| Author | Message | | Guest | |  | | Guest | | Posted: Tue Sep 24, 2002 9:30 pm Post subject: Israel Ignores U.N. Demand |
| Israel Ignores U.N. Demand
Troops Keep Arafat Under Siege
_____Special Report_____
By Keith B. Richburg
Washington Post Foreign Service
Tuesday, September 24, 2002; 4:37 PM
JERUSALEM, Sept. 24--Israeli troops today kept up their siege of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's Ramallah office building, defying calls from the U.N. Security Council, the United States and Europe for a withdrawal. Other Israeli soldiers pulled out of Gaza after staging a quick early morning raid that killed nine Palestinians.
Israeli officials said they had no intention of ending the Ramallah siege until Palestinians complied with a separate part of the resolution that calls on the Palestinian Authority to "bring to justice" people responsible for terrorist attacks against Israelis.
"The resolution calls on both parties to take certain steps," said Dore Gold, a senior advisor to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. Another Israeli government official, who asked not to be identified, was more blunt. "As long as they are not complying, why should we comply?" he said.
The resolution passed the Security Council, after an extended debate, by a vote of 14-to-0, with the United States abstaining. The U.S. ambassador to the U.N., John D. Negroponte, said the United States would abstain because the resolution did not specifically condemn by name the radical groups Islamic Jihad, the Islamic Resistance Movement, also known as Hamas, and the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, which have carried out suicide bombings and other terror attacks against Israelis.
Palestinians said they were heartened by the resolution, and by the unusual U.S. decision not to exercise its Security Council veto power to block language condemning Israel.
Arafat, in a statement issued from his besieged office building, said, "the Palestinian Authority is committed to the [Security Council] decision with all its items, and it calls on the international community to compel Israel to implement the withdrawal and end the siege."
Hani El-Hassan, a Arafat aide and top Fatah official inside the Palestinian leader's office building, said that the U.S. abstention is, "is a good indication. The problem now is how to implement the statement."
In Rome, a Vatican statement said that Pope John Paul II was worried about Israel's "grave attack" in Ramallah and that Sharon should "suspend such actions that compromise the already faint hopes of peace in the region." European Commissioner for External Affairs Chris Patten said: "I can't imagine how anybody can think what is happening in Ramallah today can make peace more likely."
He said Israel's response to the resolution early today was to resume some bulldozing on the grounds of the devastated compound, creating plumes of sand and dust that left a layer of dirt in Arafat's office, which now has no working air conditioners.
An Israeli military spokesman later said the bulldozing work had stopped and described this as a gesture of restraint. He said also that in most places the curfew was not being enforced.
The nine fatalities in the Gaza raid included a 14-year-old boy; more than 20 people were injured in the attacks, which the Israeli Defense Force said targeted thirteen weapons-making factories. The troops also demolished the home of a member of the Hamas group who Israel said was responsible for a shooting rampage at an Israeli settlement that killed five Israeli teenagers.
Today funerals were held for the nine dead, who Palestinians said included six civilians and three gunmen who fired on the advancing Israeli troops.
Israel has conducted repeated, near-nightly incursions into the densely-populated Gaza Strip, but this morning's raid, with troops backed by helicopters and dozens of tanks, was by far the most intense, extending more than half a mile into Gaza City and meeting the fiercest resistance.
The Palestinian death toll was the highest in Gaza since July 23, when an Israeli jet dropped a bomb on the house of the leader of the Hamas military wing, killing him, a lieutenant, and 14 civilians, many of the children, who were asleep in the house at the time.
Military analysts said that that raid, which Sharon labeled a military success but which brought Israel widespread international condemnation, made Israeli troops more cautious about mounting operations in Gaza, the base of Hamas where militants live in teeming neighborhoods crowded with women and children.
Various Israeli officials and commentators said concern over civilian casualties explained why Israeli troops have not to date tried to apprehend the senior Hamas spiritual leader, Sheik Ahmed Yassin, who uses a wheelchair. His group has claimed responsibility for suicide bombings inside Israel, including last Thursday's Tel Aviv bus attack.
"You don't simply take out Sheik Yassin – you have his wives, his children, his grandchildren," said analyst and commentator Yossi Klein-Halevy. "Going into Gaza means heavy civilian casualties, and that's not something Israel needs right now."
