Posted on 06/24/2002 5:26:46 PM PDT by dennisw
Sharon: Massive assault on Hamas underway in Gaza Israel is preparing a massive assault on Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said yesterday, hours after IAF helicopters fired rockets at a car in Rafah's Abu Sneneh neighborhood that killed Hamas military leader Yasser Sa'id Mahmud Rizik, 29, his deputy, and four others. "We are preparing massive operations against Hamas in Gaza, which began with the events of this morning," Sharon told the Likud faction. Sharon said that after recent terrorist attacks in Jerusalem, the Meggido Junction, and Itamar, the cabinet decided to order extensive operations in Judea and Samaria, which will involve remaining in Palestinian towns indefinitely. The prime minister said the IDF has already begun making arrests, mentioning a terrorist in Jenin who helped the IDF find two weapons factories. "This is not occupation, but we will remain in Palestinian areas for as long as necessary to carry out essential operations." Rizik was responsible for the attack on the army's Africa outpost near Kerem Shalom at the beginning of the year, in which four soldiers were killed and two were wounded, one seriously. Rizik was also involved in numerous shootings and mortar attacks on Israeli settlements, and planned the infiltration of suicide bombers into Israel. He once served two years in an Israeli prison for his activities in Hamas. Israeli security officials said Israel requested several times that the Palestinian Authority arrest Rizik. GOOD INFO---->>>> Hamas vowed to avenge the deaths in a statement, saying, "We emphasize our right to continue the jihad and resistance, and intensify martyrdom operations as a reaction to the occupation and the Palestinian Authority." Hamas official Ismail Abu Shanab vowed, "Israel will not go unpunished, and it should realize that it is solely responsible for its crimes." The movement is up in arms over a PA decision to place its leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin under house arrest yesterday morning. Yassin's son, Abdel Hamin, said PA security officials notified the family of the decision and positioned men several hundred meters from the house. Later yesterday, Palestinian security officials opened fire on a group of Palestinians who were marching toward Yassin's house to protest his confinement and the actions taken by the PA, who recently arrested a number of Hamas leaders in the Gaza Strip. |
The idea of building a fence on the current official border is absurd. It is difficult to defend as it makes a great bulge to a very thin section of coast. It would be more sensible to run the fence down the Jordan Valley and place the arabs on the outside of it. Just push them into Jordan and Push those in Gaza into Sinai. It does not matter what the arab kings and honchos have to say about it. They cannot prevail and will eventually accomodate.
Also killed in yesterday's attack were Rizik's brothers Bassam, 32, and Yussuf, 24; Amar Kouffa, also a senior Hamas military commander; and Sami Muhammad Omar, 29. The identity of the sixth victim was not yet announced by PA officials; he was believed to have been driving in another vehicle that was damaged in the attack.
The Israelis are kicking some major butt. Bush needs to go over there and have the Israelis show him how it's done. Hint: threatening to cut off Pallie monetary aid, pissing & moaning about Arafat's "poor performance", and cursing Israeli military action while promising to negotiate for a Palestinian state isn't the right approach, it's downright naive and dangerous.
I don't understand Israel. Your enemy is the Hamas and Islamic Jihad leadership. You know who they are. So what do you do when a suicide bomber strikes? You ride your tanks around civillian areas causing accidental deaths that get broadcast around the world.
Someone who knows tell me this. Why does Israel refuse to attack the terror leadership itself. By attack, I do mean kill them.
They're crazy SOB's anyway you slice it.
The President and the United States of America are not responsible for any Israeli deaths.
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