Israel threatens Hamas over kidnapped soldier

[nelson]

Associated Press 6/26/06: Israel Threatens Palestinian Militants Over Captured Soldier (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,200936,00.html)

Our press always maintains that Hamas is divided into militants and other, peaceful people who do not want to eliminate Israel... the peaceful "Palestinians" who, like us, just want their freedom. Do you believe it?

Or is primitive Hamas united in their hatred of, and desire to eliminate, Israel?

I vote B.

["shazbat"]

Yes I agree that Hamas as a "party" or organization is founded on the princilple of destroying Israel.
It's been "reported" the majority of people (those who voted) voted for them because the existing controlling party has been unable to move forward and were perceived to be rampant with coruption.
In the end it matters little as the wackos that have bombs, guns and hatred of Israel will continue their crusade regardless of the party at the head of government.

[The_Man]

Hamas is nothing more than Islamic organization of terrorist and is listed as such by The United States, Israel, Canada, Australia, and The European Union. Since it’s founding in 1987 Hamas has openly stated that it wants nothing less than the total destruction Israel. The nutcase Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has also stated pretty much the same goal and Iran is one of the major financial supporters of Hamas.
Don’t get me started on what I think about the way the mainstream US press wants to shade all issues as they relate to Israel.

[The_Man]

Update link
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/I/ISRAEL_PALESTINIANS?SITE=WIMIL&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&SECTION=HOME

The rest of the world should take note of the way that Israel deals with terrorist. They get results and although diplomatic solutions are considered, Israel understands what is required to get their attention. I remember the world looking to Israel for suggestions as to securing airports after 911. Why can’t the media point out the only successful way to deal with these killers is the strategy that Israel understands and uses.

[nelson]

I couldn't agree more, The_Man. Israel knows how to speak their language. After all that Hamas has done to Israel, our pleading is probably the only reason the Israelis haven't destroyed them already.

[Sonrisa]

I think their tactics are great as far as securing their country. I just wish I was a convinced that they were on the side of right. Palestine is in the same position as my old friend, the Northern Irish, I believe, but that's another thread entirely. Desperation breeds fanaticism. I would need to go back to the very beginning wherever that is. :confused:

In Panama way back when there was a flurry of sky-jackings Panama had their first sky-jacking. The plane landed. The sky-jackers demanded that they be given an assortment of things including money or they would "kill all the passengers". The Guardia Nacional promptly without a second thought sprayed the cockpit of the plane with bullets, all the sky-jackers were killed or captured, and none of the passengers were hurt. No one ever tried to sky-jack another plane and take it to Panama.

Force and violence always win, except that you'd better be damned sure you're right because it's not reversible. You also need to be prepared for similar retaliation later on, depending on your enemy.

I used to be glad when I had a British passport because they ALWAYS came and got their citizens who were grabbed no matter what. Not any more. I do believe you're right on this, but it sucks that humanity is so unevolved.

Of course the Palestinians hate the Israeli's and visa versa. It would be naive to think anything else. To heck with the media. Common sense when applied to these situation with an eye toward human nature and human behavior will give you the most logical answer.

Sonrisa

[nelson]

Seems to happen this way every time. The "Palestinians" (i.e. the terrorists) kidnap an Israeli and demand all their terrorist friends be freed. The Israelis rightly say 'hell no' and bomb the heck out of Hamas. Then other countries bash (http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_story/0,3566,201964,00.html) those mean Israelis.

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Israeli PM Rejects Ultimatum From Soldier's Captors
Monday , July 03, 2006
http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_story/0,3566,201881,00.html

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — The Israeli prime minister has rejected an ultimatum from militant groups calling for the release of 1,500 Palestinian prisoners in an implied exchange for the life of an Israeli soldier, FOX News has learned.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office released a statement Monday that reiterated the country's non-negotiation stance: "We will not conduct any negotiations on the release of prisoners. The Palestinian Authority bears full responsibility for the welfare of Gilad Shalit and for returning him safe and sound to Israel."

Three Palestinian militant groups that captured the 19-year-old Shalit issued a statement Monday giving Israel less than 24 hours to start releasing 1,500 Palestinian prisoners.

If Israel doesn't comply with the militants' demands, "we will consider the soldier's case to be closed," it said, an apparent reference to killing him. "And then the enemy must bear all the consequences of the future results."

The ultimatum came as Israel made good on its promise to continue its military offensive until the soldier was freed, firing artillery shells and missiles into the coastal strip and massing troops and tanks along the Gaza-Israel border.

The militant groups, in a statement posted on the Web site of the ruling Hamas party's military wing, did not expressly say what the consequences would be, but implied the soldier could be killed. Israeli government spokesman Asaf Shariv said officials were studying the statement.

"We give the Zionist enemy until 6:00 tomorrow morning, Tuesday, July 4," the groups said in their statement, which was also faxed to news agencies.

Cpl. Shalit was captured June 25 in a cross-border raid by the military wing of the Palestinians' ruling Hamas party, and two allied groups, the Popular Resistance Committees and the Army of Islam.

Olmert has said repeatedly that Israel would not negotiate Shalit's release. But military chief Lt. Gen. Dan Halutz did not say no when asked by reporters if Israel should negotiate.