But after this morning's raid, many analysts here predict that a full-scale operation in Gaza, targeting the Hamas leadership, may be looming. "The day will come, as soon as we get the necessary troops together, that we will have to do this, to strike against Hamas and prevent its ability to act," Sharon said in a speech, noting that Gaza is a center for Hamas. | | | | Guest | | | | Guest | | | | Guest | | | | Guest | | | | Guest | | Posted: Wed Sep 25, 2002 7:51 pm Post subject: Saddam makes more sense than Bush |
| In a message dated 9/25/02 11:25:00 AM Pacific Daylight Time, BGJDAVID writes:
Subj:Saddam makes more sense that Bush
Date:9/25/02 11:25:00 AM Pacific Daylight Time
From:BGJDAVID
It's sad to say this but it is impossible for anyone to dispute what I'm about to say. After reading the following article I have come to the very scary conclusion that Saddam Hussein makes more sense than the President of the United States, George Bush.
Saddam says U.S. allows Israel to spurn U.N.
BAGHDAD, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraqi President Saddam Hussein accused the United States Wednesday of allowing Israel to flout U.N. resolutions at a time it is threatening Iraq with military action.
"America was speaking recently about its keenness on Security Council resolutions and international law and today it is required to apply this keenness on the Zionist entity," Iraqi television quoted Saddam as saying during a cabinet meeting.
"International law and the Security Council resolutions were trampled on and nobody objects, and in particular the Americans ... do not object," Saddam added.
The United States has accused Iraq of developing chemical, biological and nuclear weapons and told it to disarm or face the consequences.
The United States and Britain have stepped up pressure on the U.N. Security Council to adopt a tough new Iraq resolution before any resumption of U.N. arms inspections to search for weapons of mass destruction. Iraq agreed this month to the unconditional return of the arms inspectors.
Some Arab states had criticized Washington for not putting pressure on its ally Israel to implement U.N. resolutions which call on Israel to withdraw from occupied Arab territory.
Israel faced international isolation this week after the Security Council approved a resolution urging the Jewish state to halt its siege of the headquarters of Palestinian President Yasser Arafat in the West Bank. The United States abstained.
Israel says it will comply with the resolution only if the Palestinian Authority complies with the part of the text that requires it to bring militants to justice.
Subj: Re: Saddam makes more sense that Bush
Date: 9/25/02 11:55:16 AM Pacific Daylight Time
i agree with that so much to the point that i even telephoned the iraqi embassy and un mission last week to emphasize this point.. especially with the double standard in not enforcing un security council resolution 687 against israel as well with regard to paragraph 14 which mentions that the middle east should be a nuclear weapons-free zone as israel reportedly has some 200 to 400 nuclear weapons.
i have the email addresses for the iraqi ambassador's assistant and to the iraqi mission at the un as well and have emailed both already... i wonder if my limited contribution played any role with what is included below... i doubt it, but i did get my points across... if not, it is nice to read the following which came out a week later.. the iraqi foreign minister said similar in his recent speech before the united nations.. however, the part of the speech which mentioned that (jinsa) zionism is driving the us invasion of iraq was not covered in our pro-israel media... also, his mention of how un security council resolution 687 (paragraph 14) is not being enforced against israel was not mentioned in our media either.. i also brought this point up during my recent interview with raya abi-rached on the middle east broadcast network which hopefully will air throughout the middle east soon if it hasn't already...
subj: double standard when dealing with israel's flouting of un resolutions...
Date: 9/25/02 12:20:31 PM Pacific Daylight Time
In a message dated 9/25/02 9:19:28 AM Pacific Daylight Time, FranE writes:
Subj:Re: WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE FOLLOWING...
Date:9/25/02 9:19:28 AM Pacific Daylight Time
From:FranE
I cannot believe how Bush and Blair are constantly saying Iraq must be attacked because they have defied the UN 16 times. How hypocritical can they be? Israel does it all the time and in very major ways and as recent as yesterday. The UN should write up a resolution saying if Israel does not comply then they can be attacked. I am so sick of all this hypocritical BS
fran
so am i, fran... such is why i have made multiple posts about it on the israel message board via www.itszone.co.uk#bad-link but not enough people see that board... and worse, how many even care if they did as they are too occupied with their daily lives thinking that it doesn't affect them? it seems to only be concerning for people like us, but i don't think there are enough of us in the know yet to make a difference (because if there were enough of, the zionists would not have such a free hand to manipulate our politics like they are doing as evidenced via the following web link):
http://www.warwithoutend.co.uk/middle-east-and-asia/2002/09/18/jewish-jinsa-driving-us-invasion-of-iraq.php
the following links mention the double standard further:
http://www.warwithoutend.co.uk/middle-east-and-asia/2002/09/24/israel-arrogantly-defies-the-un-yet-again.php
http://www.warwithoutend.co.uk/middle-east-and-asia/2002/09/15/us-un-double-standard-when-it-comes-to-israel.php
i am actually a moderate republican and voted for bush, but i won't be voting for him in the next election as i am even leaving the republican party as well and will be registering as an independent... | | | | | ©2002-2009 WarWithoutEnd.co.uk |
