Hamas fires dozens of mortars at Israel



JERUSALEM (AP) -- Palestinian militants in Gaza fired more than 50 mortar shells into Israel on Saturday, the heaviest barrage in two years, Israeli officials said, raising the prospect of a new Mideast flareup.

Also Saturday, Hamas police beat reporters and news photographers covering a rally in Gaza City, drawing a stiff condemnation from the reporters' association.

Israel invaded Gaza two years ago to put a stop to daily rocket barrages by Gaza militants, and Saturday's exchange showed how the conflict could quickly spiral out of control. Gaza's Hamas rulers are thought to be trying to avoid another Israeli invasion, after the last one caused widespread damage, killed more than 1,400 and left the territory under blockade, but Hamas claimed responsibility for some of the mortar rounds.

A Hamas official was killed and four civilians were wounded when Israel hit back with tank fire and air strikes, said Gaza Health Ministry spokesman Adham Abu Salmia.

Israeli police spokesman Tamir Avtabi said Gaza militants fired 54 mortar shells at Israeli border communities within 15 minutes. He said two Israeli civilians were lightly wounded by shrapnel, and residents were advised to stay at home or in bomb shelters.

Hayim Yellin, head of the Eshkol region where the mortars exploded, said they were the same type as those intercepted last week on a cargo ship loaded with weapons Israel said were sent by Iran to Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip.

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said he will file a complaint at the U.N. after Saturday's unusually large barrage of rockets. In a statement, Lieberman said the Palestinians "primary goal is destroying Israel."

Footage broadcast on Israeli media showed homes pockmarked with large shrapnel holes from where mortar shells exploded.

Hamas spokesman Ismail Radwan said the shelling was in response to recent Israeli airstrikes that killed militants. He warned Israel "not to test Hamas' response."

Hamas displayed its control of Gaza in a violent manner Saturday, breaking up a demonstration favoring reconciliation between the Hamas government in Gaza and the Western-backed Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, headed by President Mahmoud Abbas. Hamas overran Gaza in 2007, leading to the split.

An Associated Press Television News cameraman was cornered by Hamas police and beaten with sticks. He was briefly detained and released unharmed. Other cameramen were beaten, and some had their equipment confiscated by Hamas.

Hamas also raided the offices of the Reuters news agency, CNN and Japanese channel NHK in Gaza. A Reuters producer was arrested by Hamas and witnesses later saw him leave hospital with a bandage wrapped around his hand.

Reuters Bureau Chief Crispian Balmer said, "A group of armed men entered our office in Gaza and threatened our employees and confiscated a video camera after we were spotted filming a demonstration from the building. They smashed a TV in the office, they clubbed one of our guys on the arm with a metal club and they threatened to throw another one of our employees out of the window."

The Foreign Press Association, which represents hundreds of journalists in Israel and the Palestinian territories, condemned the crackdown by Hamas security. "We demand that these tactics - which run counter to the rule of law and to the basic norms of legitimate government behavior - cease immediately," the FPA said in a statement. "Journalists must be allowed to their work safely and unhindered," the FPA said.

Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri sent a conciliatory message to reporters. "We condemn the attack on Reuters agency in Gaza and we call on the Hamas interior ministry to investigate this incident. We emphasize our respect for the media," he said.

The violence overshadowed a broadcast Saturday of an Abbas interview on an Israeli TV station. He told Channel 2 TV that he was "more determined than ever to reach a (peace) solution with Israel." Referring to reconciliation efforts with Hamas, he said, "Hamas has committed terrible crimes, but they are still part of the Palestinian people."

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A big mistake is cooking a cake @ 425 instead of 375 degrees.

Sometimes the inmates try to shank a guard.

Very true HD. I also cook my Hamas at 375 therefore leaving the middle pink. I love pink on the inside

Perhaps Obama will rush to Palestine and broker a peace accord.


.

PAX OBAMA !

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(")(") Once i Miss Staked a Vampire

IT Sucked..

Sounds a lot like 'suicide by cop' to me.

What round is this?

Apparently, Hamas beat pro P.A. Gazans yesterday too.

Too bad, all the way around.

Gosh, I am surprised. This was supposed to be the easy part, wimpy rockets and all.

You wanted endless war/endless defense......you got it. Enjoy. Just don't act surprised when the inmates in the concentration camp get uppity sometimes.

PRICE TAG ATTACKS!


By JPOST.COM STAFF
03/21/2011 10:27

Police investigate residents of Hebron-area settlement; two Palestinians shot after rocks thrown at Israeli cars.
Talkbacks (13)

A 25-year-old Palestinian was stabbed by a masked man south of Hebron on Monday, in what police suspect is a "price tag" attack by a settler.

The man, a resident of nearby Hirbat Tuba, was taken to the hospital with moderate injuries.

