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Israel-Hamas clashes strain truce

by ALJ
A Hamas activist has been seriously wounded after an Israeli aircraft fired at a group of Palestinians in southern Gaza Strip.

The air strike came after Palestinian fighters had fired four mortar shells at the Gush Katif settlement bloc, according to Israeli police on Wednesday.

Palestinian medical sources named the victim of the air strike as Ahmed Shahwan, a 24-year-old from Khan Yunis.

Hamas said the mortars were fired in retaliation for the killing of one of its members in Rafah, earlier on Wednesday.

The slain man was on a patrol when a grenade or small explosive device was launched by Israeli occupation soldiers, Hamas said.

The Israeli army said its forces could not have been behind the Rafah killing because they did not fire explosive devices during a brief exchange with Palestinian fighters.

The Israeli army said, though, that soldiers had come under attack from automatic gunfire and anti-tank rockets and had responded.

Hamas has since issued a statement warning Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon that "the security you are enjoying these days will not last long if aggression continues against our people".

Wednesday's violence is further testing a period of calm declared by Hamas and other groups after the Palestinian Authority and Israel declared a truce in February.

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/C2B49560-EABA-4C19-B760-E00F53FD8DEF.htm
by more
A Palestinian militant has been seriously wounded after an Israeli aircraft launched a rocket at Hamas members in the southern Gaza Strip.

The aircraft targeted a pair of Palestinian militants about to fire mortars at the Gush Katif Jewish settlement, the Israeli army said.

It is the first time Israel has fired missiles at Palestinian militants since a ceasefire was declared in February.

Overnight, a Hamas gunman was killed in disputed circumstances in Rafah.

Each side blames the other for the death of Ahmad Barhoum, who died on the edge of Rafah on the border between the Israeli-occupied Gaza Strip and Egypt.

Hamas said he was killed during a patrol when a grenade or some small explosive device was fired at him by Israel soldiers.

Israel says its forces only used automatic rifles in the exchange, so the explosives must have been deployed by the Palestinians themselves.

Revenge attack

The Israeli air strike, combined with increased militant attacks on settlements, presents the toughest test to date for the truce, correspondents say.

Hamas appears to have been retaliating for the death of its member with mortar shells fired at Gush Katif, a settlement bloc which extends along the coast of southern Gaza.

The militants had fired at least four mortar shells and were reported to be preparing another barrage when the aircraft attacked.

There were no immediate reports of Israeli casualties in the attack.

Hamas said one of its members was critically wounded while on a "holy mission".

Clashes in Gaza have been rare since the informal truce was declared in February, although sporadic mortar attacks have continued against settlements.

Settlers - who are to be evacuated under a unilateral Israeli disengagement plan in the summer - and their supporters have criticised the government's previous restraint.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4559089.stm
by Sefarad
Good for Israel. Those terrorist didn't achive their goal of murdering Israelis.
by Sefarad
Business as Usual in the Palestinian Authority
By Daniel Pipes
FrontPageMagazine.com | May 17, 2005


Yasir Arafat’s demise in November excited great hopes among those who saw his malign personality as the main reason for Palestinian intransigence.

But those of us who saw the problem as larger than Arafat – as resulting, rather, from the deep radicalization of the Palestinian body politic – expected little change. Indeed, I wrote at the time of Mahmoud Abbas’ election to head the Palestinian Authority (PA) that, “he is potentially a far more formidable enemy to Israel” than was Arafat.

How do things look a half year after Arafat’s death? About as awful as anyone might have expected. Specifically, Abbas is unambiguously leading the Palestinians to war after the Israeli retreat from Gaza in August 2005. Consider some recent developments.

· Hiring terrorists as soldiers: Rather than arrest terrorists, as required by the informal February 2005 cease-fire between Israel and the Palestinians, Abbas has instituted a unique employment program for them, incorporating them into his security forces. The Associated Press explains the charming point system to determine who gets what rank: “A high school diploma … is worth eight points, while a year in an Israeli prison or on the run counts for two points each. Gunmen don’t get credit for time served in Palestinian lockups, but they win extra points if they were wounded by Israeli army fire or had their homes demolished.” The Israeli authorities have accepted that even convicted Palestinian killers carry weapons.

· Arming terrorists: The Palestinian military intelligence agency facilitates terrorist groups smuggling SA-7 Strela shoulder-fired missiles into Gaza to use against Israeli aircraft.

· Inciting the population: As Palestinian Media Watch, the Center for Special Studies, and Michael Widlanski have exhaustively detailed, the political speeches, media content, mosque sermons, school textbooks, and wall posters remain as rabidly anti-Israel and anti-Semitic as during the worst days of Arafat’s rule. For example, Ahmad Qureia, the PA’s so-called prime minister, has threatened “an explosion” over Israel’s handling of Al-Aqsa Mosque.

