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Israel steps up attacks on Gaza

The already dire situation in the Gaza Strip became even worse over the course of June as Israel stepped up it's attacks on the poverty stricken territory. Israel has been pounding Gaza with air and artillery strikes, and ground troops have also crossed the border.

According to the independant Palestinian Maan News Agency, 55 Palestinians were killed by the Israel army in June, with 304 injuries. On June 29, Israel also abducted 64 members of the Palestinian parliament. On the night of July 1, Israel also launched an air strike on the headquarters of the Palestinian Prime Minister, Ismail Haniyeh.

Links: Global Indymedia Feature | Indymedia Israel | Maan News | Haaretz | Commentary on Anarchia blog | Electronic Intifada | Palestine News Network
The situation was escalated by Israel after Palestinian militants kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Sharit on June 25 following a fire fight on the Israeli side of the border near Kibbutz Kerem Shalom. Israel's response was swift and brutal, with air strikes on Palestinian infrastructure and the invasion of ground forces to the east of Rafah in south Gaza.

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gaza-invasion-3.jpg
Israeli troops amassing on the border with Gaza


Water shortage is also a huge issue in the Gaza Strip. With Gaza's only power station mostly destroyed by an Israeli air strike on June 28, the pumps which spread water throughout Gaza ceased to function. Dr Majid Abu Ramadan, the Mayor of Gaza, said that because of the cut in electricity, sanitation pumps and garbage collection have stopped functioning leading to mountains of garbage bieng piled high in the streets. He said that this situation will bring yet another machine with which to kill Palestinians, namely diseases.

June 28 also saw attacks on many of the bridges in Gaza, virtually splitting the territory in two and making already difficult travel even harder. All border crossings into Gaza have been closed, meaning much needed food and medicine cannot reach those who need it. On June 2, Israel reopened the Karni crossing for 150 trucks per day for four days, a move which many see as woefully inadequate. Salim Abu Safiyeh, the Director-General of Palestinian Crossings, said on July 3 "that it was imperative that food and other essential items be allowed to enter the Gaza Strip if the world wants to avoid a humanitarian disaster."

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gaza-destruction.jpg
A Gaza bridge destroyed in an Israeli air strike.


Another weapon Israel has used in it's latest offensive is fear. Israeli jets are flying across Gaza at all hours, sometimes striking and sometimes not, forcing Gazans to live in a permanent state of anxiety. Additionally, Israeli jets are deliberately creating sonic booms over Gaza, following Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's order "to make sure no one sleeps at night in Gaza". The Maan News Agency states "The continuous sounds of shelling, warplanes and sonic bombs [sic] disrupts normal life both during the day, when it causes shock and fear, but even more so at night, when it induces real terror in Gazan residents who are enduring the sudden, loud and menacing sounds in the darkness."

Meanwhile in Israel, many anti-occupation activists and groups have voiced their concern and demanded an end to Israeli state terrorism. Renowned journalist Gideon Levy stated in the Haaretz daily newspaper that "A state that takes such steps is no longer distinguishable from a terror organization." He went on to state that "What we are doing now in Gaza has nothing to do with freeing him [kidnapped soldier Gilad Sharit]. It is a widescale act of vengeance, the kind that the IDF and Shin Bet [Israeli internal intelligence] have wanted to conduct for some time." Anti-occupation group Gush Shalom has continued it's call for the removal of Dan Halutz, commander-in-chief of the Israeli army, after having participated with local anarchists in a demonstration outside Halutz's home earlier in June. The group also held a demonstration of over 100 peace activists outside the Ministry Of Defense within 24 hours of the Israeli incursion beginning.

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Re: Israel steps up attacks on Gaza

Well it seems that we have to endure the spectacle of all of the criminal govt's of the world including NZ, getting upset because North Korea decided to test fire a few blank missiles into the sea.
Meanwhile in Gaza, live missiles and artillery are being fired into heavily populated refugee camps by Nazi Zionists with the full backing of the US and all the rest of the gutless parasites who call themselves elected representatives.

We know this to be true because their response to the latest murderous acts of terrorism against the Palestinians has been deafening by their silence. The useless lapdog of US imperialism the UN, can be added to the top of the list.
Of course this is not surprising and is what we have always expected.
As recent industrial strife inside the Zionist state has shown, Israeli workers are being screwed to the max with rising poverty levels.

