The PR War in Gaza
Bush's visit--and Israeli crackdowns--have only strengthened the Islamists' image.
It's hard to imagine a more vivid postcard of Palestinian deprivation than the scene this morning at the sun-bleached crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip. After masked men blew a series of huge holes in the border fence late last night, thousands of Palestinians streamed through the holes and swarmed the streets of the Egyptian border town of Rafah, clearing local shops of whatever they could manage to buy and carry off: milk, powdered detergent, the occasional motorcycle. Hatchbacks stuffed with cramped Palestinians looked like clown cars as they sped deeper into Egyptian territory along the Sinai coast. For many Gazans, the crossing was the first taste of freedom in months; the border has been tightly sealed after the Islamists in Hamas swept to power last June. Some reports put the number of Gazans who managed to cross in the hundreds of thousands; although many later returned, thousands are likely to have vanished from the besieged coastal strip permanently. Amid the chaos, Egyptian border police looked on helplessly or sympathetically, for the most part appearing to sanction the exodus.
The Egyptian border debacle is just one more reminder that the law of unintended consequences tends to rule in the Middle East, despite the best intentions of U.S. policymakers. It is also an illustration of just how difficult it will be for George W. Bush to realize his hopes for a "West Bank First" strategy that aims to turn Gazan public opinion against the Islamists--much less his goal of a comprehensive peace agreement. The Bush administration's strategy since Hamas swept to power in local elections two years ago has been to squeeze the Islamists by depriving them of the aid money the Palestinian economy usually depends on to operate. For a while at least, the tactic seemed to be working, at least on some superficial level. In public-opinion surveys, the Islamists' popularity has been slipping by a point or two with each month that passes, according to Palestinian pollster Khalil Shikaki.
Yet over the last few weeks, increasing Israeli crackdowns in response to intensifying rocket fire from Gaza threaten to push Palestinian public opinion back in the other direction. Last week Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak announced that the Jewish state would tighten its "closure" policy, sealing remaining crossings to Gaza and preventing fuel and other supplies from entering the coastal strip. "As far as I'm concerned, the residents of Gaza can walk if they don't have gasoline for their cars," Israel's prime minister, Ehud Olmert, said Tuesday, before later easing the blockade slightly.
- 1
- 2
- Next Page »
Loading Menu
Member Comments
Posted By: kitai @ 02/17/2008 9:37:22 PM
Comment: Here goes some more "ooooo: crazy Bible babble" - Taken from "Mideast Strife - Will It Lead to Armageddon?" :"Just as in the case of the Crimean War, when Tsar Nicholas used a squabble over the holy places as a pretext to drive the Muslims from the Balkans, so will a modern power move into Palestine to IMPOSE PEACE upon the bitter, warring Arabs and Jews who cannot resolve their differences and live in peace. A great human religious leader will ensconce himself there, claiming to possess the very powers of God! He will be the "anti-Christ" of the Bible; the "false prophet" of prophecy, and he will be backed and protected by the armies of the BEAST!"
http://www.garnertedarmstrong.ws/pubs/armagedd.htm
Posted By: Naver @ 02/14/2008 9:28:10 AM
Comment: or possibly you meant you would trick mentally retarded women into being bombs....or hiding behind and in apartment complexes and houses to generate "civilian" casualties...or captureing U.N. peace keepers, who are there to make sure you and the Israelis are not doing what you acuse each other of, and using them as human shields?
Talking tough on the internet is just plain stupid, and it shows just what a little weenie you are.
Posted By: Naver @ 02/14/2008 9:18:40 AM
Comment: Well lets see I posted links, names, sources....and you did none of that. So once again according to you weirdos, everyone hates the Jews but everyone is helping them in their world wide conspiracy. All those Muslims I quoted, Iranian historians, youtube.com, the AP, Palestianian t.v. and news agencies, Hamas' website, the U.N., Egypts website, Jordans website.......Not to mention all the Iraqis turning against the loonies there, or the Pakastanies and Afgans turning against the loonies in their respective countries. The Turks point blank refusal to have an Islamic based government....should I go on???
So that seems to be alot of people conspiring with the Jews.
Understand this you brainwashed or wishful thinking loonies, you are the violent minority. People put up with your crap to try to make you happy. More and more people are starting to realize that that will never happen. So no matter how much they want to and try to avoid it eventually they will get so fed up with your crap that they will ok there governments to deal with you the only way people like you understand.
And for the record loonie, Fox is owned and run by a Christian, and CNN was started by a Catholic, and is run buy a nonJewish black man and owned by a multinational company. Please at least look up your idiotic rantings before you spew them out.
So much for your propaganda.
And its easy to say Jafra is a liar because in the society "she" supposedly lives in you have to be a Muslim. I guess "she" forgot about that part. Lets hear it for religous oppresion! Yaaaaa. Fools.