COMMENTS: 33
It's Outrageous That Gaza Depends on Secret Tunnels for Access to the Outside World
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How do you rebuild 5,000 homes, businesses and government buildings when the only way supplies come into the prison called Gaza is through tunnels? Will the steel I-beams for roofs bend 90 degrees to go through the tunnels from Egypt? Will the tons of cement, lumber, roofing materials, nails, dry wall and paint be hauled by hand, load after load, 70 feet underground, through a tunnel 500 to 900 feet long and then be pulled up a 70-foot hole and put into a waiting truck in Gaza?
The gates to Gaza slammed shut again on Thursday, February 5, the day our three-person group departed Gaza, having been allowed in for only 48 hours. The Egyptian government closed the border crossing into Gaza, continuing the sixteen-month international blockade and siege. The crossing had been briefly open to allow medical and humanitarian supplies into Gaza following the devastating 22-day attack by the Israeli military. The attacks killed 1,330 Palestinians and injured over 5,500. The Israeli government said the attacks were to punish Hamas and other groups for firing unguided rockets into Israeli, rockets that over the past two years have killed about 25 Israelis. Most international observers have called the Israeli response to the rocket attacks disproportionate and collective punishment, elements of war crimes.
Today, seventeen days after the gates swung closed on Gaza, they remain firmly locked. Cease-fire talks in Cairo between the Israeli government and Hamas are stalled. Opening the border with Egypt is a contentious point in the cease-fire negotiations.
For the people of Gaza, rebuilding their homes, businesses and factories is on hold. Over 5,000 homes and apartment buildings were destroyed and hundreds of government buildings, including the Parliament building, were smashed. Building supplies, cement, wood, nails and glass will have to be brought in from outside Gaza. Two cement factories in northern Gaza were destroyed by Israeli bombs. Prime Minister Olmert's spokesperson Mark Regev said reconstruction supplies like steel and cement can be used by Hamas to build more bunkers and rockets.
Dissension in the Palestinian ranks between Fatah and Hamas continues, even after the brutal Israeli attack on Gaza. Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad wants aid (perhaps as high as $2 billion) for rebuilding Gaza to be sent directly to each homeowner in Gaza, allowing donors to avoid the elected Hamas government. The US, Israel and other countries have designated Hamas as a terrorist organization, and do not want international aid in Gaza administered by Hamas, even though the people of Gaza elected the Hamas government. On March 2, an international donor conference will be held in Egypt to discuss the costs of rebuilding Gaza.
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Comments are closed-
Posted by: salamah on Feb 26, 2009 4:13 AM
Current rating: 5 [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
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Posted by: 2thepoint on Feb 26, 2009 4:39 AM
Current rating: 2 [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
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» Israel's got more games than an Arcade
Posted by: weathered
Comments are closed-
Posted by: AndyF on Feb 26, 2009 4:39 AM
Current rating: 3 [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
I don't have any sympathy for the Israelis regarding their response to the Palestinians, but am also very tired of reading apologists for the Palestinians who neglect to mention that the goal of Hamas is the elimination of the Israeli state.
Both sides share fault and blame and no progress will be made until both sides are willing to compromise. In the absence of compromise, the weaker party will always lose. Unfortunately, the Palestinians through their election of Hamas have made the decision not to compromise.
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» RE: I'd have a lot more sympathy for the Palestinians if they
Posted by: weathered
» RE: I'd have a lot more sympathy for the Palestinians if they
Posted by: KeLe
» Why did Hamas win?
Posted by: Defenestrator
» RE: I'd have a lot more sympathy for the Palestinians if they
Posted by: sunnywater
Comments are closed-
Posted by: jstuv on Feb 26, 2009 5:00 AM
Current rating: 2 [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Can you think of a better endorsement to prevent fanatics from waging terror?
If the US had bombed the Osama bin Laden al-Qaeda terrorist training camps, earlier, the US might not have had 9/11.