Falasha (Ethiopian)Jews are still being taunted with racial abuse by their European Jewish brethren, but are still expected to die to protect the racist state.

What can NZ do?
As far as the NZ govt. is concerned, they have no desire to undermine Israel in any way.

NZ maintains a military presence immediately south of the Gaza strip as part of the MFO (Multi Force Observers) sponsored by the US.
Its role is to act as a southern flank eyes and ears for the Israelis. In other words, NZ is a part of the US multi-billion dollar subsidy to the the Israeli military.

So what can NZ workers do?
We have to become part of an international workers boycott of all Israeli trade, closure of all Israeli govt. diplomatic missions and de-recognition of Israeli passports.

Only Palestinian passports should be recognised.

Such action can only be effected by workers international material aid going directly to the Israeli/Palestinian workers affected.
 

Re: Israel steps up attacks on Gaza

Mother Fuckers
 

Re: Israel steps up attacks on Gaza

Thats sickening, one only wonders how it will affect the children of the gaza strip.
 

Re: Israel steps up attacks on Gaza

Just got sent a link to another good article, which I am posting below. It was written by Arik Diamant, an Israeli Jew who is the head of the Courage To Refuse group, which is a group of people who have refused to serve in the Israeli army. The article was in Yediot Achronot, the widest read newspaper in Israel.

------------------
Look who's been kidnapped!

Hundreds of Palestinian 'suspects' have been kidnapped from their homes and will never stand trial
Arik Diamant

It's the wee hours of the morning, still dark outside. A guerilla force comes out of nowhere to kidnap a soldier. After hours of careful movement, the force reaches its target, and the ambush is on! In seconds, the soldier finds himself looking down the barrel of a rifle.

A smash in the face with the butt of the gun and the soldier falls to the ground, bleeding. The kidnappers pick him up, quickly tie his hands and blindfold him, and disappear into the night.

This might be the end of the kidnapping, but the nightmare has just begun. The soldier's mother collapses, his father prays. His commanding officers promise to do everything they can to get him back, his comrades swear revenge. An entire nation is up-in-arms, writing in pain and worry.

Nobody knows how the soldier is: Is he hurt? Do his captors give him even a minimum of human decency, or are they torturing him to death by trampling his honor? The worst sort of suffering is not knowing. Will he come home? And if so, when? And in what condition? Can anyone remain apathetic in the light of such drama?

Israeli terror

This description, you'll be surprised to know, has nothing to do with the kidnapping of Gilad Shalit. It is the story of an arrest I carried out as an IDF soldier, in the Nablus casbah, about 10 years ago. The "soldier" was a 17-year-old boy, and we kidnapped him because he knew "someone" who had done "something."

We brought him tied up, with a burlap sac over his head, to a Shin Bet interrogation center known as "Scream Hill" (at the time we thought it was funny). There, the prisoner was beaten, violently shaken and sleep deprived for weeks or months. Who knows.

For the rest of the article, see www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3271505,00.html
 

Re: Israel steps up attacks on Gaza

why is this posted here as a feature?
is "Asher" the new Clare? WTF?

So what? the izreelies and yanks been bombin' the palistini's for years, what's new? really?
 

Re: Israel steps up attacks on Gaza

The Devil (George Warmonger Bush): "Sorry to Oil the Arming of the Irgun Zvai Leumi / Likud Extremist in IsraOil but Oil comes First. Fill her Up ??????"
 

Re: Israel steps up attacks on Gaza

This is posted here as a feature because it is an important and current issue in the world, and one which (unsurprisingly) the mainstream media is not reporting the truth on.

Aotearoa Indymedia has a long and proud history of reporting on the news here in Aotearoa, in the Pacific Islands and further abroad.
 

Re: Israel steps up attacks on Gaza

A few years ago at Auck Uni, a forum was held by the Palestine Human Rights Campaign.

At that event a Palestinian comrade from Wellington expressed the view that conscientiously refusing to serve in the IDF (Israel Defense Force) is all very well and noble, but would those same individuals renounce their Israeli citizenship? Would they walk away from something that will over time prove to be a stigma and have pariah status?
That step has been taken in a few cases, but generally emigration from Israel is the more common action.
The point is this would tie in with not recognising Israeli passports. An important push toward delegitimising the state.
More ideas?
 

