Israel Shooting Embarrasses Palestinians

(CBS/AP)  Hamas militants shot and wounded an Israeli civilian near the main cargo crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip on Monday, embarrassing the Palestinians' new government and laying bare internal friction that could tear it apart.

Israel swiftly denounced the attack, saying it proved the new governing alliance between Hamas and the more moderate Fatah movement was flouting international demands to disarm, recognize Israel and accept past peace accords with the Jewish state.

The government also said the attack was the direct result of Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh's call when the new government took power on Saturday that Palestinians have the right to "resistance in all its forms," reports CBS News correspondent Robert Berger.

"This terror attack is precisely what the new Palestinian government refuses to condemn, thus rejecting the conditions placed upon it by the international community," said David Baker, an official in Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office.

The Israeli electric company said in a statement that one of its workers was shot and seriously wounded as he was working on a tower near the crossing.

"This is a direct result of the guidelines of this government. We will not recognize or deal with a government that openly supports terror," Israeli spokeswoman Miri Eisen said.

In other developments:

The shooting came as a senior Norwegian diplomat was in Gaza for the first meeting between a high-ranking Western official and Hamas government officials. Deputy Foreign Minister Raymond Johansen of Norway said before the attack that he hoped other states would follow his country's lead and recognize the new Palestinian coalition, installed on Saturday.

It may say sound odd, reports Berger, but Israel has finally declared the conflict in Lebanon last summer a war. Israel is reluctant to recognize wars it doesn't win. But under pressure from bereaved families, last summer's inconclusive conflict against Hezbollah guerillas in Lebanon has been recognized as a war. The issue now is to give the war a name. There are three options: War of the North, Shield of the North War, and The Second Lebanon War. Critics say if Israel had crushed Hezbollah, the war would have been named a long time ago.

World leaders of Reform Judaism vowed on Monday to launch a new effort to garner greater support among Israelis — despite what they called continuing discrimination at the hands of the Orthodox religious establishment in Israel. The Orthodox rabbinate in Israel has strenuously resisted inroads by more liberal denominations, refusing to recognize their rulings or conversions as religiously valid.

Even before Monday's attack, Israel was refusing Israel to deal with the new Palestinian government, reports Berger — and a majority of the Israeli people seemed to agree: A poll found that only 39 percent of Israelis believe Israel should recognize the new Palestinian government, even though it does not recognize the Jewish state.

"We have every right to say, 'Listen guys, until we have recognition here, we can't sit down and negotiate seriously.' But that doesn't mean that Israel wants chaos on the other side," Israeli analyst Hirsch Goodman said.

However, an additional 17 percent said their government should engage only Fatah Cabinet ministers, for a total of 56 percent favoring some sort of dialogue with the Palestinian leaders. The poll had a margin of error of 4.3 percentage points.

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[radiob-2009]

karlimhof The response was into the statements of the land becoming one nation and the dissolvement of Israel. If Israel were to dissolve what would take place. As far as your comment about the Palestinians being self sufficent that is at odds with the facts. Unemployment is at 50% currently, they have no economic structure, returning the land will not give them a economic structure.Agriculture, and small business mainly family owned will not support them.A poverty rate of 60%. How would they survive???? Those are third world conditions!!!!!!!!!!!! No oil to drill out of the ground, no industry (that is not owned by the Israelis). Irrelevant they would not be self sufficient!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[karlimhof]

committee member Zahir Muhsein, March 31, 1977, interview with the Dutch newspaper Trouw.)



Posted by singinrick


your reference is completely outdated: 1977 !
take a look in the mirror. have you changed since 1977?

[karlimhof]

What would happen to the Palestinians if the Jewish people left and gave them back the land?

radiob

The question is without merit, except on some academic basis.

I really don't know why it's so difficult to understand - if you steal your neighbors land then imprison him on what's left - you have created a problem.

If you give him his land back, pay him repairations for the inconvenience - he probably won't talk to you for awhile but you have solved the problem.

The Palestinian people have existed on this land for thousands of years and their survival has been questioned only since 1948 - I don't believe they need israel to survive, and actually have survived in spite of israel. Much to the latters disappointment.

[radiob-2009]

Agnim Read the reports before judging their merit. The institutes are well respected in both camps. What would happen to the Palestinians if the Jewish people left and gave them back the land?You wish to dissolve the existence of Israel? Hypothetically your dream comes true, all Israelis leave and take all of their assets with them. In the process they close all sources of income they have created. The Palestinian economy based on Industries: generally small family businesses that produce cement, textiles, soap, olive-wood carvings, and mother-of-pearl souvenirs; the Israelis have established some small-scale, modern industries in the settlements and industrial centers (which would leave) Exports - commodities: olives, fruit, vegetables, limestone with current unemployment at 50% that does what? Their main trading parter Israel has now left. Who ends up suppoting them? The World Bank? which the main contributor is the US. They like many middle eastern countries have not developed a technology based income or a industrial based income that is not reliant on Israel. Where is the money going to come from to develop their economy?

[agnim]

Posted by radiob at 05:38 PM : Mar 19, 2007

The most important thing to a Jew is money.

And to the Jews in Israel the #1 desire is Land (Palestinian land) and money, not the silly notion of 'peace'. LOL

So all this talk about majority of Jews wanting Camp David Accord is just a smoke screen by the more intelligent Jews to suck even more MONEY and protection out of the lesser intelligent Americans whose minds are poisoned with the christian religious rubbish. LOL

[radiob-2009]

http://truman.huji.ac.il/

http://www.neareastconsulting.com/surveys/peace/

[randalds]

RandalDS some excellent reading is the Harry S. Trumans Institute and the Near East Consulting studies conducted in Dec. 06 and Feb. 07 that demonstrate that the majority of Israelis and Palestinians want the Camp David Peace Accords to become a reality.If you need the links I can supply them.
Posted by radiob at 05:38 PM : Mar 19, 2007

Thanks, I'd like those links. As for me I have to run some errands right now before my wonderful, light of my life, loving Jewish wife gets home. Simple minded small town boy like me I actually thought there'd be no difference between being married to a small town country girl and being married to a NYC Jewish girl! Oy what an education I've gotten! LOL!

[radiob-2009]

RandalDS some excellent reading is the Harry S. Trumans Institute and the Near East Consulting studies conducted in Dec. 06 and Feb. 07 that demonstrate that the majority of Israelis and Palestinians want the Camp David Peace Accords to become a reality.If you need the links I can supply them.

[randalds]

RandalDS 74% of the population of Israel is of Jewish heritage of that 68% are third generation or more. It is one killing of one Jewish worker, arrest the Palestinian and move on. Get back to the Camp David Peace Accords agreement which is supported by a majority of both Israelis and Palestinians.
Posted by radiob at 05:14 PM : Mar 19, 2007

Well I haven't checked your stats so I certainly won't dispute them, however it doesn't change my main point to gunnerv1 that most of the Jewish Israelis are indeed white and certainly not dark skinned like the Palestinians as he maintained.

As for the Camp David accords, I couldn't agree more.

[zootallures2]

Nazrallah and Shimon Perez have secret meetings on bombing Lebanese children to make poster childs to steal charity. It's a scam!!!

An Israeli news channel had a mutiny and showed it in the backgroung screen while the ex-head of the Mossad was blabbing some more BS. They showed the phosphorus bombs behind Amir Peretz, while he was denying the use of them...LOL!

The elite running the world are barbaric psycopaths.