Israeli forces advance deep into Gaza urban areas

AP

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  • Posted By: ross1972 @ 12/30/2008 9:18:18 PM

    This makes no sense.What nation goes to war and gives time off for the enemy to regroup and reposition its forces?This on and off fighting only prolongs war and leads to untenable truces and half hearted political solutions.Learn a lesson from the second Lebanon war.Is this how the Americans fought in Iraq?the British in the Falklands? fight until the enemy surrenders and then end the war on favourable terms for all sides.Failure to do this is what leads us back to war in this region time and time again.

    • Posted By: newtral @ 01/01/2009 2:05:40 AM

      ross1972: What re arming you are talking about for the palestinians? What war to win for Israel? This people were long time ago been defeated again and again. They were effectively cut from the world by the occupying israelis. Every people of common sense knows that palestinians cannot win a battle against israel. Israel can slaughter them anytime and all the time they want. They may kill more more and more palestinians and still never win. Israel can only win when they start to treat the palestinians as humans. This war is not a war that you want to call it. It is a "MASS MURDER" as usual.

      • Posted By: ross1972 @ 01/02/2009 10:26:28 PM

        with regard to the palestinians being defeated long ago,i agree this is the common sense realiisation.But no one it seems told this to the Palestinians.

      • Posted By: Zig Zag @ 01/01/2009 2:21:25 PM

        The why does Hamas continue to fire rockets and mortars at Israel cities.

        To have peace, you first must have trust, and that takes time. The Palestinians in the West Bank have figured that out. You don't see them firing rockets and mortars at Israel cities. And guess what, their lives have dramatically improved. They have peace and more importantly, international investment in the West Bank. Do they have completely freedom yet, no, but if things continue on their current path, they will.

        Gaza is a different story. It is ruled by Hamas. They want the destruction of Israel. They intentionally target Israel civilians. Israel is defending itself, just as any country would in a similar situation.

  • Posted By: nasser kharnoub @ 01/02/2009 8:41:55 PM

    to the writer of this topic:
    one who reads your topic thinks that the people of gaza are frightened and wait the moment to survive but what happened yesterday shows that the people of gaza who were admitted to enter gaza by the egyptian authority declared obviously that the people of gaza aren't better than us , so we want to share them the same destiny" and old woman said in an interview with al-jazeera yesterday.while the zionists leaders flee away to hide , simply you can see palestinians on the the roofs of buildings watching the American made F16 bomb their city and ready to help.

  • Posted By: bswiles @ 01/02/2009 11:57:55 AM

    to Zig Zag:
    I have read your comments and responses. I appreciate your insight and well thought out replies.
    I have a question as to the Israeli settlements in the disputed lands.
    I heard on NPR that this is continuing. What is your opinion?

  • Posted By: Vigilance @ 12/30/2008 10:27:01 AM

    http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/12/30/gaza.aid.boat/index.html

    Israel's military rams a relief boat. I think this is going to expose a bit of one of the big problems here, which is that the Israeli military has some noble aims but frequently falls much closer to bullying with the tactics it employs.

    • Posted By: Zig Zag @ 01/01/2009 2:24:12 PM

      It doesn't expose a thing. This was nothing more than a PR stunt. The Israel military made it very clear that there was a blockade of Gaza. The boat went in, refused to respond to radio calls from Israel patroil boats, and it was rammed. The Israeli's could have fired on it and sunk it, but they didn't.

      Once again, Israel demonstrates its restraint.

      • Posted By: Vigilance @ 01/02/2009 9:17:33 AM

        "We could have blown up that relief boat because it was a war zone, so they should be thankful we didn't."

        That sounds like really compassionate policy to me. Actually, it sounds like you firmly believe in "might makes right", act like a thug, and need an asskicking yourself, you goddamned prick.

  • Posted By: ad220000 @ 01/02/2009 5:23:47 AM

    India under Gandhi vacated a land willingly for Pakistan's formation. We now have in Pakistan nuclear neighbour with no safeguards; a terror university with global exports and a hostile govt which bluffs to each country each day in many different versions. If all this is visible why did Israel accept to vacate Gaza- they need capture it all over again and rebuild it all the way. Of course they also need to solve the Palestine problem.

    Final advise - If some one wears simplicity in place of clothes & pretend to be a Gandhi - shut him up first !

  • Posted By: ross1972 @ 01/01/2009 7:48:42 PM

    I know i should feel sorry for this man and his family but i remember all those suicide bombings in israel during the last intifada,of bombers walking onto buses with children on them and into markets and malls packed with civiliians,and i find it hard to muster sympathy for him.He lived by the bomb and died by the bomb.Very ironic.