Re: Israel steps up attacks on Gaza

On May 27 2006, Canada's biggest union the CUPE Ontario(Canadian Union of Public Employee's)with over half million members representing healthcare, education, municipalities, libraries, uni's, social services, public utilities, transportation, emergency services and airlines, recently voted to support an international campaign to boycott, divest and impose sanctions against Israel.
I suspect that their demands are programatically limited, but othewise they are a vast improvement on what is taking place here.
 

Re: Israel steps up attacks on Gaza

Wheres Jared P?
 

Re: Israel steps up attacks on Gaza

I agree that direct non voilent action againzt Israel is possible through union organised sanctions.
But your suggestion about providing aid to the Israeli -Palestinian workers who will be affected are frought with problems.
First the Histadrut, similar to your CTU is known to be a zionist organisation. It is likely that they would prove to be an obstacle to any boycott. Already they have acted as compromisers for worker demands.
There are other channels that are not part of official union bureaucracy.
 

Re: Israel steps up attacks on Gaza

"Aotearoa Indymedia has a long and proud history of reporting on the news here in Aotearoa, in the Pacific Islands and further abroad. ",,,,

and from what I've read your "proud history" also includes hushing up what could be the poisoning of the century? re; 2378-TCDD? and some place called New Plymouth? The guy who posted all that stuff here got banned? Indy media here is states has been over run with gov't censors too, some embedded from the start so i t's no surprise.
 

Re: Israel steps up attacks on Gaza

I can assure you, dk (I assume), that there are no "government censors" who volunteer to edit Aotearoa Indymedia. You were banned, as you well know, for consistant spamming, sexism and homophobia, which didn't stop despite repeated warnings.
 

Destroy the Zionist Fascist state

The only way to stop Israel's murderous assaults on Palestinians and to liberate their homeland is to destroy the Zionist state machine.
That does not mean destroying the Israeli people. Israeli's who want to live together peacefully in Palestine have to join forces with the Palestinian struggle now.
The international working class has to blockade Israel and the US military machine that backs it and provide material aid to the liberation struggle.

For a single, secular, democratic and non-racial republic of Palestine.

indymedia.org.nz/newswire/display/48210/index.php
 

Re: Israel steps up attacks on Gaza

Who the fuck is this cowardly piece of shit Ali ibn Sharmootah?
Probably some anti-worker boss fetish asshole who believes that lying down and sucking up to murderous theives is better than fighting.
 

Re: Israel steps up attacks on Gaza

Equal Rights for Palestinian Womyn
Yeah, let's support these murderous idiots. They're so warm and fuzzy.


Al-Aksa announce female bomber unit
By KHALED ABU TOAMEH
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A group belonging to Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah party announced on Monday that it had recruited 100 Palestinian women to launch suicide attacks against Israel.

A woman who identified herself as Um al-Abed told reporters in Gaza City that so far about 100 women had expressed their desire to carry out suicide attacks against Israel. She claimed she was a spokeswoman for the Aksa Martyrs Brigades, the armed wing of Fatah.


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The brigades, she added, recently established a secret military unit for female suicide bombers from the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Jerusalem. "We have so far recruited 100 women for the new unit," Abed said as she sat next to several masked women who identified themselves as members of Fatah. "We are expecting more female suicide bombers. The new unit is now preparing to launch attacks against Israel in response to the Israeli aggression and crimes against our people in the Gaza Strip."

Since September 2000, Palestinian women have carried out seven suicide bombings inside Israel, in which 37 people were killed and more than 250 were wounded. The most serious attack was launched in October 2003 by Hanadi Jaradat, an Islamic Jihad woman from Jenin, who detonated herself at the Maxim Restaurant in Haifa. The bomb left 21 civilians dead and 48 wounded.

Four of the female suicide bombers belonged to Fatah, two belonged to Islamic Jihad and only one belonged to Hamas.

Abed also hinted that the group was planning to target Hamas members who were responsible for attacks on Fatah activists. She pointed out that a senior Fatah militiaman, Haitham Rai, was killed over the weekend in Gaza City, apparently by Hamas gunmen.

