Palestinian Militants issue deadline to Israel

CNN

Three Palestinian militant groups holding an Israeli soldier captive have set a deadline for Israel to begin releasing Palestinian prisoners or suffer the consequences. A statement from the groups said: "We are giving the Zionist enemy until tomorrow, July 4th, at 6:00 a.m. (11 p.m. EDT Monday.) If they do not answer our humanitarian demands, the enemy will be responsible for all future consequences."

They do not specify what will happen after the deadline if Israel fails to comply.

Debka

July 3, 2006, 1:37 PM (GMT+02:00)

"They do not specify the consequences if their demands are not met. “Military Community 3” issued Monday by Hamas’ armed wing, the Popular Resistance Committees and Islamic Army, says “If the enemy does not agree to our humanitarian demands, we will regard the case as closed. They add: “… the enemy will bear full responsibility for future consequences.”

Saturday, July 1, the three groups posted demands for the release of 1,500 Palestinian prisoners including women and minors and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.

DEBKAfile adds: Hamas has raised the stakes in its war of nerves against Israel, and will most probably keep tension high by repeated extensions of its deadline. Hamas views Israel’s mixed responses to the crisis as betraying vacillation and divided resolve. On the one hand, prime minister Ehud Olmert and defense minister Amir Peretz, thunder repeatedly that Israel will not succumb to blackmail and reward terrorist hostage-taking by freeing Palestinian prisoners; on the other, undercover, indirect negotiations are allowed to go forward with Hamas and its kidnap team, implying Israel's willingness to discuss freeing Palestinian prisoners for the abducted soldier.

The Palestinians are likewise not impressed by the military steps Israel has pursued in the Gaza Strip since Shalit was taken hostage:

1. Despite high-sounding declarations of intent, the IDF does not appear to be searching for the missing soldier or trying to bring the abductors under direct military pressure. Jerusalem’s sole targeted actions have been confined to diplomacy and got nowhere.

2. After their limited incursion, Israeli armored forces have been more or less stationary and left the Palestinian military build-up in the Gaza Strip unscathed.

3. The international machine Israel brought to bear on Syria - and through the Syrian ruler on Hamas-Damascus - was easily parried. The statement made by US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice Sunday night, July 2, telling Israel to beware of a humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip is interpreted by the Palestinians as warning Israel off expanding its military offensive.

Heartened by these developments, the abductors slapped down their trump card, the life of their hostage Gilead Shalit ,Monday, July 3, in a bid to goad Israel into staging its inevitable military clash clash with the Palestinians sooner rather than later, before Israeli intelligence tracks them to their lair.

In issuing its ultimatum, Hamas set the pace by proving faster on the draw than Israel in filling the vacuum left by the failed Egyptian mediation. "

What I don't get here is why 24 000 palestinian policemen and who knows how many members of the various militias in the Gaza Strip are not searching for this soldier if they really have nothing to do with the kidnappers?
I heard that the "Palestinian Street" view this case as their greatest victory in 5 years of the Intifada...I even heard that they were people dancing on the streets just like on 9/11 (no pictures from this one and it must be taken with limited amount of trust)...Maybe the PA don't want to mess with their own people ...I don't know...
What was funny is the good try the arab states made to propose UNSC resolution on the Israeli Incursion into Gaza Strip (even when no civilian death is recorded by now) but were very much with their heads in their ... when the palestian attack on the other side of the international border was made...

[edit on 3-7-2006 by ZMax]

can't a country give an ultimatum to another country to get off of their lawn?

honestly, the kidnapping of 1 person is no justification to go into another country, shell it, kidnap members of it's parliament, and make life difficult for all the innocent civilians it's left without running water and electricity.

israel needs to get it's head on straight and learn to be rational.

Originally posted by madnessinmysoul
honestly, the kidnapping of 1 person is no justification to go into another country, shell it, kidnap members of it's parliament, and make life difficult for all the innocent civilians it's left without running water and electricity.

israel needs to get it's head on straight and learn to be rational.

Gross over-simplification of this situation.

Almost everyone realizes that the Israeli response was not only due to the kidnapping of 1 soldier. It was because that kidnapping was in their eyes the 'straw that broke the camel's back'. Other issues leading up to it were the firing of hundresd of rockets from Gaza at civilian settlements by palestinian militants.

On being rational, it would be interesting to hear your take on how Israel can expect "being rational" towards the palestinians can be expected to accomplish anything when palestinians apparently consider it quite "rational" to strap on explosives and then go blow themselves up along with innocent men, women and children. The also now consider it "rational" to threaten to do the same to hospitals and schools.

Well the deadline has come and gone, Sky News is just reporting that an explosion has been heard in central Gaza strip, cause unclear at present.

CX.