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#31 (permalink) |
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Moderator
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Uh-oh...
Hamas blows hole in Gaza border Palestinians watched as the explosions took place Hamas militants have destroyed a section of a concrete barrier erected along the Gaza-Egypt border. Palestinian and Egyptian troops have been trying to shore up the barrier to stop Palestinians crossing into Egypt after the withdrawal of Israeli troops. In chaotic scenes, thousands of Palestinians have streamed over the border in the last few days without undergoing official checks. Despite this, Egypt says that its Gaza border is officially closed. Militants from Hamas cleared an area before setting off explosives that blew away a section of the wall. Palestinian security officers present did nothing to prevent them. A local Hamas commander warned them not to try to intervene, AFP news agency reported. 'In prison' The Egyptian authorities set a deadline of 1800 (1300 GMT) for people to return to the right side of the Gaza border or face arrest. The mass crossings have raised questions as to whether Egypt can honour its deal with Israel and maintain security along the border, correspondents say. Many of those crossing have been going to visit relatives stranded on the other side, to buy cheaper food and other goods, or just out of curiosity. Israel fears militants will exploit the situation to smuggle weapons into Gaza. Egypt's ambassador to Israel, Mohammed Asim Ibrahim, has vowed to maintain law and order. But the diplomat expressed sympathy for Palestinians from Gaza crossing the border. "You're talking about people who have been physically in prison for the last 38 years. So some elements just rushed to the other side of the border," he added. Symbol of resistance In a separate development, the Palestinian Authority demolished a synagogue in the Kfar Darom settlement in Gaza. It was here that many hundreds of Jewish settlers and opponents of the Gaza disengagement plan barricaded themselves on the roof in a last-ditch attempt to resist eviction. The BBC's Matthew Price in Kfar Darom says the settlement has become one of the symbols of settler resistance to Israel's evacuation plan. The Israeli cabinet had earlier voted that more than 20 synagogues at the evacuated settlement would remain standing. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4244730.stm |
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#33 (permalink) |
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Ubi dubium ibi libertas
Senior Contributor
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What a Joke
Palestinians' pullout celebration ends in disorder
Wed Sep 14, 2005 7:37 PM BST By Nidal al-Mughrabi NEVE DEKALIM, Gaza Strip (Reuters) - Gunmen firing in the air disrupted a Palestinian Authority rally celebrating Israel's pullout from Gaza and the gathering ended in chaos on Wednesday when traditional Muslims stoned the stage in protest. Abbas, struggling to impose order to win backing for Palestinian statehood, cancelled plans to address the rally, reflecting concern about militant rivals within his fractured Fatah movement and opposition Islamists led by Hamas. A speech by an Abbas aide calling for an end to armed chaos was marred by Fatah gunmen parading across the stage and firing assault rifles in the air. This prompted Hamas activists to walk out from what had been billed as a show of Palestinian unity. The rally ended in disorder when devoutly Muslim refugees dominating the crowd of several thousand stoned the stage in protest at a rap music band's failure to stick to nationalist songs. The performers fled, gunmen firing over their heads. Palestinian security forces took charge in abandoned Jewish settlements earlier in the day, ending looting and destruction following Monday's withdrawal. But the messy rally suggested they had a way to go to rein in lawlessness. "I say to you in the name of the president that we (Palestinian factions) have no way other than dialogue. Our cause is one," Abbas aide Tayeb Abdel-Rahim told the gathering. "You have a right to be happy at the removal of the ugly colonial occupation in Gaza. But the march is long and our happiness will not be complete before the liberation of the West Bank and Jerusalem too," he said. While dumping the small Gaza Strip, Israel vows never to cede swathes of the West Bank where it is expanding much larger settlements, or Arab East Jerusalem. Israel captured Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war. Abbas says Israeli policy in the West Bank and East Jerusalem is making it harder for him to subdue militant groups so as to embark on a U.S.-backed negotiations for a state. CHAOS EASES IN SETTLEMENTS, NOT BORDER Earlier on Wednesday, Palestinian security forces took charge in much of Gaza's former Gush Katif settlement bloc, ending widespread looting and destruction of abandoned Israeli synagogues and greenhouses. But they struggled to halt uncontrolled travel over the border with Egypt prompted by Israel's pullout. Hamas gunmen blasted a hole in a segment of the frontier wall and waiting Palestinians rushed through before police arrived. Some travellers continued to evade stepped-up security measures on both sides and a promise by police on both sides to seal the border by 1500 GMT (4 p.m. British time) did not pan out as Palestinians continued to flow unchecked into Egypt afterwards. After nightfall, a small contingent of Egyptian riot police arrived and fired warning shots in efforts to turn back crowds trying to barge over border fences, witnesses said. Israel protested at the border chaos, saying militants opposed to peacemaking could exploit it to smuggle in weaponry. Abbas has implored Palestinians to end internal chaos and start rebuilding to show the world they deserve a future state. Israeli Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz demanded an effective crackdown. "We have passed very very explicit warnings to the Palestinians, and messages to the Egyptians and Americans, that Israel will not resign itself to this situation," he said. "The Palestinian Authority must rouse itself and do what is required of it forthwith to bring law and order... Otherwise progress with the Palestinians will not be possible in the future," he said on Israel Army Radio. Abbas's biggest challenge in Gaza will be subduing militant factions and motley armed gangs, many of them affiliated with his fractured Fatah movement. They refuse to disarm, but Abbas hopes to co-opt them with security and public service jobs. (Writing by Mark Heinrich in Jerusalem, additional reporting by Tom Perry in Egypt-Gaza border; editing by Philippa Fletcher) http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/news...UK-MIDEAST.xml
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"Above all, we must realize that no arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women. It is a weapon our adversaries in today's world do not have."
"The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help.'" ![]() NEVER FORGET |
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#35 (permalink) | |
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Senior Contributor
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Because; as sure as God made little green apples, the blame for such an event would be turned towards Israel! You see it in Iraq every day. Brain dead suicide bombers blow up a hundred innocent civilians! Are they castigated? Hell no! The blame is cast on those who are trying; sometimes at the cost of their own lives and well being, to stop the madmen!
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When we blindly adopt a religion, a political system, a literary dogma, we become automatons. We cease to grow. - Anais Nin |
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#36 (permalink) | |
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AMLED how do u justify this. -raj Last edited by raj : 09-15-2005 at 09:30 AM. |
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#37 (permalink) | |
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Bandaid
Military Professional
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Quote:
__________________
Cheers!...on the rocks!! |
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#38 (permalink) | ||
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Senior Contributor
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You’d have to be a lawyer, politician or a member of the blinkers weariig media to do so, maybe a Michael Moore could carrry it off, I’m none of those. The scenes of wanton destruction, arson and looting only solidified my own impression of the poor downtrodden Palestinians. The sight of Abbas’s uniformed and armed police walking around the rampaging crowd with their hands in their pockets while all this was happening, did the same in regards to the Palestinian National Authority! Quote:
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#39 (permalink) | |
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