[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]
» RE: Prevent fanatics from waging terror
Posted by: Erin
» RE: Prevent fanatics from waging terror
Posted by: anubeon
» RE: Prevent fanatics from waging terror
Posted by: AndyF
» RE: Prevent fanatics from waging terror
Posted by: anubeon
» RE: Prevent fanatics from waging terror
Posted by: anubeon
» RE: Prevent fanatics from waging terror
Posted by: EHarold
» The greatest WMD of them all
Posted by: weathered
Comments are closed-
Posted by: weathered on Feb 26, 2009 5:13 AM
Current rating: 4 [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
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» RE: Behold the mind of an Israeli
Posted by: AndyF
» RE: Behold the mind of an Israeli
Posted by: weathered
» It's been quantified
Posted by: Defenestrator
Comments are closed-
Posted by: jnatejr on Feb 26, 2009 6:31 AM
Current rating: 3 [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
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» RE: They need tunnels because Israel won't let ANYTHING into the occupied territories
Posted by: DCostello2
» RE: They need tunnels because Israel won't let ANYTHING into the occupied territories
Posted by: Defenestrator
Comments are closed-
Posted by: goldbeme on Feb 26, 2009 6:42 AM
Current rating: 2 [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
It is the old definition of Chutzpa - the child who murdered his parents asking for pity on a poor orphan.
Just imagine if Mexico were bombing El Paso and San Diego and claiming an inalienable right to reoccupy Houston, Dallas, and Los Angeles. What would Barack do? Bomb them into the stone age. Yes, with an 'disproportionate' response.
[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]
» RE: Making Gaza a better place
Posted by: Defenestrator
» RE: Making Gaza a better place
Posted by: sunnywater
» RE: Making Gaza a better place
Posted by: EHarold
» that is a simple-minded response
Posted by: David/Daoud
» RE: Making Gaza a better place
Posted by: login@bugmenot.com
Comments are closed-
Posted by: Defenestrator on Feb 26, 2009 9:21 AM
Current rating: Not yet rated [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
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» Massive West Bank settlement expansion planned; more illegal home destructions planned
Posted by: Defenestrator
Comments are closed-
Posted by: Beagle17 on Feb 27, 2009 9:38 AM
Current rating: 5 [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
How can the world even begin to take Israeli "diplomats" seriously when they speak of self defense and terrorism? Their soldiers defecate in people's living rooms during offensives. They leave behind hate-filled messages on walls. And as the world is now realizing, they are really into pulverizing residential areas into ruins while claiming to desire peace.
It is plain for all to see that Israeli spokespeople tell bald-faced lies to international media on a daily basis. They claim to target only Hamas, yet they often destroy the the homes they have occupied during offensives. But how could there be any terrorists there if it was just occupied by soldiers?
But the force must really be with them, for all they have to do is say, "We are not terrorists. Hamas are terrorists," and the whole world sort of plays along in a daze.
[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]
Comments are closed-
Posted by: login@bugmenot.com on Feb 28, 2009 9:51 AM
Current rating: 5 [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Israel continues to violate terms of agreements - since Oslo until today - and then its apologists, with their psudo-scientific debates come on here and pile on the Palestinians and Hamas.
Perhaps you should all get a clue before you post nonsense.
[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]
Comments are closed-
Posted by: salamah on Feb 26, 2009 4:13 AM
Current rating: 5 [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
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Comments are closed-
Posted by: 2thepoint on Feb 26, 2009 4:39 AM
Current rating: 2 [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]
» Israel's got more games than an Arcade
Posted by: weathered
Comments are closed-
Posted by: AndyF on Feb 26, 2009 4:39 AM
Current rating: 3 [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
I don't have any sympathy for the Israelis regarding their response to the Palestinians, but am also very tired of reading apologists for the Palestinians who neglect to mention that the goal of Hamas is the elimination of the Israeli state.
Both sides share fault and blame and no progress will be made until both sides are willing to compromise. In the absence of compromise, the weaker party will always lose. Unfortunately, the Palestinians through their election of Hamas have made the decision not to compromise.
