Israelis surround Arafat compound

[Minstrel Boy]

Israeli troops have surrounded the headquarters of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, according to witnesses. Dozens of Israeli jeeps were reported to have sealed off the complex in the West Bank city of Ramallah, and soldiers occupied buildings nearby.

Mr Arafat has been confined to the building for more than two years.

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon recently said he no longer felt bound by a commitment he made not to harm the long-time Palestinian leader.

Mr Arafat's adviser Nabil Abu Rudeina said: "The soldiers, travelling in 15 jeeps, approached the president's HQ and blocked the three entrances to the building."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/3681583.stm

[TroglodyteScholar]

1. Hoboy...

...here it comes.

[keithyboy]

42. Israeli policy is poisoning the ME situtation. Brahemi was right!

They are the lowest of the low next to the US.

[movonne]

2. This is bad, bad, bad. The Muslin world already inflamed what will

this do.

[The Stranger]

12. Muslim world? Try the whole world. As in everybody. Not just Muslims are

beyond pissed off at what is going on.

[Just Me]

16. The WHOLE world is definitely against this!!!!

Runamuck power is NOT okay with this world.

And just WATCH this f-upped BFEE-backed PNAC administration do NOTHING!!!

I am so freakin' angry today that,...I am chewing on the freakin' curtains next to my computer!!!

These wackos are doing more than merely "pushing the envelope",...they are apparently fucking bent upon creating mass destruction!!!

[maddezmom]

3. CNNI just reporting helicopter firing in GAZA

[maddezmom]

5. Twelve wounded in Israeli missile strike in Gaza refugee camp

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2004-05-03-israel-gaza_x.htm

[maddezmom]

11. reports of 2 dead and 20 wounded from CNNI

[htuttle]

4. Does Sharon think that if he assassinates Arafat...

...he can get the Likud party to vote in favor of his Gaza proposal?

I have a bad feeling about this.

[Minstrel Boy]

6. Israeli sources claim they're not targetting Arafat

From an AP story:

Israeli military officials said soldiers were arresting suspects, but the operation was not linked to Arafat's office.

In the Gaza Strip early Tuesday, residents said Israeli tanks and bulldozers moved into the Khan Younis refugee camp across from the Jewish settlement of Ganei Tal and began flattening farmland and destroying buildings.

Witnesses said Israeli attack helicopters fired machine guns as forces operated in two parts of the camp, exchanging fire with gunmen. Doctors said one Palestinian was wounded. The military refused to comment.

Also, witnesses said tanks were poised opposite the Rafah refugee camp on the Egyptian border, where Israel carries out frequent forays to look for arms-smuggling tunnels, destroying buildings used as cover for gunmen.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/world/20040503-1617-israel-ramallah.html

[0007]

7. Sounds like Ariel Sharon is pissed because of the outcome of the election

[Just Me]

8. OMG - this is so f-upped,...

I just cannot believe this is happening!!!

Sharon must WANT to make his paranoid nightmare come true.

God help us all!!!

We have apocalyse-seekers f*cking up this world!!!

WHAT IS WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE!!!

[54anickel]

9. I swear Sharon and Shrub are trying their hardest to start WWIII. And

what's with this BS - What's wrong with a court of law deciding these things?

Israel claims that Mr Arafat backs Palestinian militants, a charge he has denied.

Mr Sharon said last month that he had been responsible for "the murder of Jews for decades", and that "all those who kill Jews or push for the killing of Jews or Israeli citizens deserve to die."

Why can they go so far up the chain of command when it comes to Arafat or Sadr or anyone else for that matter, yet the accountability for the mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners stops at the troops involved. I will give Sharon credit for at least taking responsibility/accountability for his actions. That puts him above Shrub and his cronies, but it ain't saying much for them.

Just seems to be a double standard these days. :shrug:

[Just Me]

10. Fundamentalists reject the rule of law. Power, not justice, is their aim.

I am almost shattered by what is happening. I just cannot believe that, all the personal effort by the majority of humanity towards a peaceful and meaningful existence is being murdered by such radical power-mongering people.

My mind is exploding and my heart is in such deep mourning.

[bobthedrummer]

36. Sons of bitches are acting out the End Times, imo, all fundamentalists,

Islamic, Jewish and Christian are almost ready to go berserk with bloodlust!

This is in a real world that has many nations with real WMD, the PRC has a standing army of 200 million+, there is heavy combat going on right now in Pakistan, etc., etc., they are working in concert in the ME as per PNAC and sooner or later entire cities are going to be attacked-which is what these fucking bastards desire, if I'm reading them right.

Well, the Holy Bible does mention spiritual wickedness in high places, but it DOES NOT MENTION A "RAPTURE"-that is a cultish theme that helps support militarism and fascism in DC and Tel Aviv--and the Holy Bible clearly states to all that believe that the real end times are known only to God, not even His son knows when that epoch will be---yet all these fundamentalist whack jobs are in a rush to act their zealotry out with 21st century tech (which does allow one to play God), that's my take on the religious significance of these latest world events.

