Posted on 07/09/2006 7:11:20 PM PDT by blam
Olmert threatens 'long war' to free Israeli soldier held in Gaza
By Harry de Quetteville in Jerusalem
(Filed: 10/07/2006)
Israel's prime minister Ehud Olmert insisted yesterday that a military operation in Gaza to free a captive soldier and end Palestinian rocket attacks could go on indefinitely.
The remains of a car hit by an Israeli rocket
He said the operation was not "on a timetable". "We're talking about a long war," he said, as the army's southern region commander threatened to pound Palestinian militants for "months".
Gen Yoav Galant said: "They will think twice about launching attacks when they see in a week, a month, or two months from now that hundreds of terrorists have been killed."
Mr Olmert was speaking a day after United Nations secretary general Kofi Annan called on Israel to allow essential supplies into the besieged Palestinian territory to prevent a humanitarian crisis. Mr Annan said that Israel should do everything in its power to limit the impact of its full-scale military operation on Gaza's civilian population, ending its "disproportionate use of force".
Cpl Gilad Shalit was seized by three Palestinian militant groups and taken into Gaza two weeks ago. While Palestinian premier Ismail Haniya has insisted that the captured soldier is being treated well, his family has called for some proof that he is alive and well.
Israel's response to the loss of Cpl Shalit has involved an armoured pincer movement from northern and southern Gaza, coupled with artillery bombardment and airstrikes.
One airstrike 10 days ago destroyed Gaza's power station, cutting off vital electricity to half the territory's 1.4 million population. Hospitals and sewage treatment plants have been running on generators since then. Fuel to operate them is now running short. Many water tanks are empty.
Despite the difficulties of daily life in Gaza's blazing summer heat, a poll of 1,197 Palestinians showed almost 80 per cent supported the militant attack in which Cpl Shalit was captured.
Only Olmert could think it would take months for the Israeli army to occupy and totally subdue Gaza.
(Neville Chamberlain reincarnate, I guess. . .)
They support terrorism, they voted for terrorists....
And they deserve their fate.
I still don't know why the focus is on the one soldier instead of all the other awful things Hamas and the Palestinians have done, but I'm glad to see that the Israeli PM is willing to actually do something about the problem. I feared he'd be a John Kerry type and wet his pants at the first sign of trouble. Thankfully, it appears that I was wrong.
What is the estimated strength of Hamas' terrorists in Gaza Strip?
What? Like bringing your gun to a knife fight?
Good for Israel and prayers for the soldier.
I dont see a problem with months of bombardment by the Israelis........I think its quite clever. Olmert knows Shalit is dead. Payback is a bitch!!!
"Only Olmert could think it would take months for the Israeli army to occupy and totally subdue Gaza."
I do not think that is his intent or plan.
Just squeeze them back to the stone age with minimum risk to the IDF and without leaving their backside and flanks at risk from other unfriendly neighbors.
To occupy Gaza and subdue it would leave much at risk while Arabs are just waiting for such an opening.
Works for me...
It ought not take all that long if the Israelis decide to move; in fact it would be over within days.
Moreover they need to resolve this problem and not keep playing the same games. The slammite world has to be forced to find a place to put the "palestinians" and that place has to be very far from Israel. Anything else is a joke.
How many muslims are islamist?
What is the population of the gaza strip?
Warning! This is a high-volume ping list.
Care to elaborate on that thought?
What is the estimated strength of Hamas' terrorists in Gaza Strip?
To occupy Gaza and subdue it would leave much at risk while Arabs are just waiting for such an opening.
Actually, what does Israel have to loose???
The are harboring those who kidnap and kill Israelis. They are part of the group holding the captive, and they should face the effects of the siege.
This is the government for which they voted. They aren't innocent bystanders.
Palestine cannot support itself even for short periods of time because they have chosen to demand aid rather than work to self sufficiency. They choose to attack those who's help they need to survive.
Unless they are forced to bear the effects of their choices, there is little hope they will ever change.
a poll of 1,197 Palestinians showed almost 80 per cent supported the militant attack in which Cpl Shalit was captured.
Eight percent of 1197 is about 958, so the Gazans should have at least that many casualties when all is said and done.
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