[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]
» RE: I'd have a lot more sympathy for the Palestinians if they
Posted by: weathered
» RE: I'd have a lot more sympathy for the Palestinians if they
Posted by: KeLe
» Why did Hamas win?
Posted by: Defenestrator
» RE: I'd have a lot more sympathy for the Palestinians if they
Posted by: sunnywater
Comments are closed-
Posted by: jstuv on Feb 26, 2009 5:00 AM
Current rating: 2 [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Can you think of a better endorsement to prevent fanatics from waging terror?
If the US had bombed the Osama bin Laden al-Qaeda terrorist training camps, earlier, the US might not have had 9/11.
[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]
» RE: Prevent fanatics from waging terror
Posted by: Erin
» RE: Prevent fanatics from waging terror
Posted by: anubeon
» RE: Prevent fanatics from waging terror
Posted by: AndyF
» RE: Prevent fanatics from waging terror
Posted by: anubeon
» RE: Prevent fanatics from waging terror
Posted by: anubeon
» RE: Prevent fanatics from waging terror
Posted by: EHarold
» The greatest WMD of them all
Posted by: weathered
Comments are closed-
Posted by: weathered on Feb 26, 2009 5:13 AM
Current rating: 4 [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]
» RE: Behold the mind of an Israeli
Posted by: AndyF
» RE: Behold the mind of an Israeli
Posted by: weathered
» It's been quantified
Posted by: Defenestrator
Comments are closed-
Posted by: jnatejr on Feb 26, 2009 6:31 AM
Current rating: 3 [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]
» RE: They need tunnels because Israel won't let ANYTHING into the occupied territories
Posted by: DCostello2
» RE: They need tunnels because Israel won't let ANYTHING into the occupied territories
Posted by: Defenestrator
Comments are closed-
Posted by: goldbeme on Feb 26, 2009 6:42 AM
Current rating: 2 [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
It is the old definition of Chutzpa - the child who murdered his parents asking for pity on a poor orphan.
Just imagine if Mexico were bombing El Paso and San Diego and claiming an inalienable right to reoccupy Houston, Dallas, and Los Angeles. What would Barack do? Bomb them into the stone age. Yes, with an 'disproportionate' response.
[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]
» RE: Making Gaza a better place
Posted by: Defenestrator
» RE: Making Gaza a better place
Posted by: sunnywater
» RE: Making Gaza a better place
Posted by: EHarold
» that is a simple-minded response
Posted by: David/Daoud
» RE: Making Gaza a better place
Posted by: login@bugmenot.com
Comments are closed-
Posted by: Defenestrator on Feb 26, 2009 9:21 AM
Current rating: Not yet rated [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]
» Massive West Bank settlement expansion planned; more illegal home destructions planned
Posted by: Defenestrator
Comments are closed-
Posted by: Beagle17 on Feb 27, 2009 9:38 AM
Current rating: 5 [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
How can the world even begin to take Israeli "diplomats" seriously when they speak of self defense and terrorism? Their soldiers defecate in people's living rooms during offensives. They leave behind hate-filled messages on walls. And as the world is now realizing, they are really into pulverizing residential areas into ruins while claiming to desire peace.
It is plain for all to see that Israeli spokespeople tell bald-faced lies to international media on a daily basis. They claim to target only Hamas, yet they often destroy the the homes they have occupied during offensives. But how could there be any terrorists there if it was just occupied by soldiers?
But the force must really be with them, for all they have to do is say, "We are not terrorists. Hamas are terrorists," and the whole world sort of plays along in a daze.
[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]
Comments are closed-
Posted by: login@bugmenot.com on Feb 28, 2009 9:51 AM
Current rating: 5 [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Israel continues to violate terms of agreements - since Oslo until today - and then its apologists, with their psudo-scientific debates come on here and pile on the Palestinians and Hamas.
Perhaps you should all get a clue before you post nonsense.
[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]
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