A story in today’s Globe by Ibrahim Barzak of the Associated Press contains the following concerning the ongoing clashes in Gaza:
“We cannot afford this kind of extreme Islamic state controlled by Hamas,” [Israeli foreign minister Tzipi] Livni told foreign diplomats in a meeting in Jerusalem, according to a ministry statement released yesterday. Israel evacuated Gaza “not in order to come back, but we might find ourselves in a situation that we have no other alternative.”
Israeli actions created the situation in Gaza. Vicious oppression. Political assassination. Murder of civilians. Refusal to recognize or deal with a democratically elected government. All aided and abetted by the United States.
So Livni is saying that Israel will continue to follow the same policies it always has, the same policies that created the current situation, in the belief that the same policies will alleviate the situation.
Classic insanity.
And just to give a touch of reality vs. insanity, there is this, earlier in the story:
The Israeli tanks fired shells, and attack helicopters fired missiles during the clashes, Palestinian witnesses said.
The baby was killed by a ricocheting bullet, said Moaiya Hassanain, a Palestinian Health Ministry official. Eight militants and three civilians were wounded, none of then seriously, he said.
Israeli defense officials said it was a “pinpoint” operation aimed at Gaza militants. It occurred just a day after Israel ended a destructive and bloody ground operation in northern Gaza against Palestinian rocket squads.
‘Pinpoint.’
Yessir, that one-month old baby was a real danger to Israel. And the score so far in this latest ugliness – three Israeli dead, one hundred twenty Palestinian dead. That’s forty to one.
That’s the result of a modern mechanized army going up against people armed with rifles, RPGs, and mortars. That’s the Israeli army operating in a densely packed civilian area to kill hundreds of people to avenge the deaths of a bare handful of Israelis. That’s the result of decades of Israeli oppression and hatred. That’s the result of people like Ariel Sharon calling the Palestinians ‘rats’ and treating them like pests to be exterminated.
Sounds familiar.
Grumpy Lion 
Actually I think you are a insane or at the very least grossly uninformed…
The Hamas democratically elected government has as its basic charter the destruction of Israel.
The Gaza Palaestinians ‘democratically” elected Hamas to power. Hamas has also made no effort to rewrite its 1988 charter, which calls for Israel’s destruction. The charter is explicitly anti-Semitic: “The time will not come until Muslims will fight the Jews (and kill them); until the Jews hide behind rocks and trees, which will cry: O Muslim! there is a Jew hiding behind me, come on and kill him!” (Article Seven) “In order to face the usurpation of Palestine by the Jews, we have no escape from raising the banner of Jihad.” (Article 15) And so on.
The palestinians democratically elected Hamas and Hamas is being true to its mandate ie to keep trying to butchering Israelis even at the expense of Palestinian wellbeing
So what is there for Israel to negotiate with Hamas other than its own demise..demanding Israel negotiate with Hamas is like asking Jews to assist the Nazis in their final solution..
The circumstances of the Baby’s death are unknown..The story you quoted was written by a “Ibrahim Barzak” whose natural sympathies given his name may well lie with the Palestinians. In fact even Western journalists who work in Gaza need to write stories sympathetic to the Palestinians otherwise they may face dire consequences from any number of terrorist organisations. There may never have been a Baby. The Baby might have died of natural causes. The Baby may have died from a bullet. The bullet may have been fired by either a Palestinian or an Israeli. It may have been a stray bullet. However, it is obvious that a dead Palestinian baby is of propaganda value to various Palestinian terrorist organisations. It is not in Israel’s interest to be seen to kill babies. It is certainly within the capabilities and qualms of Hamas, Islamic jihad or all the rest to “martyr” a baby for the obvious propaganda value..this is not unprecedented..the example of Muhammed Dura comes to mind…in this incident a Palestinian child was killed but there is evidence that the whole affair was orchestrated by the Palestiniansin conjunction with a complicit press!!
Your spin that Israel is “oppressing” the Gaza Palestinians is ridiculous. Two years ago, Israel voluntarily removed all Israelis from Gaza at great expense and suffering to its own people. Israel.Handed the area to the palestinians and provided in conjunction with the Europeans etc massive funds. In fact the palestinians have received more foreign aid per capita than any other People in history. However, instead of availing themselves of this opportunity to build a functioning society, the Palestinians in stead used the resources to build a base in Gaza which has fired thousands of rocekts against Israeli civilians, kidnapped Israeli soldiers all in an attempt to wipe Israel off the map..The Palestinians need to acquaint themselves of several age old (possibly biblical sayings )
You Sow what you Reap
live by the Sword die by the Sword etc
The Palestinians are getting the war they voted for!!
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sean –
Hamas has twice offered a truce to Israel and been rebuffed.
The baby was killed by a ricochet, last I read. It would not have been killed had Israel not invaded Gaza yet again.
Far more Palestinians have been butchered by Israelis than vice versa, in the current case 140 to 3.
You reveal your own bias and bigotry by assuming that a reporter with a Muslim name is biased. And what kind of name is Sean anyway? Some kind of ignorant mick name, is it? Everyone knows people with names like ‘Sean’ would sell their mother for a beer. How’s that feel? Makes as much sense as what you said.
Sealing the borders of Gaza and cutting off trade and so on, given that Gaza is a protectorate, amounts to a crime, and is oppression.
The money the Palestinians have received is a pittance compared to the money given to Israel, and isn’t the real issue.
The idea that quassam rockets, with their barely eleven mile range and the kidnapping of a few soldiers amounts to an attempt to wipe Israel off the face of the map is laughable.
The point is that Israel continues the same policies that have created the current situation, and intends to continue them, despite their repeated failure and despite the immense suffering they have caused.
I suppose, given your remarks, that if your land and home were stolen from you, you would just roll over and play dead and lick the hand that committed the crime.
Do I admire everything the Palestinians have done in various guises? No. But I admire them for continuing to fight for justice for all these years. And I freely admit to finding nothing admirable overall in the actions of the various Israeli governments towards the Palestinians.
As for being uninformed, I do think you’re projecting, probably from reading way too much Israeli wingnut propaganda and nothing about the Palestinian struggle.
Oh, well, never mind.
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How can Hamas be anti-Semitic? They are Semites, the majority of Jews aren’t – they’re Germanic.
Khaled Meshaal, February, 2006:
The Charter is here.
art. 31
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