Two Palestinians were shot near Bet Omar on Monday, shortly after rocks were thrown at Israeli cars in the area.

The Palestinians were lightly injured. IDF and police are investigating the incident.

Police are investigating the attack and probing residents of Chavat Maon.

On Thursday, Settlers lit two vehicles on fire between the settlement of Kedumim and the Palestinian village of Kedum in Samaria, according to Palestinian eyewitnesses.

Palestinian fire services arrived and put out the blaze.

Earlier on Thursday, two Palestinians who were renovating a home on the edge of the West Bank settlement of Shilo were set upon by a group of five to seven Jewish men wearing face masks, a Judea and Samaria police spokesman said. The suspects then fled the area in a vehicle.

Again, your line is endless war, mine is endless defense. I wasn't a bit surprised, guess the sarcasm missed, but would have been had I agreed with you.

"Hamas displayed its control of Gaza in a violent manner Saturday, breaking up a demonstration favoring reconciliation between the Hamas government in Gaza and the Western-backed Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, headed by President Mahmoud Abbas. Hamas overran Gaza in 2007, leading to the split".

So make peace with the PA and don't worry so much about Hamas/Gaza and Hezbollah/Lebanon. I really wish your ideas were currently realistic...like I said, they need to get control of their own for any discussions to have meaning. Moderates seeking unity with PA (the best shot at peace and Palestinian statehood) have seen how they will be treated by their own. This does not sound like people seeking an end to endless war, but it does cause endless defense.

Since 1948, Arab reps have turned down all offers of statehood because they always included an Israel.

Abbas (sadly) will be killed and any agreement will be for naught. Currently. Ball is in their court. How are they going to make peace if their own will kill them for doing so?

Do you actually expect Hamas to just give power over to the Palestinian Authority? They won the election and are the largest gang in the prison.

However, saying Israel can't make peace with the Palestinian Authority because of Hamas in Gaza or Hezbollah in Lebanon or we don't want to get Abbas killed is a cop out. Might as well throw in that Israel can't make peace with the West Bank until the Japanese nuclear reactors are rebuilt.

In the meantime, build some more Jewish settlements in the West Bank because collective punishment is awesome! (Unless you are on the receiving end)

If the ball is in their court, the next serve will be a UN general assembly resolution this fall declaring an independent Palestine based on the pre-1967 war borders. Over a half a million Jews will be in Palestine.

Israel might want to try that peace thing instead. Either that or step up to the plate and have our backs in Libya!

Pass the chopped liver and Falafel, please...

Nope. I'm saying PA can't make peace with Israel because of the militant wings. You have me reversed. Militant wings, as in eternal war. That is why they exist, but they have taken too much of the political control, mostly by force on their own people. And winning a prison election...I dunno.

Yeah, I must be nuts to think Hamas would work with the folks trying to gain peace, recognize Israel, and achieve statehood. Why would they ever back that? What would be in it for them? They'd be voting themselves out of a job. Why do you think I keep saying there can be no peace until there really is a cohesive Palestinian people...where in your plan does that happen?

And you think that they'd take what they refused in 1948? You mean when Israel was attacked on DAY ONE? And refused several times after that? Do you think they would sign up for that now? Really? I smell Jihad. And they consider you an infidel, btw. Despite your attempts to sell them deodorant. Israel just considers you wrong, not a capital punishment in their system of justice. Good luck when the militants take over. They'll appreciate your support.

You need Israel where it is, France is doing great, and they speak Libyanese. Probably.

Oh, the settlements do suck. Make it tougher, no question. Get your side on the same page and Israel will stop voting in hard liners. They have gone back and forth in their elections. He does not have solid backing. There have been leaders who would have been easier to deal with but I guess the mood wasn't quite right. Maybe you know what was wrong then that would be so great now??

You and I could work out a plan, I nodded alot when I read your post on the last thread...but I knew it was dismissing some reality, and today we see an inkling.

Both sides need to get real. Real fast. But, with all that is going on in the "Middle East" right now, real progress will not be made and nothing good will happen.

The P.A. needs to forget about Gaza for now, probably forever. It needs to worry about keeping political control of the West Bank, something I doubt it will be able to do in the long run. Gaza, in my mind, won't ever be part of Palestine while Israel exists. If it doesn't become its own country, It will end up as a de facto part of Egypt.

Premature declaration by the Palestinians or UN, which includes disputed borders, will result in both sides immediately going to war. Israel will be attacked by Syria in the Golan and through Lebanon. The Gazans will go wild. Who knows what the West Bank Palestinians will be able to do. Jordan will try to stay out of it. No one knows which way Egypt will go. The oil rich countries will go which ever way will best secure their dynasties. Israel should be grateful Saddam won't be involved. But, Ahmadinejad will.

