

As the Quartet stated on December 15, peaceful means are the only way of reaching a lasting solution to the situation in Gaza. I call on Gazan militants to cease all rocket attacks on Israel immediately. "These attacks are designed to cause random destruction and to undermine the prospects of peace talks led by president Abbas. "I understand the Israeli government's sense of obligation to its population.

Israel needs to meet its humanitarian obligations, act in a way to further the long-term vision of a two-state solution, and do everything in its power to avoid civilian casualties." Former PM Tony Blair, who represents the Quartet powers in the region, said: "The terrible events and tragic loss of life in Gaza require, in the immediate term, the introduction of a genuine calm in which the rocket attacks aimed at killing Israeli civilians and the Israeli attacks on Gaza cease so that the suffering of the people, which is severe, can be lifted."

Arab Anger & Economics

As it was only expected, the U.S. administration has said Palestinian militant group Hamas was responsible for the renewal of violence in Gaza. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) said the ministers discussed the Israeli raids at a meeting ahead of the summit. "We hope there will be reasonable voices from the international community to pressure Israel to stop its brutal aggression," said UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahayan. Gulf Arab rulers gathering on 29 Dec in Muscat are still expected to approve a long-planned pact to take them closer to issuing a single currency. "I don't think the agenda will be derailed," Abdulmalik al-Hinai, undersecretary at Oman's Economy Ministry, told Reuters.

The head of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which groups Washington's regional allies, described the Israeli attacks as "barbaric," and Saudi Arabia urged the United States to intervene to end the strikes. The GCC is a loose political and economic alliance of six oil-producing countries -- Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait. Israel's air strikes on Gaza will not derail Gulf Arab leaders' plans to sign monetary union pacts at a summit but the issue will share the spotlight at their discussions, Omani hosts said on 28 December. "The issue (Gaza) will impose itself on the agenda. The events of yesterday will have their deserved place in the discussions," Information Minister Hamad al-Rashdi told Reuters.

Oman's foreign affairs minister said the Gulf summit and an Arab foreign ministers meeting in Cairo on 31 Dec would discuss holding an emergency Arab summit on the Gaza raids. "We are supporting this (summit)," Youssef bin Alawi bin Abdullah said, adding Qatar may host the summit. But Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal told the Saudi Press Agency the Gulf ministers made no decision about the proposed Arab summit, and that it would be up to Wednesday's meeting to decide about it.

Gulf States have been discussing monetary union for decades but only set the 2010 deadline for a single currency in 2001. Gulf States have yet to reach a deal on how to distribute customs revenues, an issue that should be resolved by the end of next year following a consultancy study. Gulf States had yet to agree on where the joint central bank would be located, which could be decided soon, Hinai said. "At least three of them want it," he said. "They will discuss the monetary union and issue the agreement of the monetary union and the basic law of the monetary council." Mohamed al-Mazrooei, a top GCC economic official, said the UAE, Qatar and Bahrain have submitted proposals to host the bank, while Saudi Arabia has expressed its interest. Deciding on the location is one of the political obstacles that have derailed the single currency plan for years.

Global economic concerns are also expected to weigh on the meeting. Oil prices have collapsed to about a quarter of their peak in July, putting an end to the Gulf region's economic boom. The credit crunch is derailing expansion projects and Gulf Arab bourses have tumbled sharply. Rulers would also discuss a proposal to extend by a year the time period to implement a regional customs union. Also on the agenda are talks over the progress of their common market, global free trade agreements, a proposed regional water grid, how to further economic cooperation with Yemen and a regional economic and social development plan.

Post-Script

Israeli terrorism in Palestine has to end and Palestine state has to come into being. But the PLO suspremo and Fatah leader Abbas does not seem to be in a hurry to take steps to bring Hamas and Fatah together and put in place a unity government possibly because he has no permission from US-Israel combine for that. There is hardly any doubt that the economic interests of Arab nations are harming the genuine interests of the Palestinians and Abbas is happy visiting Washington as often as possible meeting several world leaders, including Arabs. The net result is mass murders of the Palestinians by fascist Israelis. If the trend continues like this a Palestine state would remian a mirage. - Sri Lanka Guardian