Gaza Carnage Sets West Bank Aflame

By Mel Frykberg, IPS News. Posted December 28, 2008.

As Israeli airstrikes continue, protesters take to the streets.

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RAMALLAH, West Bank, Dec 28 -- Anger, shock and revulsion at the continuing carnage in Gaza has ignited spontaneous demonstrations and riots across the West Bank and Israel, sparking concerns of a possible third Palestinian uprising or Intifadah.

More than 300 Palestinians were killed and at least 900 wounded following an intensive Israeli air bombing campaign over the Gaza strip through the weekend.

This followed a barrage of rockets fired by Palestinian fighters at Israeli towns and cities bordering the coastal territory in the last few weeks which caused some damage but no casualties.

Hamas leader-in-exile, Damascus-based Khaled Meshaal, has called on Palestinians to rise up against Israel. The Palestinian Authority (PA) in the West Bank called for a three-day strike in sympathy with Gaza's plight.

Following Israel's aerial assault, one Israeli was killed and several wounded in retaliatory rocket fire from Gaza Saturday afternoon. This was Israel's first fatality in many months.

The first Palestinian Intifadah broke out in December of 1987 when Palestinian refugees from a camp in the north of Gaza clashed with Israeli soldiers following the death of several Palestinians after an Israeli settler's car ploughed into their vehicle.

The Palestinians claimed the victims were deliberately mowed into, while the Israelis said it was the result of a traffic accident.

Following the initial clash, rioting and protests spread spontaneously to all of Gaza and the West Bank, leading to a popular uprising which lasted for several years. This followed years of Palestinian resentment and bitterness towards a brutal Israeli occupation.

Israeli-Arabs, descendents of the Palestinians, clashed Saturday with Israeli police throughout Israel.

In the Bedouin village of Rahat in the Negev desert, around 400 residents protested the attacks, while mosques throughout the town broadcast prayers of mourning. Many Bedouins, descendants of a nomadic tribe, join the Israeli army, where they are valued for their tracking skills. They are regarded as traitors by fellow Palestinians.

Several hundred left-wing Israelis marched through the streets of Tel Aviv towards the Israeli defence ministry headquarters chanting "No to war, yes to peace".

The left-wing protestors carried signs saying "Israel's government is committing war crimes," "Negotiation instead of slaughter," and "Lift the siege from Gaza."

Several Israeli protestors were arrested. Matan Kaminer, an Israeli student who took part in the protest told the Israeli daily Haaretz that "no one can tell us that slaughtering the citizens of Gaza is meant to protect the citizens of Sderot and Ashkelon (two Israeli towns bordering the Gaza strip)."

An Israeli police officer was deliberately run over by a Palestinian in East Jerusalem as groups of Palestinian youths clashed with police in the city, stoning them and setting dumpsters on fire.

Palestinian protestors from West Bank towns and refugee camps took to the streets and marched on Israeli checkpoints and Israeli settlements. Many were injured by rubber bullets -- marble-sized metal balls covered in half a millimetre of rubber -- and tear gas shot by Israeli Defence Force (IDF) soldiers.