  • Posted By: Jmon @ 01/01/2009 6:01:29 PM

    This is simply an issue of whether or not Israel has a right to defend itself and its people. Hamas, the PLO, and nations such as Iran and Lebanon are determined to wipe Israel off the face of the earth. Israel was provoked by constant rocket fire and has every right to obliterate mindless scum like Hamas.

  • Posted By: tamerm @ 01/01/2009 4:10:19 PM

    Sixty years passed and the palestineans are slaughteed in palestine, till now we ask our selves _ Do palestineans have a right in palestine or not ! and so is it right to kill palestinean kids, women elderly and defenders. Really i just respect history, That occupation never persists.

    • Posted By: Jmon @ 01/01/2009 5:55:36 PM

      If you really want to get into history, didn't the Arabs take the land from the Jews way back during the Dispora? At any rate, both sides claim to have divine and historical rights to the land so there is no way to decide who deserves what. If the PLO, Hamas, Hezbollah, and others would agree to Israel's right to exist, then Israel would be willing to compromise and give them a country. Hamas and the other fanatics started this conflict like they have every other conflict in the past sixty years, and each time Israel has triumphed. Why should they expect that this conflict will end differently.

  • Posted By: Zig Zag @ 01/01/2009 4:25:22 PM

    I am supportive of Israel in this particular situation. Hamas was wrong to resume hosilties upon expiration of the cease fire. I also think Hamas intentionally establishes positions close to civilian targets for the sole purpose of creating civilian casualties. From their perspective, a few civilian casualties are justified if it turns public opinion againist Israel. And contrary to the opinion of others on this blog, I think Israel has been using great restraint. And I think the Palistinian people have to take responsibility for putting Hamas in power.

    But my support of Israel in this specific instance does not mean that I do not have sympathy for the Palistinians. I think the entire world has failed them. First, the UN failed them, by developing a partition plan for Palistine knowing full well that none of its members were willing to make the committments necessary to enforce it. Second, that Jordan and Egypt failed them by not establishing some type of Palestinian homeland in the West Bank and Gaza Strip when they controlled those terrirories from 1948 to 1967. Third, they were failed by their own leadership when, during the Camp David Summit of 2000, Israel agreed to hand over 97% of the disputed territory plus 3% of territory in Israel and Yasser Arafat refused to accept the deal.

    The whole world has to take responsibility for this, which is why I have never been an adovate of the "let them fight it out" strategy that some people seem to advocate. You don't create a mess and walk away from it. I also think that both Israel and the Palistinians have to take responsibility for their history of intolerance and inability to compromise. A lot of this comes from their respective religious beliefs - when people think that something has been granted to them by God - that's when the lack of compromise reaches its peak, because to compromise is to defy the will of God. That is why I am such an advoate of the seperation of church and state.

    There is much work to be done in order for there to be peace. And if starts with stopping the rockets, mortars and bombs on both sides. Right now, all that is needed to make that happen is for Hamas to stop the rockets and mortars. And once that happens, we can move on to the next step in the peace process. And it is quite possible that when that happens, I may be blogging against Israel. But we have to take things one step at the time. And right now, the first step is to get Hamas to stop the shelling.

  • Posted By: n83nbu @ 01/01/2009 3:44:21 PM

    It must be nice to be able to kill women and children from gunships and drones at 25,000 feet (don???t even have to look em in the eye) using cutting-edge weaponry provided by the US - while the Palestinians fight back with home-made bombs and missiles - sort of like David vs. Goliath. I know who I???m rooting for, especially since THE LAND IN DISPUTE IS HISTORICALLY PALESTINIAN LAND.

    • Posted By: Zig Zag @ 01/01/2009 4:10:38 PM

      You are wrong

      First, there is no evidence that Israel is intentionally targeting women and children.

      Second, there is no factual or legal basis for your comment that the Palistinians have a historical right to the land. Unless, of course, you are referencing the Bible, in which case there is just as much support for the Israeli right to the land.

      This type of ignorant thinking is what leads to the violence that is happening now. Thank for contributing to the problem.

  • Posted By: 771979 @ 12/29/2008 10:46:48 AM

    Israel will be hated more than ever before by this inhuman, uncivilized and barbaric use of force and killing over 350 Palestinian and wounding over 2000. This barbaric use of force will produce millions of sympathisers for the Palestine cause who will be willing to fight against Israel aggression. Israel can not kill very Palestinian to get what it wants: build more illegal settlements and extend its borders.