· Pretend arrests of terrorists: As under Arafat, the PA plays the charade of arresting terrorists with fanfare and then allowing them quietly to “escape” from prison. Two examples of these revolving-door arrests: two perpetrators who assisted a suicide bombing in Tel Aviv in February 2005 left jail in April; and the Palestinian police arrested their first Hamas terrorist on May 2 but promptly released him one day later.

As a result of these steps, Palestinian terrorism, especially coming out of Gaza, has dramatically increased since April. Things have reached such a low point that one analyst, Leslie Susser, finds that the February cease-fire “may be on the verge of collapse.”

It is hard to argue with Caroline Glick’s conclusion that the Sharon government and the Bush administration were both “horribly wrong” in betting on Abbas. And yet, neither of them concedes this error because, having stressed Abbas’s good intentions, both now find themselves deeply invested in the success of his political career.

The planned Israeli withdrawal from Gaza in August is likely to precipitate new rounds of violence. One could come in July, as the Israel Defense Forces engages in a massive sweep of Gaza to ensure that the forthcoming retreat takes place not under Palestinian fire.

More violence will likely follow in September, as the Palestinians, Gaza now under their belt, begin a new assault on Israel. That round presumably will feature the substantial rocket arsenal that Hamas has been amassing. Israel’s chief of staff, Moshe Ya’alon is on record predicting, “Immediately after the disengagement we can expect a burst of terrorism.”

Thus has Ariel Sharon neatly arraigned all the elements for a massive train wreck.

Ironically, the one thing that might prevent this scenario from playing out would be a Hamas victory in the Palestinian council elections scheduled for mid-July. Increasing numbers of Israeli voices are calling for the Gaza withdrawal to be postponed or even annulled should Hamas do well, as seems likely. For example, Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom has said if Hamas wins the elections, it would be “unreasonable” to implement the disengagement plan and allow Hamas to create a “Hamas-stan” in Gaza.

So, there are many possibilities in the next four months. Their common element is that by September, the Arab-Israeli theater will be in yet worse shape than it is today.


by Hamas vows to 'drink' Jewish blood
TROUBLE IN THE HOLY LAND
Hamas vows to 'drink' Jewish blood
See terrorist group's video with messages for Israelis

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted: February 16, 2006
1:00 a.m. Eastern



© 2006 WorldNetDaily.com




Shortly after its stunning election victory, Hamas posted on its official website parting video messages from two suicide bombers, including one who vowed the terrorist group would drink the blood of Jews until they "leave the Muslim countries."

Another terrorist urged his mother to be joyous over his death and his "wedding" with the "Maidens of Paradise."

The terrorist act glorified in the video, which can be viewed here, took place Dec. 7, 2004, reported Israel-based Palestinian Media Watch. Hamas, responsible for more than 100 suicide bombings and scores of shooting and rocket attacks, won overwhelmingly in the Jan. 25 Palestinian parliamentary


Each terrorist had a separate message for Jews. The first said:


"My message to the loathed Jews is that there is no god but Allah, we will chase you everywhere! We are a nation that drinks blood, and we know that there is no blood better than the blood of Jews. We will not leave you alone until we have quenched our thirst with your blood, and our children's thirst with your blood. We will not leave until you leave the Muslim countries."
The second terrorist declared:


"In the name of Allah, we will destroy you, blow you up, take revenge against you, [and] purify the land of you, pigs that have defiled our country... This operation is revenge against the sons of monkeys and pigs."
The second terrorist also told how he saw his death for Allah as a wedding:


"I dedicate this wedding to all of those who have chosen Allah as their goal, the Quran as their constitution and the prophet [Muhammad] as their role model. Jihad is the only way to liberate Palestine – all of Palestine – from the impurity of the Jews."
He then spoke directly to his mother.

"My dear mother, you who have cared for me, today I sacrifice my life to be your intercessor (on Judgment Day). O my love and soul, wipe your tears, don't be saddened. In the name of Allah, I've achieve all that I've aspired. Don't let me see you sad on my wedding day with the Maidens of Paradise. So be happy and not sad, because in the name of Allah, after death is merciful Allah's paradise."
The clip has a farewell scene in which the mother helps the terrorist don his explosive vest. The scene is accompanying by a song with the lyrics, "My dear mother, don't cry over us."

Palestinian Media Watch notes the lyrics are similar to a music video that ran on Palestinian Authority television for years in which a boy asks his parents to be happy over his coming death: "My beloved, my mother, dearest to me most. Be joyous over my blood and do not cry for me."

http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=48844
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