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Terrorism Breeds Terrorism [Report this comment] Posted by: akhajawall on Dec 28, 2008 8:21 AM Current rating: 4 [1 = poor; 5 = excellent] To all concerned " All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is people, politicians, and political leaders around the world either stay mum or shift the blame onto oppressed, occupied, and tormented" What Israel is doing in the name of security onto impoverished and victimized Palestinians is a solid and ultimate State Sponsored Terrorism and same is true about India who has turned divided Kashmir into massive concentration camp on the Top of World. As a naturalized Kashmir born American Citizen, disabled American Veteran and Forensic psychiatrist, I plead to my current president, Hon. President Bush to stop all aid to Israel and freeze the any relationship with India. I suggest to incoming president elect, Hon. Barrack Obama to appoint outgoing president as special envoy to permanently, peacefully and amicably solve Israel-Palestinian Conflict and Hon. former President Bill Clinton to erase the line of conflict [LOC] between the divided people of Kashmir. Yours truly, COL. A.M.Khajawall [Ret] Las Vegas NV USA [« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5] Why are there no protests here in USA? [Report this comment] Posted by: huntress58 on Dec 28, 2008 12:32 PM Current rating: 1 [1 = poor; 5 = excellent] Why when Israel attacks the people of Palestine is there no protest here? There are protests worldwide, but none here. Are we that afraid of being tagged as antisemitic that we fear the breach of human rights in the Middle East? Why is there no outrage? And yet as our country is on the brink of financial collapse, we funnel how many millions a day to Israel and then we wonder why the Arab world hates us. How many of those weapons that are used to kill innocents in Palestine came from my tax dollars? [« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5] » There are Protests here!! Mostly by Jewish Peace Groups. Posted by: yellow One must also weigh the tragic death of Rachel Corrie against those of 20 aid workers in Somalia... [Report this comment] Posted by: yellow on Dec 28, 2008 2:50 PM Current rating: 5 [1 = poor; 5 = excellent] ...who were deliberately targeted by Islamic insurgents who consider the foreign aid workers "infidels" who deserve to be killed. According to an International Herald Tribune report in the summer of 2008, Since January, more than 20 aid workers have been killed, more than in any year in recent memory. The attacks on aid workers have escalated... Many of the Islamist factions are allied with Al-Qaeda which would explain their extensive targeting of civilians. The UN reports over 100 attacks on civilian aid workers in Somalia this year in the midst of a humanitarian food and medical supply crisis. In other news 34 year old British aid worker Gayle Williams was shot dead by two Taliban terrorists in Kabul in October 2008. It is important to put the death of a single American in a much wider perspective. Alternet has failed to once mention the Islamic militant crimes against foreign aid workers and human rights observers in Muslim countries. [« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5] » RE: One must also weigh the tragic death of Rachel Corrie against those of 20 aid workers in Somalia... Posted by: iris89 West Bankers Do Not Want To Accept Reality That They Are Just Squatters [Report this comment] Posted by: iris89 on Jan 12, 2009 9:36 AM Current rating: Not yet rated [1 = poor; 5 = excellent] Let’s get real and stop falsely accusing Israel of creating a humanitarian crises when it is Hamas that has done so. Hamas could bring a halt to this crisis immediately if it wanted to! All it has to do is stop firing rockets at Israel, provide assurances with monitors that it will NEVER do so again, and return the kidnapped Israel soldier and his kidnappers – the war situation would them abruptly STOP. So let’s get real. West Bankers are Not accepting reality. All of Palestine rightly belongs to Israel, see below for proof. Wars should be eliminated and at present one religion is responsible for over 90% of the violence on earth as pointed out by an Australian newspaper as follows: "Did you know that 90-95% of the conflicts in the world today are Muslims fighting non-muslims or each other? " [source - The Weekend Australian, November 26-27, 2005 AD]" I am getting very tired of hearing Palestinians and other Ishmaelite crying crocodile tears and always trying to put the blame for what they do on others such as their conspiracy weavers tried to do about who did 9/11/2001 attack on the World Trade Center, etc. Screaming against what they call wrongful occupations when they are guilty of occupying Byzantine territory, Palestine which belongs to the Israelites [see Numbers the 34 th. Chapter in any Bible for proof of this, and their outright greed as they have over 98% of the Middle East, but still greedly want the less than 2% belonging to their sister tribe Israel] - its time we get real and put an end to this so the world can stop experiencing continuous Ishmaelite induced strife such as shooting rockets at Israel. Solution, dissolve this false religion and rid the earth of at least 90% of the violence. But of course the politicians will not do what is needed since as Jeremiah 10:23 says, "O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps." (Authorized King James Bible; AV). To read detailed information, go to the following article: [go to] When Should A Religion Be Dissolved In The Interest Of World Peace? Which can be found at, http://religioustruths.proboards59.com/ An Educational Referral Forum under the sub-heading, ' ISLAM THE SOURCE OF MOST VIOLENCE And, http://www.network54.com/Forum/403209 A Forum Devoted to Exposing The False Religion of Islam Along with many other useful articles. Iris89 [« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5] The Forgotten Fact [Report this comment] Posted by: iris89 on Jan 13, 2009 12:44 PM Current rating: Not yet rated [1 = poor; 5 = excellent] One thing many are forgetting is that the Israelites actually have title to all of Palestine; therefore, it is only right that the Arabs living there stop wrongly occupying land that Almighty God (YHWH) specifically gave title to their sister tribe, the Hebrews. Reality, Arabs have over 98% of the land in the Middle East, but are so greedy that they want the less than 2% of the land that rightly belongs to the Hebrews. Those on Hebrew lands should STOP their wrongful occupation and go back where their ancestors came from. To learn more, go to: [go to] http://religioustruths.proboards59.com/index.cgi An Educational Referral Forum And then go to sub forums as follows: [1] Land Title A Summary Survey [2] Members of Islam Do Not Recognize Reality If you wish additional information and/or to discuss with me, PM me on this forum. Iris89 [« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» There are Protests here!! Mostly by Jewish Peace Groups. Posted by: yellow

» RE: One must also weigh the tragic death of Rachel Corrie against those of 20 aid workers in Somalia... Posted by: iris89

» There are Protests here!! Mostly by Jewish Peace Groups. Posted by: yellow

» RE: One must also weigh the tragic death of Rachel Corrie against those of 20 aid workers in Somalia... Posted by: iris89

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