"We know the identity of the murderers and we urge the Palestinian government to take immediate action against them," she said. "If the government fails, the Aksa Martyrs Brigades will punish the Hamas culprits in our own way."
 

Re: Israel steps up attacks on Gaza

Mike Whitney: Israel’s Infrastructure Warfare

As long as the US occupies a place on the council, Israel’s attacks on Palestinian civilians will go unpunished.

By Mike Whitney
PalestineChronicle.com

Israel is now openly engaged in infrastructure warfare, the wanton destruction of the basic platforms of human survival. The bombing of the electric power plant has thrust the world’s most densely populated area into darkness; cutting off the vital flow of energy to hospitals, assistance centers, and the pumping stations which provide the city’s water. At the same time, Israel has bombed large sections of the main roads, government buildings, water lines and bridges. The Associated Press said, “Israeli tanks and bulldozers crossed the Gaza Strip and began razing farmland east of Khan Younis”.

“Razing farmland” is critical in understanding the real motive behind the current aggression. The attack is directed against Palestinian civilians, not terrorists and not Hamas. Israel is purposely destroying the means for continued human survival in Gaza.

We can now see that the practical application of the Israeli axiom, “to destroy the terrorist infrastructure” actually means the gratuitous decimation of civilian life-support systems.

Officials from the World Food Program, which feeds 600,000 people in the West Bank and Gaza, have warned of an impending humanitarian crisis saying that Palestinians are already living on one meal a day and that there has been a steady increase in malnutrition, anemia and kidney problems from poor nutrition.

At a special meeting of the UN Security Council on Friday, Dr. Riyadh Mansour, the Permanent Observer of Palestine, said that the Israeli invasion “was clearly premeditated and planned” weeks if not months before the capture of the Israeli soldier. Mansour added that the bombardment and military assault were clearly designed to “punish and terrorize the civilian population.”

Members of the Security Council quickly moved to pass a resolution condemning the Israeli invasion but were blocked by the United States. As long as the US occupies a place on the council, Israel’s attacks on Palestinian civilians will go unpunished.

The unfolding crisis in Gaza was predicted by Uri Davis, Ilan Pappe, and Tamar Yaron in July 2005. Their statement reads:

“We believe that one primary, unstated motive for the determination of the government of the State of Israel to get the Jewish settlers of the Qatif (Katif) settlement block out of the Gaza Strip may be to keep them out of harm's way when the Israeli government and military possibly trigger an intensified mass attack on the approximately one and a half million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, of whom about half are 1948 Palestine refugees. The scenario could be similar to what has already happened in the past – a tactic that Ariel Sharon has used many times in his military career - i.e., utilizing provocation in order to launch massive attacks.”(Justin Podur, znet)

Clearly, Israel’s motives for the invasion have little to do with the abduction of Gilad Shalit by Hamas militants. In fact, Israel has stubbornly refused to negotiate for the release of the 19 year old corporal; preferring instead to carry out its carefully considered plan for making life untenable in Gaza. This suggests that the invasion is actually another attempt to ethnically cleanse the land of the native people by cutting off their access to vital food and supplies.

The strategy for purging the land of its indigenous people is a recurrent theme in Israeli politics dating back to the inception of the state in 1948. Former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon summarized it this way: “You don’t simply bundle people into trucks and drive them away. I prefer to advocate a positive policy, to create, in effect, a condition that in a positive way will induce people to leave.”

Sharon, of course, is advocating a form of “transfer,” which “creates the conditions” that will drive people off the land rather than marshalling armies to achieve the same goal. This is what is presently taking place in Gaza.

Regime Change in Ramallah

Israel’s attacks on the democratically-elected Hamas government have been instructive but not surprising. Soon after the January elections, Israel resolved to remove Hamas from power regardless of the cost. Apart from the daily assassinations and incitements, Israel has spearheaded a blockade of food, medical supplies and financial resources to the desperate people in the occupied territories. Israel has also supplied Mahmoud Abbas’ loyalists in Fatah with truckloads of weapons in a conspicuous effort to destabilize the government and promote internecine warfare. The move has weakened support for Abbas and made him look like an Israeli agent. (His smiling appearance with Olmert in Jordan soon after the bombing of 7 family members on a beach in Gaza, has done nothing to restore Abbas credibility among his people)

At 2 AM on Sunday morning the Israelis bombed the offices of Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniya; a chilling reminder that the territories are ruled from Tel Aviv not Ramallah. Just a day earlier, Israeli Special Forces rounded up 64 members of Hamas including legislators, cabinet ministers, and officials. The illegal arrests have been roundly criticized by leaders across the political spectrum, and particularly harshly by Aengus Snodaigh, member of the Irish Parliament. Snodaigh said that the arrest of Hamas government officials "demonstrates the true nature of Israel’s commitment to ‘not so democratic’ values” and that “Israel was one of the most despicable and abhorrent regimes on the planet.”