    If Israel had lifted economical and financial blockade; lifted restriction on the of Palestinians movements by building ugly walls, barriers and cutting their water, food, gas, electricity and water supplies, this confrontation would have been avoided. Israel wants to behave like a rogue, mafia and a bully against its neighbours and does not want peace because it is a nuclear power and annihilates any one it considers its enemy.

    Also, this barbaric and inhuman military action has political, motives considering that Israel is facing general elections in the new year and Kadima wants to increase its popularity.

    • Posted By: Zig Zag @ 01/01/2009 2:42:00 PM

      Of course, you fail to mention that, as reporte on CNN, about 300 of the dead were militants. There will be some noise around the world, but at the end of the day, the world is going to let Israel take care of business.

      Because the leaders of those countries know that they would be doing the exact same thing if they were in Israel's position.

    • Posted By: Horrible Bastard @ 12/29/2008 2:07:38 PM

      So all those rockets Hamas fired, they were okay?

      I'm just curious.

  • Posted By: Octavia @ 12/29/2008 7:24:39 PM

    This is not a war. The Palestinians are confined behind ileagal concrete walls with food, medical and infrastructural supplies denied......THIS IS A TURKEY SHOOT.

    I am appalled that my country supports the murdurous nation of Israel. The only good out of this will be the ongoing unmasking of Israel as a non-Democracy, violent, uncivilized, landstealing and doomed by its own inner rot to be a blight on the pages of history. Israel shall reap only hatred not respect fron this WAR/TURKEY SHOOT.

    Everyone ignores Israel voiding the truce by ongoing Gaza raids. Everyone ignores the fact that Hamas was democratically elected. Everone ignores the fact that the Palestinians have every right to fight back against overwhelming odds. I feel sorry for the Palestinians, but I hope Israel continues to show her ugly true colors to the world and I hope the gradual conversion of Americans like myself to the side of right not might continues.

    Let us all remember the USS LIBERTY and the brave men who died that day in June 1967 at the deliberate hands of a tratorous ally called Israel!

    • Posted By: Zig Zag @ 01/01/2009 2:35:02 PM

      As I have said before, I wish people would take the time to educate themselves before posting nonsense on this blog.

      First, throughout the cease fire, Hamas continued to intermittently fire rockets and mortars at Israel cities. And in response, Israel targeted the launch sites and the leaders who ordered the attacks. So it was never a true cease fire, just a reduction in the level of hostility. When the cease fire agreement expired, Hamas immediately increased its rocket and mortar attacks. People are not ignoring Israel "voiding the truce" because that never happened.

      Second, while Hamas was democratically elected, Fatah still held a strong minority. When Hamas and Fatah could not agree on how to engage with Israel, instead of working out a compromise, as one would expect in any democratically elected government, Hamas violently took control of Gaza and began to pursue its own agenda. As an American, you of all people should understand the importance of respecting the rights of the minority.

      What I am ashamed of is ignorant people like you who post comments that have no factual basis.

    • Posted By: newtral @ 01/01/2009 2:14:18 AM

      I agree with you OCTAVIA: Now is the right time to inform the world of the true colors of Israel.

  • Posted By: More Sunshine Please! @ 12/31/2008 2:43:08 PM

    Israel is destroying themselves. Israel has launched WAR on Palastine, BIG MISTAKE. Israel has brought this on themselves, they keep building on Palastine's land and now they want to take control over the Gaza strip. They want more and more and more..... it's never enough for them, the greedier they get, the more killing and blood bathes will follow. Israel's goal is to raise enough money to conquer and take all the land they can so ALL the Jews can come and live and when that day happens, they believe this will bring Judgement Day and God to them, and take them to Heaven. Well, Israel is in for a rude awakening, God does not condone 'killing" others. He says to 'love thy neighbor'. Since 1948 when the United Nations GAVE that piece of land to the Jews b/c of Genocide/Holocast, Israel believes they deserve to have whatever they want. The USA gives them $9 billion a year - yeah. Palastine is just trying to protect their country, now that Arafat (spelling??) is dead and gone (and a VERY intelligent and GOOD man/leader), Palastine probably feels that their last straw was the Hamas - can you blame them? NO, I cannot. Let's say if Canada started building and taking our Northern states from the USA (Washington, Idaho, Montana, ND, MInnesota, WI, MI, New York, Maine...etc.) and ignored the USA's warnings and kept bullying the USA - I'd say the USA would not just sit back and take it. war. Palastine is not at fault here - and the Gaza strip does not belong to ANYONE. Israel must be made to UNDERSTAND this and SHARE it with EVERYONE. The piece of 'ocean front property' is not for sale or for stealing. But, the USA supports Israel and whatever Israel wants, seems like they get. The USA's interests are to keep military bases in Israel to keep controlling the OIL interests they have in the Middle East - it doesn't take a genius to figure that out. SO, whoever ends up owning the Gaza Strip, has prime real estate to ship out oil. In the meantime, hundreds of innocent civilians (children included) are being murdered by the Israel military. That's called GENOCIDE. I cannot believe a nation of people that were rescued from persecution (Holocast) would do the same to their neighbors just to obtain more land b/c they believe they are the 'Chosen Ones" by God and that allows them to do whatever they want. Newsflash - God loves everyone who believes in him and who believes in Jesus Christ his only Son who died for our sins so we can be saved and live eternally w/Him. Israel encouraging WAR makes them guilty, and God says "do not Kill", that IS one of his commandmants. Someone mentioned President Jimmy Carter - he even tried to help Palastine and came to their defense years ago when Israel was engaging in warfare against Palastine. The Jews are RICH and the Palastinian people are not. Yet, this is not enough for Israel - they want to keep taking and taking and taking.... soon they will reap what they sow.

