Ironduke

Palestinian militants call off truce

The Palestinian militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad have called off their ceasefire after an Israeli missile strike killed a Hamas leader in Gaza City.
Helicopter gunships fired several missiles at a car, killing Ismail Abu Shanab, one of Hamas' best-known figureheads, and two of his bodyguards.

Within minutes, Hamas and Islamic Jihad declared an end to the temporary truce they announced on 29 June and vowed revenge.

The air strike came hours after the Israeli Government decided to take military action against Palestinian militants following a suicide bombing in Jerusalem on Tuesday, which killed 20 people.

The upsurge in violence threatens to derail the US-backed roadmap for peace, accepted by Israel and the Palestinians as a way to end the three-year-old conflict.

US Secretary of State Colin Powell said the attack did not mean the end of the roadmap and said both sides must recommit themselves to it.

He also called on Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to work with his prime minister, Mahmoud Abbas - also known as Abu Mazen - and use his security forces to take decisive action against Palestinian militant groups.

Abu Mazen said the Israeli attack would undermine plans by the Palestinian Authority to rein in the militants, which it announced in the wake of the Jerusalem bombing.

The Israeli army has not yet commented on the Gaza strike.

Hours earlier, Israeli forces raided the West Bank cities of Jenin, Nablus and Tulkarm, searching for suspected militants.

Car destroyed

Palestinian witnesses say as many as five missiles were fired at the car as it drove through the centre of Gaza City.

Witnesses said the car, a gold-coloured station wagon, blew up.

"I threw myself under a table in my shop, and the explosions continued," said Naim Shaban, who owns a metal workshop nearby.

"Flames were coming from everywhere. When it stopped, I saw one helicopter turning west, toward the sea. I rushed to the car, and saw people burning inside," he said.

Hundreds of angry Palestinians gathered at the scene of the attack, as rescue workers removed three charred bodies from the wreckage of the car.

Ceasefire over

Senior Hamas official, Ibrahim Hanieh, said the truce was effectively over and the group would retaliate.

"We consider ourselves free from this ceasefire," he said.

Reuters news agency quoted Khaled al-Batesh, an Islamic Jihad official as saying that "by assassinating Abu Shanab, [Israeli Prime Minister Ariel] Sharon ended the truce and announced its death."

Speaking to reporters outside his office in Ramallah, Abu Mazen denounced the Gaza strike.

"There is no doubt that what the Israeli troops carried out today is an ugly crime," he said. "We condemn such acts.

"This for sure will affect the whole [peace] process," he said.

Abu Mazen said it would affect a decision by the Palestinian Authority to disarm Palestinian militants and arrest those behind the Jerusalem suicide bombing.

Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Gideon Meir derided Hamas' declaration that it was ending the truce.

"This announcement is ridiculous, coming from a movement which claimed responsibility for this horrific attack [in Jerusalem] and attempted a whole string of attacks over the last two weeks," he said.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3170115.stm

Lunatock

The freed themselves from it with that Homicide bombing yesterday..yesterday in this part of the world.

ChrisF202

It wouldent have lasted forever anyways, when is Israel going to realize they cant negotiate with the Palestinians?

ZFBoxcar

When the rest of the world stops trying to force them. Im not blaming the US for that, they are trying as hard as they can to help Israel while not angering the EU and UN, but the point is, the international standpoint is that the Palestinians have every right to a state. And while I dont think they have a right to a state for any particular reason, I admit that they do deserve one because the fact is, they do exist. But it should have a 100% sealed border for the next 20 years, I dont care how many reserves have to be called up to keep it that way (the manpower requirements will be lowered upon completion of the wall). I expect that by 20 years from now most of the Islamic world will finally recognize Israel (whether by being one of the US's targets in the WOT or whether they become more enlightend on their own) and most Palestinian cries will fall on deaf ears.

bigross86

Or we give them land in Jordan or Egypt with their brethren.

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ZFBoxcar

if they wont even give the GREAT GRANDCHILDREN of Palestinian refugees citizenship, I dont think they are going to give them a state.

Lunatock

The wall is being built to far away for that to effectively happen. On Jordans side anyway.

Blackclaw

There will never be any peace while Hamas and Islamic Jihad exist. But I don't know how the Israelis can wipe them out without an all out war on the Palestinians.

Ray

With due respect I would like to state that there can be NOTHING like a 100% SEALED Border.

Walls are a deterrent but nothing can prevent a motivated man to scale it. Remember the Berlin Wall?

You may not care how many reservists are called up and for how long, but ask the US troops who are in Iraq.

Yet, I sincerely hope that this problem is solved so that innocents don't die.

bigross86

A wall may not be able to hermetically seal the state, but it will make it alot easier to prevent attacks like the dual suicide bombings of yesterday