Posted on 06/30/2006 12:47:33 PM PDT by West Coast Conservative
ISRAEL last night threatened to assassinate Palestinian Prime Minister Ismael Haniyeh if Hamas militants did not release a captured Israeli soldier unharmed.
The unprecedented warning was delivered to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in a letter as Israel debated a deal offered by Hamas to free Corporal Gilad Shalit.
It came as Israeli military officials readied a second invasion force for a huge offensive into Gaza.
Hamas's Gaza-based political leaders, including Mr Haniyeh, had already gone into hiding.
But last night's direct threat to kill Mr Haniyeh, a democratically elected head of state, sharply raised the stakes.
The bid to free Corporal Shalit was brokered by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who last night warned Hamas it faced severe consequences if it did not curb its "extreme stance" and described the growing conflict as a lightning rod for Palestinian vengeance.
Jerusalem has made no official comment, but Egyptian state media said Israel had found the offer unacceptable. Israel has not spelt out the terms demanded by Hamas, but earlier this week it refused to buy into talk of a prisoner swap.
Thousands of Hamas supporters protested in Gaza City late on Thursday over the arrest by Israeli forces of up to 32 Hamas MPs on the West Bank that day.
A Hamas spokesman said the group would never recognise Israel, in spite of a deal its leaders signed this week offering implicit recognition of the Jewish state in return for easing an economic blockade.
Israeli fighter jets bombed 20 targets in Gaza, including the Interior Ministry, which it said had been used by militants to stage meetings, while artillery hit the northern strip with 500 shells in the 24 hours until yesterday morning.
Jewish settler Eliyahu Asheri, who was murdered by militants this week, was buried on Thursday as leaders of the Popular Resistance Committees pledged to seize more hostages in the West Bank. No further word has emerged about another suspected Jewish hostage, Noach Moskowitz, who Israeli police said was found dead hours after Mr Asheri's remains were found.
Much of Gaza, including two main hospitals, was without power and running water as a UN aid chief warned that the 1.4 million residents of the strip were three days away from a humanitarian crisis.
"They are heading for the abyss unless they get electricity and fuel restored," said emergency relief co-ordinator Jan Egeland, who urged militants to free Corporal Shalit and stop firing rockets into Israel.
Residents complain that sonic booms caused by Israeli jets traumatise children and that shelling confines families to their homes.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has vowed the military will do all it can to avoid civilian deaths if a full-scale assault is launched.
Mr Olmert said the decision to invade northern Gaza had already been delayed to allow Mr Mubarak's negotiations to continue.
The arrested Hamas legislators have been sent to security prisons and many will stand trial on terrorism offences. The detentions have hurt Hamas's already limited ability to govern and are likely to force a regime change.
Israel claims it has intelligence about the area where Corporal Shalit is held, but has been unable to pinpoint the exact location. Mr Olmert said the military would leave the strip if he was unconditionally and safely returned.
Egypt and the neighbouring Arab states of Jordan and Lebanon fear a war between Israel and the Palestinians could lead to uprisings within their own borders, which house many Palestinian refugees.
It's about time. It's not like this PM could not undo the entire situation. So that looks like a fair trade off. I love it!
Yes were told they hate us no matter what. So it does not matter what we do because they will not have a change of position.
This is what ought to happen. Indeed, it's the only real hope for some kind of genuine Mideast peace.
It's been done: "Perdicaris alive or Raisuli dead."
Works for me.
:-)
You mean they don't want to become "martyrs" and get their 72 Hanan Ashwari's and Helen Thomas's?
I think that is the case, though not known yet by all on this thread.
let me see, suicide bombing of children on school busses and in pizza parlors is okay though. Die you bastards!
You sent me scrambling to Metacrawler with that one! (I don't Google).
I disagree. I think Bush is the first president who reconginzes as Israel has for many years now, that the fanaticals in these Arab states are for the most part cowards and they will crumble like a house of cards when force is applied.
We're beating them on the battle ground we chose. They can only resort to mines, beheading innocents and killing their own kind. Ben Laden is irrelevant.
Whatever Bush says in the media is a posturing, behind the scenes he fully supports Israel and recognizes its importance to us.
"Hamas's Gaza-based political leaders, including Mr Haniyeh, had already gone into hiding."
who do they think they're hiding from? Israelis are masters at targeting scurrying cochroaches LOL
Shoot the rioting SOB's then.
I don't know that it's a great idea to threaten to kill their head of state. But I'm plenty impressed that they managed to round up and cart away close to a third of the Palestinian cabinet ministers and members of parliament. I think they should continue along that path. How could the average Palestinian retain an ounce of respect for a government which is almost entirely in the custody of the enemy?
Let 'em put some ice on it.
"Egypt and the neighbouring Arab states of Jordan and Lebanon fear a war between Israel and the Palestinians could lead to uprisings within their own borders, which house many Palestinian refugees."
" Other nations want the foreign focus to stay on Israel."
If the Pallies revolt in either of these countries, watch for the reaction of those governments to be incredibly swift and far harsher than Israel's has ever been - and further watch for very little criticism of those governments, because Israel will be blamed.
Start at the top and work your way to the bottom, Israel!
I was thinking that in the interest of inclusiveness, the mohel should also have Parkinson's and, so as not to exclude any of our sponsors, he should have imbibed at least a 6-pack of Bud-wei-ser and a fifth of Bacardi.
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