    • Posted By: Zig Zag @ 01/01/2009 2:12:23 PM

      If you are going to post on this blog, please try not to be so ignorant:

      1) It was Hamas that resumed hostilities after the cease fire, not Israel.

      2) The UN partition in 1948 was opposed by the Arabs, who did not want the Jewish people to have any homeland in the Middle East.

      3) The Gaze strip was taken from Egypt not the Palestinians. Egypt does not want it back because then they would have to deal with the Palestinians.

      I think you are the one who needs to UNDERSTAND. Why don't you try educating yourself first before posting ignorant comments like the one above.

  • Posted By: More Sunshine Please! @ 12/31/2008 2:43:32 PM

    Enough already. Enough. Have they not learned from history?? Have they never read the bible passage in the New Testament (well probably not since they do not believe that Jesus Christ walked the Earth thousands of years ago - but it says this: 'DO NOT STORE UP FOR YOURSELVES TREASURES ON EARTH...BUT STORE UP FOR YOURSELVES TREASURES IN HEAVEN. MATTHEW 6: 19-21" The Jewish community all over the World must remember this verse, b/c God does not care where they live or what they have material wise. If Israel keeps acting the way they have been, Palastine and the rest of the World will unite AGAINST Israel and Israel will have no one but themselves to blame. I'm an American and am ashamed as to how our government keeps repeating history too, they have learned nothing, and if they keep waging wars on countries they have no one to blame but themselves too.

    • Posted By: Zig Zag @ 01/01/2009 2:06:58 PM

      So what you are saying is Israel should simply allow Hamas to rain rockets and mortars on their cities. Could you live with such a situation? I don't think so. It is very easy to pass judgement in the comfort and safetly of your own home - comfort and safety which is provided by the Government.

      You are both naive and a hypocrit.

  • Posted By: More Sunshine Please! @ 12/31/2008 2:43:59 PM

    John Lennon was a great song writer and singer - remember The Beatles?? Remember his song - "Give Peace A Chance".... and his Christmas song "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)"...... I hope protesters ALL OVER THE WORLD will join-in against Israel's GREED and help them come to a peace agreement. Otherwise, Israel will suffer by their own doings.

    ~ By the way, this is no means in any shape or form, to illiminate Israel - it's mearly an intervention to STOP Israel from terrorizing others for their own desires. The Arab community is not out to destroy Israel, but to keep the peace in the Middle East and help everyone live in harmony. Wars in the Middle East have been going on for thousands of years - it's a means to an end and I believe the Arab community can unite everyone IF Israel will comply. Israel's nation are not the only Jews in the World - Jews live all over the World and even next door to Israel. Israel wages war against their own kind at all costs. I only hope that the United States of America (our new President Elect Obama) does not support Israel's war and murdering of innocent civilians. It's time the United States puts their money where there mouth is and stops funding terrorists - President Bush said it himself that we do not support terrorism, well, Israel is terrorizing Palastine and has for quite some time. I pray that President Elect Obama puts an end to this insanity Israel has bestowed upon it's neighbors.

    • Posted By: tired and old @ 12/31/2008 4:10:24 PM

      WHAT GOOD IS A PEACE AGREEMENT WHEN ONE SIDE KEEPS DOING TERRORISTS ACTS AGAINST THE OTHER SIDE.

      GO ISRAEL ! KICK TERRORIST BUTT.

