What is Israel thinking?

HeXp£Øi±

HeXp£Øi±

Well-Known Member
Wondering just what's on Israels mind or incase you're thinking Israel has gone to far this time.
IMO Israel is making a brilliant move. The last time Arafat was in this position he gave up his own people to save his own ass. Palestinians were furious with him. This is exactly what Sharon has in mind again. That is, to put Arafat in this same position once again so that whence be becomes desperate, he may yet again hand over his own people to save himself. This will cause much anger towards Arafat among the Palestinians possibly hurrying along his time as president/dictator of the Palestinians. This could conceivably cause Arafat to be assasinated by his own people.
 
it depends, it might have worked last time they sieged him in now they are destroying the government buildings of palestine. some might see it as attempt to not only undermine arafat but effectively declare that palestinian authority and state is under attack too.

careful line to draw, the israeli's need to discredit arafat, if they use too much force then they might make him into a seiged martyr. the palestinian people need to believe that [rightly or wrongly] they chose to drop him and are the masters of their own state.
 
Arafat HQ spared but Israeli siege continues

Israel today halted its demolition of Yasser Arafat's headqarters but maintained a siege around the last remaining building and said it would not withdraw until those inside surrendered.

But with the blockade now in its fifth day, Palestinian protests and international criticism intensified.

Palestinians observed a commercial strike this morning in parts of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and their leaders appealed to the Arab world for help.

European governments have also criticised the siege. Javier Solana, the European Union's foreign policy chief, called the siege "deplorable". France denounced it as "unacceptable" and in London the Foreign Office said it was not the right way to end terrorism. Russia also called for Israel to end its destruction of the compound.

The UN security council is to convene later today to discuss the operation. Mr Arafat's aide, Nabil Abu Rdeneh, said the security council must act. "This is a dangerous and unacceptable situation," he said.

After an early silence on the matter, the White House said yesterday that the siege was "not helpful" to ending terrorist violence or promoting Palestinian political reforms but has reportedly told Arab governments it would press to prevent the council passing any resolution or would veto it.

Israel accuses Mr Arafat of protecting men in the building who are involved in terrorism, though it has twice revised the numbers it alleges are inside and has not produced an official list of those it wants.

It says it will maintain the operation against the compound, launched after two suicide bombings last week, until the men surrender.

Its military bulldozers officially pulled out of the compound last night but witnesses said early today that one bulldozer could be seen moving wrecked cars and rubble around at the compound.

Mr Arafat's office, where he and his aides are confined to four rooms, is the only building still intact and is surrounded by three layers of barbed wire and partially by a trench.

Water and electricity were cut for several hours yesterday. Palestinians interpreted this as an attempt to put further pressure on Mr Arafat but the Israeli army said the lines were cut by accident and later repaired.

Critics have argued that the operation is counterproductive. The demonstrations were evidence that, contrary to the Israeli intention of isolating Mr Arafat and neutralizing him, the assault had boosted his sagging prestige, an Israeli analyst, Danny Rubinstein, said.

Israeli ministers have pledged not to harm Mr Arafat, and say they do not intend to expel him from the West Bank but some officials hope to make conditions so dire that he leaves.

Speaking to CNN, the Israeli foreign minister, Shimon Peres, confirmed for the first time that in an emergency session after two suicide bombings last week, Israel's cabinet had considered expelling Mr Arafat.

"We don't want to expel him, we don't want to kill him, we don't want to hurt him," Mr Peres said. "There was a vote in the government. The majority of the government decided against expulsion."

Israel's deputy defence minister, Weizman Shiri, however told Israeli army radio that Mr Arafat was free to leave the country but would not be allowed to return.
 
Strange...Whenever there is a 'homocide-bombing', the world doesn't seem to get very upset.
 
It does rather seem like whenever there's a bombing the world takes it in stride and whenever the palestinians are restrained the world cries injustice. IMO it's a glimpse of things to come.
 
Anti-semitism is a disease currently on the upswing again. It's becoming popular to be an (insert ethnicity here)-basher again for just about everyone. It started with 'PC', though, believe it or not. Anytime you deny people the right to speak as a fool, you give them the right to act as one. (Gato's corrolary #1).
 
Israel rejects 'biased' resolution

Nine Palestinians died in Israel's Gaza raids
Israel has dismissed a United Nations resolution calling for it to end its military operations around Ramallah, where it is besieging Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

The resolution, passed by the UN Security Council early on Tuesday, also called for Israeli forces to withdraw from all other Palestinian towns.

It came as a new military incursion into Gaza City left nine Palestinians dead.

But Israeli officials described the resolution as "unbalanced", and appears set to ignore the withdrawal calls.
Foreign ministry spokesman Mark Sofer said what was needed first was an end to terror.

And political sources quoted by Israeli state radio said that military operations, including the Ramallah siege, would continue and "gradually intensify" in the Gaza Strip specifically.

The chorus of international criticism directed at Israel has continued to grow louder.

Pope John Paul's spokesman, Joaquin Navarro-Valls, said the pope was worried by the "grave situation", and urged an end to the Ramallah siege.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon should "suspend such actions that compromise the already faint hopes of peace in the region", said Mr Navarro-Valls.

And President Jacques Chirac of France said he was "dismayed" at the way the crisis was developing.

"I believe these methods will achieve nothing," he said.

Israel's main ally, the US, failed to follow its usual policy of vetoing or voting against Security Council resolutions criticising Israel, choosing instead to abstain.
The BBC's Jim Fish in Jerusalem says Palestinians take heart from what they see as a shift in the American position, following its rare criticism on Monday of the Ramallah siege.

The UN resolution has been welcomed by the Palestinian leadership as a "step in the right direction". A spokesman said the US abstention was a "clear criticism of Israel".

However, senior Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said resolutions alone were not enough.

"We need to see such resolutions implemented," he said.

The resolution, brokered by European states, calls for:

* Israel to "immediately cease measures in and around Ramallah, including the destruction of Palestinian civilian and security infrastructure"
* For the "expeditious withdrawal of Israeli occupying forces" from Palestinian cities toward positions held prior to September 2000
* For "the complete cessation of all acts of violence, including all acts of terror, provocation, incitement and destruction".

The BBC's Greg Barrow says the 14-hour debate, which covered four different draft resolutions, reflected the disunity among members.

Deputy US Ambassador James Cunningham said his country had abstained because the resolution failed also to explicitly condemn Palestinian suicide bombings.

'Double standards'

Our correspondent says that Arab states have raised what they regard as a double standards in the Security Council's dealings.

Israel, they argue, is allowed to flout successive UN resolutions while other nations like Iraq are being held to account for their non-compliance.
Israel justified its incursion into Gaza as a response to recent attacks on Jewish settlements.

Bulldozers backed by tanks advanced into a number of areas of Gaza at midnight, meeting heavy resistance, the army said.

"Explosive devices were targeted at the soldiers. Army forces returned fire and hit a number of armed men," the army said, adding that it had suffered no casualties of its own.

The Israelis say they destroyed 13 workshops used for making weapons.

Gaza hospital staff said nine Palestinians were killed and 24 injured.

At least two of the dead were identified as members of militant groups - Yassin Nasser, 53, of Hamas and 20-year-old Jaber al-Kharazi of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades.

Protesters against the siege of Mr Arafat's compound demonstrated in Ramallah on Monday night.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2278700.stm
 
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