Hamas says Israel is out to destroy its administration
It is now becoming clear that the Israeli government are using the kidnapping of Gilad Shalit as an excuse to dismantle a democratically elected Hamas government of whom they have long disapproved.
They have now arrested 8 Hamas Cabinet ministers, 20 if it's MP's and 64 Hamas officials in the West Bank.
Israel's defence minister, Amir Peretz, said the detained Hamas officials could be put on trial for involvement in "acts of terror", adding: "The masquerade ball is over. The suits and ties will not serve as cover to the involvement and support of kidnappings and terror."Based on the evidence it is hard to find any fault in Erekat's logic. This seems less an effort to secure the release of a kidnapped soldier than a blatant attempt to dismantle a regime that the Israelis have never approved of.
Hamas has accused Israel of taking its leaders hostage as a bargaining chip to win Cpl Shalit's release. The Islamist group's military wing was involved in his capture during an attack inside Israel that killed two other soldiers. Hamas's political leadership said it had no prior knowledge of the raid, but it has backed a demand by Cpl Shalit's captors for Israel to free Palestinian women and youths held in its jails in return for the soldier's release. The Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert, has rejected any such deal.
The chief Palestinian negotiator, Saeb Erekat, said Israel was "waging an open-ended all-out war against the Palestinian people that aims to topple the Palestinian presidency and government".
Israel radio said yesterday that the head of Israel's Shin Bet security service, Yuval Diskin, had warned the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, on the day of the soldier's abduction that the future of the Hamas government hung in the balance. It quoted him as saying: "If the soldier is not returned in 24 hours, Israel will not allow the government to survive."This should disturb anyone who believes in democracy, whether they agree with the Palestinian's choice of government or not. It is not for a foreign power to tell the Palestinians who they may or may not elect as their leaders.
Israel have also destroyed the Palestinian Interior Ministry with air strikes. The behaviour of the Israeli army at times like this always leaves one open mouthed with incredulity.
They continue to behave as if international law simply does not exist, and they do so with the complicity of the US administration.
They act as if excessive use of force is the only way to ever achieve one's objectives.
Even Hamas' greatest opponents in the Fatah movement have united against Israel's behaviour.
As President Abbas called on the UN to intervene, one of his allies, Saeb Erekat, the chief Palestinian Liberation Organisation negotiator, said: " We have no government, we have nothing. They have all been taken. This is absolutely unacceptable and we demand their release immediately."It's odd. Just as George Bush is forced by the Supreme Court to accept that international law exists and that he is bound by it, the Israelis continue to behave as if we all live in the wild west and that there is no degree of behaviour that is unacceptable.
And at the centre of all this lies the life of a 19 year old boy.
It is being reported that Palestinian groups have issued terms for his release that the Israelis have found unacceptable.
The very fact that the Palestinian group holding him have offered terms surely means that this situation can be resolved by negotiation.
Israel, if they wish to secure the release of this young man, need to learn the lesson that George Bush has seemed determined in his war on terror to ignore. There are times when your powerful armies are of no use.
That's the whole point of asymmetrical warfare, the very reason that it exists.
Churchill put it best, "Jaw jaw, not war war."
Israel can't bludgeon it's way to victory here, it needs to negotiate. A young man's life depends on it doing so.
Click title for full article.
Tags:
7 comments:
If a foreign state had carried out the kidnapping of an Israeli soldier, like Syria for instance, that government's fate might hang in the balance also. Hamas' action could be interpreted as an act of war.
It wasn't an action by the government of Hamas though. That's what makes their arrest so bizarre and an attempt by Israel to replace a regime that they have never approved of.
Khaled Meshaal was undoubtedly behind this. I hope they assassinate this creep in the not to distant future. Hamas even signaled to Mubarak the other day that they would free the hostage, though Israel had not received word of any such offer and, after encouragement from Hezbollah, the kidnappers increased their demands. Hamas couldn't possibly make such an offer if they weren't intimately involved in this action.
You are aware that there are different wings of Hamas aren't you?
And I notice that today Israel are threatening to assasinate the Palestinian Prime Minister unless the hostage is returned.
To even make such a threat is an international outrage.
I don't know why you are outraged when militant groups behave so badly, as you seem perfectly fine about it if it's people that you support.
The law appears to be something you only wish terrorists to observe. When it's nations you apparently couldn't give a fig.
Yes, I'm well aware of the different factions of Hamas. That is why I said Meshaal, a more militant thug, is behind this as opposed to Haniyyeh.
Sandmonkey had a good comment on this whole thing:
http://www.sandmonkey.org/2006/07/02/a-quick-gaza-round-up/
We would also like to remind you that the palestinian government denies involvement in kidnapping the soldier, and has no idea where he is hidden, yet knows that he is ok and fine, and has no problems making demands on behalf of the kidnappers for his release. But they didn't kidnap him, don't know where he is and aren't responsible at all, and this is all condemnable unprovoked premeditated israeli agression against the "innocent" Hamas government. Wink wink, nudge nudge.
The law appears to be something you only wish terrorists to observe. When it's nations you apparently couldn't give a fig.
The law appears to be something you only wish nations to observe. When it's terrorists you apparently couldn't give a fig.
When have the Palestinian government said that this young boy is "okay and fine?"
Sandmonkey makes this outrageous claim but I notice that you offer no supporting evidence.
I also notice that you have skipped commenting upon whether Israel's threat to assasinate the Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority is something you support or not.
And if they do kill the democratically elected leader of Palestine - who they have offered no evidence of ever having been involved in any kidnap - do you think this will aid in the release of the young Israeli soldier or make his death more likely?
And if, as I'm sure even you will concede that this will make his death more likely, what is Israel's overall aim here? If, whilst supposedly trying to rescue Gilad Shalit, they are taking actions that seem guaranteed to assure his death?
Post a Comment