      • Posted By: Zig Zag @ 01/01/2009 2:04:17 PM

        I am not sure what you mean when you say the "Arab community is not out to destroy Israel". If you are talking about countries like Egypt or Syria - I think you may be right. While they will probably always dislike Israel, I think they are coming to terms with the fact that they can live in peace with Israel. If you are talking about Hamas, then of course you are wrong. They want nothing less than the destruction of Israel.

        If the Arab community could help the people of Gaza through out Hamas, then perhaps peace would have a chance. I think the Egyptions are tyring to do their best - that is why they closed the border with Gaza - but they are walking a very fine liine.

  • Posted By: ross1972 @ 12/31/2008 3:11:00 PM

    The time for negotiation passed long ago when Arafat was alive and well.It was a time when palestinians could look to one leader and were far more united than they are now.Unfortunately both side let multiple oppourtunities pass in order to appease one faction or another or simply to save face.This failure is what ultimately has led to this present conflict.A negotiated truce was possible once but i am afraid no longer.If we accept that hamas is a terrorist organization and that israel is a sovereign state then the conclusion is forgone,there will be war until one side knocks out the other and imposes a peace.Judging by what we have seen commited by Hamas and it allies Hezballah,Iran and syria on their own people,the jewish nation is left with no viable option but to fight and it seems some arab nations understand this now or at least are waging a proxy war agaist Iran and the shia interference in the sunni sphere.Ultimately as in all wars it is the civilians that pay the price.May god help us all.

    • Posted By: Zig Zag @ 01/01/2009 1:59:25 PM

      In the end, i think Arafat was the problem. Several years before his death, he got about 95% of what he was asking for, but in the end, still couldn't say yes. Whether it was because he had an all or nothing attitude or that in the end he realized his power over the Paletinian people would diminish with peace, we will never really know. What we do know is that he made a very big mistake - which the Palestinian people have been paying for every since.

  • Posted By: dror ben ami @ 01/01/2009 1:41:44 PM

    Also: If there is such a great humanitarian crisis, why doesn't Egypt open its borders and allow food and medicine to pass into Gaza ??? They certainly allowed thousands of missiles and weapons to pass through their country. And: why don't journalists eneter Gaza through Egypt ???

  • Posted By: dror ben ami @ 01/01/2009 1:30:22 PM

    During Black September, Yasser Arafat claimed King Hussein killed 20,000 Palestinians in 20 days ! ! ! In Sabra and Shatilla Roman Catholic Arabs killed 3,000 Palestinians in 3 days ! ! ! Why is everyone getting so excited about 400 Palestians in days ? And: Why don't we hear about the total number of civilians killed in Iraq and Afganistan ? In the 1960's the British army killed over 30,000 Kenyas and nobody called for a cease fire.

  • Posted By: radiantenergies @ 01/01/2009 7:18:35 AM

    It is unfortunate that the economic penalties did not dethrone Hamas politically and what is it with these rockets and tunnels bordering Egypt? Israel needs to sweep the border tunnel network tunnel by tunnel and probably maintain a military presense to stop where ever these rockets are being smuggled into Gaza. The sooner Hamas is gone, the better and it appears Israel is prepared to demilitarize Hamas this time around for good. At that point, perhaps peace can be achieved and Gaza citizens enjoy thier beachfront properties and an economy as vibrant as the West Bank.

  • Posted By: ??? ????? @ 12/28/2008 11:45:51 PM

    No other country says anything about Israel and its murderous actions. How quilty is the rest of the world, and when will everyone get over it--you know, what hitler did?
    I know, I know, it sounds harsh, but if Israel was any other country, sanctions would be imposed, and they would be hated for their brutality.
    Their use of torture is excused and ignored, and they kill without regards to who they're killing. How are they any different than the murderers they are murdering?

    • Posted By: Zig Zag @ 12/28/2008 11:59:54 PM

      You don't sound too harsh, just stupid. If Israel was any other country, they would do exactly the same thing in response to rocket and mortar attacks on their cities. The problem is that Hamas is a bunch of thugs and cowards. They want to shell Israeli cities, but when Israel responds, they cry foul. Hamas wants the destruction of Israel, Hamas wants war, and that is exactly what they got.

      • Posted By: tired and old @ 12/31/2008 4:26:51 PM

        HEY ! ??? ?????

        SHOULD ISRAEL LIVE UNDER CONSTANT FEAR OF TERRORIST ACTIVITIES ?

        I GUESS YOU THINK ------ YES ?

        I ASSUME YOUR THINKING ?

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