"We, and by that I mean the political and military echelons, will consider all that there is to be considered, then reach conclusions and act on them," Halutz said after leaving the Shalit family's home in northern Israel.

Israel has swapped prisoners before to win the release of captured citizens, alive and dead, in usually lopsided deals that hand far more prisoners to the Palestinians.

In the meantime, Israel has sent tanks, troops and warplanes to attack Gaza over the past week in an effort to press militants to free Shalit. Intensive efforts to mediate his release, involving Egypt and other countries, so far have not been successful.

There has been no sign of life from the soldier since his seizure, and no concrete evidence of his condition, though Israeli officials have said they think he is alive. The Shalit family had no immediate comment on the ultimatum.

The pan-Arab newspaper Al Hayat reported Monday that an Egyptian security team had visited the kidnapped Israeli soldier in Gaza and said he was being treated by a Palestinian doctor for "three bullet wounds." The paper did not say when the visit took place.

Shalit's captors initially demanded the release of about 500 women and children prisoners held in Israeli jails. They later raised their demands to include an additional 1,000 prisoners. Israel is currently holding about 9,000 Palestinians.

The ultimatum requires Israel only to "start" freeing the prisoners by Tuesday morning.

Hamas, which has killed hundreds of Israelis in suicide bombings, has refused to renounce violence or recognize Israel since taking power in March. But the Hamas government and Hamas leaders based in Syria have denied responsibility for the soldier's capture.

A spokesman for the Hamas government said the ultimatum was "a message to Israel that all its military escalation will not get it anywhere."

"If it continues every day to kill and target and attack, it won't get the soldier, alive or dead," spokesman Ghazi Hamad said. "That is the meaning of the message."

In their statement, Shalit's captors accused Israel of not "learning lessons" from the cases of other kidnapped soldiers. The last Israeli soldier kidnapped by Hamas, Nachshon Wachsman, died in 1994 in an Israeli commando raid on his captors' Jerusalem hide-out.

In an op-ed piece in the Haaretz newspaper, Wachsman's mother, Esther, wrote how the family, through Shalit's capture, was "once again going back" to those dark days when her son was being held. She criticized Israel's leaders for a lack of candor in dealing with abduction cases.

"I am not calling for the release of murderers, but they [Israel's leaders] should not insult our intelligence because they have negotiated and they have given in to terror," Esther Wachsman wrote, referring to cases in which Israel has swapped prisoners in the past.

When it launched its first large-scale military action in Gaza since withdrawing from the strip last summer, Israel said it declared purpose was to lean on militants to release Shalit. In statements since, government officials have said the campaign is also meant to topple the Hamas government and stop gunmen from launching rockets at southern Israel.

Early Monday, Israel massed tanks and troops across from northern Gaza, and pounded the area with artillery. At daybreak, a small force of Israeli tanks entered northern Gaza, but the military said it was a "limited" mission to find explosives and tunnels near the border fence.

Additional Israeli troops moved into place across from northern Gaza on Sunday, showing clear preparations for an invasion that was put off last week to give diplomacy more time. For months, Palestinian militants have launched homemade rockets at Israeli villages near the border fence, and Israel has been unable to stop the barrages with repeated airstrikes and artillery attacks.

Also Monday, Israeli aircraft struck Palestinian militants carrying anti-tank missiles near Israeli troops in northern Gaza, killing one, the army said. Earlier, Israeli troops killed one gunman after he and another militant approached soldiers in northern Gaza, the military said, without providing further details.

Palestinian medical officials confirmed that an armed Palestinian man had been killed in Beit Hanoun.

Despite the military operation, Israel reopened the main cargo crossing with Gaza Sunday to allow 50 trucks of food, medical supplies and fuel into Gaza from Israel. Trucks carrying diesel fuel, gasoline and natural gas also began entering northeastern Gaza through the Nahal Oz border crossing.

The Palestinian parliament, meanwhile, held its first session Monday since Israel arrested 64 top Hamas officials, including eight Cabinet ministers and 20 lawmakers, last week in the West Bank.

"By arresting those lawmakers and ministers, Israel is trying to hijack the Palestinian ... political regime, but our people will protect our political regime," said parliament speaker Abdel Aziz Duaik.

Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas, whose empty office was hit by Israeli missiles on Sunday, did not attend the session, which was convened to discuss the arrests.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.



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[The G]

This fighting has been going on for hundreds of years, they need to give them all clubs and put this thing to bed.

["shazbat"]

This fighting has been going on for hundreds of years, they need to give them all clubs and put this thing to bed.

Great idea, give me time to invest in "Hillerich & Bradsby"

[nelson]

This fighting has been going on for hundreds of yearsThat's for sure... and it will only stop when the terrorists are wiped out (if Israel is wiped out, Hamas will simply shift the focus of their hatred to the West). Over the last couple of weeks this has exploded into all-out war.

I back Israel 100%. Israel did everything the "international community" asked of it. They went through round after round of peace talks in which they were asked to negotiate with lying Muslim terrorists. They ceded lands, forcing their own citizens to relocate. But, as everyone predicted, this would not be enough for the terrorists, who, beneath the shallow veil of their politics, deeply desire the death of all Jews.

[The_Man]

I just hope that we continue to support Israel and stay out of the way long enough for Israel to seek out and destroy those responsible for this last aggression.