The longer it takes for amicably settled peace, if even possible, the better the Palestinians, Syrians, Lebanese and Gazans will be armed by Iran. Good luck Israel. Good luck Palestine. If you are concerned about the Japanese nuclear reactors right now, wait until this goes down. Then you will have some real radiation to worry about. The entire Middle East will suffer for decades, if not centuries.

As much as I would hate to even think about it, I truly think this is the present course. Kiss the Holy Land goodbye...











(The pre-1967 border approach is bull****. Arabs attacked and lost that land as a result. They no longer have a right to it in Israel's eyes, unless Israel gives it up as part of a comprehensive deal.)

Frank,

So Israel would be glad to make peace with the Palestinians in the West Bank but can't because of the militant wing. Poor Israel, just sitting there wanting peace and having nothing to do but build more settlements in the West Bank until all the militants vanish.

You keep finding reasons for talking your way out of even trying to find peace. Thus guaranteeing future war. oh wait, defense.

Even Israel knows the clock is ticking on Israel. The United Nations and EU have tired of the fact that over 40 years have passed trying to find a solution for the Palestinians. Nobody supports West Banks settlements, land grabs, and ethnic cleansing. (The Gaza Strip is already ethnic cleansed, with barbed wire fences even!)

Rfenst hits some very good points. The Palestinian Authority will fall to Hamas in a year if they can produce no peace results. An Israeli desired subjugation/surrender won't cut it. They will need to show success and that will mean maybe 100,000+ Jews will have to relocate from the West Bank. Time is not on Israel's side.

The arab population in Israel is outgrowing the Jewish population. The arab population of Jerusalem is growing at twice the rate of Jews. By 2035, Jerusalem will be 50/50 arab/Jew. The West Bank cannot be annexed to form Greater Israel without ethnic cleansing of 2 million Palestinians just in the West Bank. Otherwise Israel will be rapidly approaching the point of losing Jewish majority.

Israel has a problem with more Israelis leaving each year then immigrating in. The fall of communism fed a million new Jews to Israel from Russia and eastern Europe but that has tailed off. Only a mass exodus from the USA could change the situation.

Without firing a shot, pure demographics and population growth rates say Israel as a Jewish State is done.

So maybe the ball to make peace actually is in Israel's court.

The 1967 war was a surprise attack by Israel on arab neighbors. That is why pre-1967 war borders always become the starting point for any negotiations. Israel conquered the West Bank, East Jerusalem, Golan Heights, Gaza, and the Sinai. Only the Sinai was ever returned.

Wars for territorial gain are not popular any more and Israel's gains in 1967 are still not recognized by the international community.

Here's the response:


Palestinians wounded in Israeli air strikes

At least 17 people, including children, injured in military attacks on Gaza Strip, witnesses say.
Last Modified: 22 Mar 2011 03:17

The Israeli army confirmed one of the raids, saying Hamas-affiliated fighters had been targeted [AFP]

At least 17 people, including children, have been wounded in a series of Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip, Palestinian emergency workers said.

Witnesses and medics said Israeli jets carried out at least five air strikes late on Monday in the northern town of Beit Lahiya and Gaza City.

Witnesses said a security compound for Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, a training camp north of the city and a brickworks and metal foundry in northern Gaza were among the targets.

An Israeli military spokesman said aircraft attacked a total of six targets, including two arms manufacturing facilities and two "terror tunnels" which he said were intended for staging attacks under the border fence into Israel.

He said that the raids were in response to a wave of 56 rocket and mortar attacks from Gaza into Israel since Saturday and that the military held Hamas "solely responsible for terrorist activity in the Gaza Strip and warns Hamas not to continue its aggression".

Cross-border fire

The Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, had earlier said it would stop cross-border fire into Israel if the Israelis halted attacks on Gaza.

It said rocket fire into Israel on Saturday had been in response to an Israeli strike last week which killed two of its members, but the group said it was ready to call an end to the tit-for-tat violence if Israel also did so.

"If the enemy stops the escalation and aggression against our people we will implement the Palestinian national agreement," the AFP news agency reported, citing a statement from the group.

The statement referenced a truce reaffirmed by Gaza's main armed factions in January.

The offer, however, came with a warning attached: "The enemy will pay a heavy price if it continues its aggression and crimes against our people in the Gaza Strip."

Informal truce

In a later statement, Hamas spokesman Taher al-Nunu said the movement's Gaza government was committed to preserving the informal truce, with the backing of other groups, AFP reported.

"The government affirms that there is consensus among the factions regarding the security situation in the Strip," he said.

Also on Monday, Danny Ayalon, Israel's deputy foreign minister, issued a threat against Hamas leaders.

"If Hamas decides to escalate, we will put an end to it... We have several actions before putting ground forces in Gaza, including direct threats against Hamas leaders," Ayalon told public radio.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/03/2011321231128318380.html