NEWS: State of Emergency Declared in Gaza

The Palestinian Authority has declared a State of Emergency in the Gaza strip as Israel undertakes a large offensive to stop militants from firing rockets into Israel and Israeli settlements. An emergency cabinet meeting is scheduled for later in the day.



Clearly there is an escalation of violence in the region. Both sides of this dispute are equally responsible for what is occurring. The Palestinian Authority has a difficult task in front of them, reigning in militants, and placating them at the same time.

Related News Links:
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This could end up being really ugly. The new Al-Qaeda tape release calls for the defense of Palestine, and calls for Muslims to rise up. I do not believe "International" Airports are as well equipped to deal with any screenings, so this may come into play. Short flights in the Middle East vacinity could very well become weapons.

The Palestinian Authority has a difficult task in front of them, reigning in militants, and placating them at the same time.

Since the PA is a militant group, and Yarafat still can give orders to al-Fatah, this is a rather disingenious statement. The majority of responsibility lay with the PA. The palestinians lost the war with Israel. The Israelis are only responsible insofar as they remain there and present themselves as targets. The PA bear the majority of responsiblity for this. The are not supposed to 'placate' militants, they are supposed to arrest, detain, and execute. They are supposed to sign a peace treaty, or live under war.

The Israelis are calling this operation 'Days Of Penetince' (howsthat for an operation name, forgot 'operation iraqi freedom', thats a good name. The Palestianians are calling for a counter and naming it 'Days of Rage' or somesuch and are calling for general strikes in some towns). Its involving hundreds of armoured vehicles (tanks, mechanized infantry, etc) and the Israelis are aparently also setting up semi-permantent military camps on the border, people suggest that this is going to be a long offensive, not the usual punitive expeditions.

While I certainly don't agree with many of Israel's policies, I will hand it to them for understanding their foes. From what I've seen, Israel has actually made progress in reducing the amount of terror attacks within their borders.

Regardless of what you think of their "scortched earth" policy, it has been effective. Tearing down the homes that terrorists use, smashing the taxis that have given them rides, confiscating the businesses that let them run a bomb factory in the back, all these have meant that the militants find less of a safe haven among their own people.

I have heard through friends there that the State also pays huge money for good intelligence on terrorists. This is also working, because much of the Palestinian support is actually for economic as much as religious reasons.

I wish I had access to the number of bombings per month in Israel; my intuition at least makes me think it has declined in the last 6 mo.

We may be going back to the "detente" of the late 90's, when most attacks on Israel were rocket attacks from just outside their borders. Which is one more reason why land for peace looks pretty foolish. Any land that Israel gives up is just a springboard for deeper rocket attacks.

Originally posted by Nygdan
Since the PA is a militant group, and Yarafat still can give orders to al-Fatah, this is a rather disingenious statement. The majority of responsibility lay with the PA. The palestinians lost the war with Israel. The Israelis are only responsible insofar as they remain there and present themselves as targets. The PA bear the majority of responsiblity for this. The are not supposed to 'placate' militants, they are supposed to arrest, detain, and execute. They are supposed to sign a peace treaty, or live under war.

I agree with you on this. Arafat is a large part of the problem. The PA however is not "exclusively" Arafat. Querria needs to be allowed to assert himself and do the things you have said, arrest, detain, and convict militants. Arafat is just getting in the way.

When I say "placate the millitants", I mean to create conditions in the Gaza strip where people do not feel as if they have not options. A person without options is a desperate person who will take desperate actions. The PA is responsible for the horrendous conditions in their territories.

Both sides are responsible for building the peace there. Israel can't do it alone, or with an unwilling partner.

Glad to see there is some commong ground here. I'll focuse on the differences right now (well, that is where things get interseting no?)

Originally posted by phreak_of_nature
When I say "placate the millitants", I mean to create conditions in the Gaza strip where people do not feel as if they have not options.

It would be a good way to solve some of the probliems, unfortunately the people living in the gaza strip have no options. They can either live under occupation and suffer attacks at the hands of israelis and launch counter attacks, or they can make a decent peace deal/compromise with the israelis. Otherwise, its just going to be more killing. With the security wall, well, the disproportionate amount of death in the palestinian side is only going to get more and more disproportionate.

Israel can't do it alone, or with an unwilling partner.

I think that, and I'll agree its superunlikely, Israel can just build the security wall, and then abandon the Occupied Terroritories. The palestinians would have much less of a leg to stand on then if they weren't occupied and effectively independant, and the israelis would be much more justified in attacking them in response to attacks on the wall and in israel.

There is a lesson in here, isn't there? Over a half a century later in this latest conflict, the Palestinians armed with vastly inferior weapons, and human bombs will not bend to what they see as occupiers and or oppressors.

It all brings to mind another group of insurgents; The Maccabees.

Iw ould not have used such a bland headline, how about Sharon starts fighting fighting with death or... Sharon sees violence as the "endloesung" (final solution) to the palestinian problem.

Man what a little nazi that Sharon is... wanted for war crimes by Belgium...