I haven't felt this way since the Cuban Missile Crisis for God's sake.
I really think these fuckers want to see cities nuked, "pre-emptively":grr:

[Failure]

44. we could be in the 1000 year tribulation...eom

[bobthedrummer]

45. George W. Bush and Ariel Sharon are following PNAC-that's what time

we're in is all I'm sure of as a Christian with a half-Jewish nephew that I love.

[Llewlladdwr]

53. Actually, the People's Liberation Army is about ...

2.5 million strong. The PRC has an estimated 206,000,000 males between 15 and 49 that would be fit for military service, but it's highly unlikely that they could all be inducted (or even located). Odds are even smaller that they could all be properly trained or equipped.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People%27s_Liberation_Army

[hang a left]

13. Well I guess we'll have to see.

Secretary of State Colin Powell said President Bush had made it clear he would oppose any attempts against the life of Mr Arafat and "the president firmly believes that he has a commitment from Prime Minister Sharon that no such attempt will be made".

[maddezmom]

14. * wink, wink*

[hang a left]

38. Came back from going out to dinner.

Had to check thread to see if they offed Arafat yet.

[absSineofZero]

15. My question is...

Why did hamas target and kill a pregnant mother and all her children? Did they think the world would see it as a "just" murder against Israel?

After seeing this senseless terrorist murder of innocents I really don't care what fate befalls those that support such terror.

[Just Me]

17. I would suggest that you acquire F-A-C-T-S,....please,...

As in one BASIC fact: at LEAST 3 Palestinians KILLED to every 1 Israeli.

Do you think THAT constitutes a form of terror?

Or,...do you believe the lives of Israelis are somehow more valuable?

If so, why?

[MrPrax]

37. Some facts for reality...

Palestinian Human Rights Monitoring Group (HRMG)

Israeli army and paramilitary Jewish settlers have killed 263 Palestinian children from age 0-14

Israeli army and paramilitary Jewish settlers have killed 236 minors from the age of 15-18 during the ongoing Intifada.

The total number of Palestinians killed by Israel since the outbreak of the Intifada is estimated at 2670.

since March 25, 2004...

Conservative to say the least...

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

18. Yes it's so much more legitimate if one uses helicopters and then claims

that the innocents that got killed in the meantime were just collateral damage :puke: This whole wave of violence began with sharon atop Temple Mount antagonizing and goading it and has continued since that September day.

[absSineofZero]

20. I still don't understand how a visit to a "Temple Mount"...

justifies an open ticket for hamas, the PA and other terror orgs to start blowing up busses and diners where innocent Israelis are targeted and killed.

Perhaps you could explain how these targeted murders are justified?

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

21. Where did I say it justifies it? Are you claiming Israel has acted without

wreckless disregard for innocents?

[absSineofZero]

23. Israel is not wreckless

The # of innocents killed by Israel is far below the innocents killed by hamas and their terrorist pals. They have yet to conduct a Waco style attack on innocents. Dwell on that fact for a minute...

[maddezmom]

24. WACO style? can you define please? n/t

[Name removed]

25. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

27. Yeah there is a different account but thanks for outing yourself

[absSineofZero]

29. What is your different account?

Outing? Telling the truth is outing I guess...what is your problem with the truth?

[Just Me]

33. Do tell,...what is YOUR "truth", today?

:bounce:

Welcome to DU *smile*. I hope you find the "fact-gathering" trip on this board revealing and fulfilling and "freedom-generating"!!!

Just, be prepared for the revelations,...they can be quite shocking to the corporate-trained human system!!!

:hi: :bounce:

[maddezmom]

34. RIP

[maddezmom]

28. I guess we all see what we want to see

:eyes:

but I'll bet you're no fan of Reno or Clinton.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

26. Got proof of that?

Since you are the one claiming it as fact the burden would be on you to demonstrate that Israeli civilian casualties are lower than Palestinian civilian casualties...only problem is you can't because it is false.

[The Magistrate]

35. Actually, Ma'am, It Is An Apples And Oranges Thing

Roughly half of the persons killed by the Israeli forces actually are combatants; roughly a third of the persons killed by the various armed Arab Palestinian bodies are combatants. Thus, the total of non-combatants killed by the Israelis is larger, but the likelihood that an individual killed by the Arab Palestinian irregulars is a non-combatant is greater. Thus, each side feels justified in saying the other has a worse record of killing non-combatants.

[Name removed]

40. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[tinanator]

30. that is the most purely ignorant or obstinately bogus statement ever

congratulations

[0007]

32. Wow! Please show me some proof of that statement

[BeHereNow]

52. OH REALLY?

Get your facts straight before you continue
to make a fool of yourself amidst people who
are NOT as ignorant of the facts as you clearly are.
READ HERE:
http://www.ifamericansknew.org/

Please, do it, before you continue to babble on.
It is rather painful to witness your blatant lack of
education.
BHN

[The Stranger]

58. That statement is not factual, so there is no need to dwell on it at all.

The number of innocents killed by the IDF and other paramilitary groups, including the Settlers, dwarfs the well-publicized terrorist acts of Hamas or other groups. You need to access other media.