Snodaigh backed up his claims noting that (according to the UN Secretary General for Public Affairs) the “in the month prior to the capture of the Israeli soldier at least 49 Palestinians, including 11 children, were killed by Israeli forces and 259 injured.” It should also be added that since Israel withdrew from Gaza in September of 2005, they have fired between 7,000 to 9,000 heavy artillery shells into Palestinian civilian areas.

Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz confirmed that the arrests “had been planned several weeks ago” which proves that Corporal Gilad Shalit’s capture has been used as a mere pretext to execute Israel’s broader policy objectives. (Ethnic cleansing and transfer)

Ironically, the arrest of Hamas’ officials could be beneficial to the cause of Palestinian liberation. After months of trying to topple Hamas through roundabout methods, Israel has taken a more direct route by simply arresting those who they oppose. This underscores an important point about the realities of life under occupation. There is no democracy under occupation because all the crucial aspects of sovereignty have been foreclosed. No Palestinian leader controls his borders, air space, military, resources, commerce, or even food and medical supplies. What good does it do to create the impression that Palestinians are free by conducting elections?

The West Bank and Gaza are giant concentration camps. Elections create the unfortunate illusion of democracy and normality. It is a cynical public relations hoax intended to assuage the world’s conscience and put people to sleep.

By arresting government officials, we can see that Palestinian democracy only exists when it suits Israel’s interests. It is a complete sham.

The reality of occupation is evident by the facts on the ground and in the photos now appearing from Gaza of bombed-out buildings, traumatized children, bereaved parents and utter hopelessness.

Israel has robbed the Palestinian people of their freedom. The elections were a fraud. The issue continues to be occupation, and occupation alone.

Copyright © 2003 palestinechronicle.com. All trademarks and copyrights on this page are owned by their respective owners.
 

Re: Israel steps up attacks on Gaza

I am so ashamed that I wasted my vote on a piece of crap like george warmonger bush. It is clear that the last three presidents produced by the republican party were nothing more then corrupt puppets who only represented the interests of the rich and elite of this country. There is a very special dark place in hell for these people who have manipulated the stupidity and one dimensional voting habits of the religeous right wing of this nation. The religious right wing of this nation should be ashamed. They will vote for any worthless idiot who claims to be against abortion. You people are anything but conservative and you do not represent the interests of the average typical American voter. Bush pimped the presidency and the the republican party has turned Congress and the Senate into an auction house for sale to the highest bidder in the corporate business community. I'll never make the mistake of voting republican again. Thanks for the memories GOP.
 

Re: Israel steps up attacks on Gaza

'Wheres Jared P?'

Around the time of your posting I was in wellington taking part in some comparative presentations on three third world struggles as well taking part in sessions on how to build international solidarity. In fact, in one presenataiton I highlighted simlariaites bewteen imperiliast efforts in Paelstine and Nepal, ie that the areas are more strategically important than they are important in terms of theft of natural resources.

Also, I've always been highly involved in Palestine and Iraq campaigning, adn have written numerous articles on attacks on Gaza, the wall of separation, and Mordechai Vanunu.

If yr implying that I'm unconcered with the subject matter of this thread, just becasue I have not particiaptyed specifically in this thread, I think you should recheck yr position, ok.

I think ??? is the contributor undermining this thread by starting personal attacks.
 

Re: Israel steps up attacks on Gaza

Vote with your money .. boycott Israeli goods.
 

Re: Israel steps up attacks on Gaza

How come no one is saying anything about such atrocity, violent aggression and inhumanity of the Israel action? Are people in the US only concerned about the $ in their pocket, booze and sex?
 

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Re: Israel steps up attacks on Gaza

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