[Just Me]

22. Let us, once again, DEFINE "terrorism",...

,...it is KILLING innocent people for political purposes, yes?

Are we going to be EQUAL in our fight against "terrorism"?

Did the war ON Iraq constitute a form of "terrorism" (e.g. KILLLING people for political purposes)?

The USA has lost, because it fails to be "just".

[The Stranger]

57. The "open ticket" was printed and issued by the IDF's dropping 2,000 lb.

bombs on apartment complexes full of innocent people, innocent men, women and children whose faces don't make the media and are not splashed across CNN by videos taken seconds after the attacks (in fact, whose names and pictures are prevented from being widely distributed by Western media), the children murdered in cold blood on a daily basis because they were born and live on land that is being ethnically cleansed, not to mention the ghetto-like walls, checkpoints, identification cards, random shootings and murders, gratuitous violent raids in the middle of the night into family's homes, wanton imprisonings without any basic sense of due process, collective punishment, helicopter raids, bulldozed homes of innocents and all of the other things that accompany a military occupation.

Can you explain how any of these targeted murders are justified?

[hang a left]

39. I have always sensed that alot of the supposed "acts of terror"

are not the doing of the Palestinians.

[oblivious]

43. I think after reading this article I'm starting to agree with you

Apr. 24, 2004 13:38 | Updated Apr. 24, 2004 19:40

Zur: Israel has infiltrated Hamas leadership

By JPOST.COM STAFF

Border Police head Cmdr. David Zur, said Saturday that "Israel has people in the leadership of the Hamas."

Zur was responding to a question posed to him regarding Israel's success in finding and killing top terrorist leaders, Ynet reported.
Zur was speaking at a cultural event in Beer Sheba.

"We are excelling in everything connected to human intelligence. We're investing in agents. Israel has excelled beyond belief in this field," Zur said.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1082793078162

[Aidoneus]

48. Where have you been?

Israel has been murdering people quite steadily, both recently and for a long period. They seem to have a soft spot for picking off the little ones, for they have been falling quite frequently as of late. That apparently isn't newsworthy, or worthy of your attention..

[shadu]

50. Ignorance is dangerous

Read before you spew

[Forkboy]

19. Again?

It must be Monday.

[0rganism]

55. Seems like only yesterday...

You know, maybe Arafat should just turn the thing into an annual fiesta event, like Cinco de Mayo, in reverse. He invites the IDF guys in for some blintzes and hummous, then they all get hammered on five-dollar bottles of Manischevitz and beat on a Pinata replica of Anwar Sadat, filled with quaaludes.

I think it could put them all back on the roadmap to peaceful co-dependence.

[maddezmom]

31. update: 2 Killed, 17 Hurt in Gaza Missile Strike

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-4050527,00.html

[Failure]

41. Shit....meet fan....(props to top 10) <NT>

[drfemoe]

46. "Plan" is on the way ......................... (no worries)

<snip>
Residents of the Gaza settlement of Neve Dekalim, who had energetically campaigned against the plan, symbolically declared victory yesterday by laying the cornerstone for a new neighbourhood. “It says we’re here to stay,” said Esther Lilienthal, 67.

Sharon said he would present his new plan to parliament and to the Cabinet, but not to another party referendum.

http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=2875045

[Zhade]

47. Fucking squatters. They need to get the hell out of Gaza and the OT.

I have no sympathy whatsoever for any "settlers" of adult age killed in the OT. Kids, yes - they don't know any better and have no choice in the matter of where they live. But these squatters need to take their kids and vacate this land that does not belong to them!

They are endangering their children by stealing Palestinian* land and resources. The blood of their innocent children is also on their hands for placing them in harm's way. I'm not excusing those who kill innocents, but it is only right to recognize the responsibility the parents have to not put their kids in danger.

*for those who blather on that "there are no Palestinians", kindly fuck off - the facts are not on your side, and no amount of lies will change reality.

[shadu]

51. These squatters need the hellfire to convince them

I volunteer

[iam]

49. Self - Fulfilling Prophecy

The only sure way to make Jesus appear is to push the button.

[BeHereNow]

54. You know what astounds me?

I will tell you-
the complete disconnect of so called Americans to
comprehend what our governments financial and political
support of Sharon and his criminal cabal does to the
safety of our troops in the ME.
It is TRULY astounding.
Blind men will eventually find the cliff.
The sooner the better, say I.
BHN

[Guy_Montag]

56. Oft quoted fact from the Beeb (no link sorry)

8,000 Israeli settlers take up 40% of the land in the Gaza Strip

1,500,000 Palestinians take up the remaining 60%.

I wonder why they are upset? Would you not?