27 June 2006

Behind the Scenes, Apartheid Israel Plans a Massacre

Minute-by-minute the clock continues to tick, counting down the near-certain intensification of Apartheid Israel's occupation of Palestine. On the ground, the Palestinian people overwhelmingly back a swap of prisoners. Khaled Abu Toameh reports in today's pro-Apartheid Jerusalem Post:
Eighty-two percent of Palestinians are of the opinion that the kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit should only be released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, a survey conducted by the Palestinian news agency Ma'an reported on Tuesday...

On Monday, many families and groups appealed to the Hamas kidnappers not to release the soldier unless Israel agreed to set free a large number of prisoners.

In Ramallah and Gaza City, the relatives of some of the prisoners held press conferences during which they urged the kidnapers to resist efforts to release Shalit without security the release of their sons. The families also staged sit-in protests outside the offices of the International Committee for the Red Cross to demand the release of their sons.
Such a demands echo 'Military Statement 1' which gave the demands of the three groups who staged the operation. Their communique read: "The Occupation will not get any information about its missing soldier unless it abides by the following: release all female prisoners in Israeli jails... and children under the age of 18."

Fearing that many would find their demands reasonable, Apartheid Israel flatly rejected the idea of negotiation and deployed domestic spies to actively disrupt attempts to resolve the conflict. Meanwhile, they continue to plan for an invasion.

Quoting from a speech given by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, The Daily Star reported on such plans:
"The question of releasing prisoners is not on the agenda of the Israeli government at all."

"The moment when we will launch a large-scale military operation is approaching. We will not wait indefinitely, because we have no intention of being blackmailed by Hamas..."
The piece continued, announcing the intensification of the already crippling siege:
He added that Gaza had been "totally isolated by land and by sea," and that no one was being allowed to enter or exit.

"It's a first step. We will take others with patience and with level heads, but with great firmness," Olmert said. "[Sunday] I instructed the heads of the army to deploy our forces in order to be ready to prepare for a prolonged and extensive military operation in order to strike the terror organizations and commanders. We will reach everyone, anywhere and they know. There will be no immunity for anyone."
According to anonymous Egyptian officials, Ha'aretz reports that "Egypt," ever the lacky of Apartheid Israel (thanks largely to the annual bribe Uncle Sam pays Mubarak to remain its ally), "deployed 1,200 riot police along its border with the Gaza Strip by Tuesday in an effort to stop any Palestinian attempts to cross illegally in the event of an Israeli raid."

What will such a raid mean for the Palestinian people?

Middle East Online quoted cabinet minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer, who warned that it could commence with the kidnapping of Palestine's highest-profile politicians.

"If we start with kidnappings, Israel has no problem entering the Gaza Strip and kidnapping half the Palestinian government.... They have to understand one thing, that nobody is immune, including [Hamas' Damascus-based leader] Khaled Meshal. Nobody is immune," Ben-Eliezer told army radio on day three of the hostage crisis.

Ha'aretz reports on how the operation will proceed if launched:
A large military contingent has been massed on the Gaza border since Sunday night. Dozens of tanks and armored personnel carriers are gathered near Sderot. If necessary, the army will deploy two brigade-level combat teams from Givati and Golani, along with armored troops.
Apartheid Israel's occupying military will not attack in order to release the prisoner, however. Instead, the paper reports, "The entry of large-scale ground forces would essentially be a punitive operation if negotiations fail."

The aim, in other words, is collective punishment against all Palestinians. The piece continues:
Military sources conceded last night that these forces do not intend to rescue the soldier. If such a mission is decreed, special units would be requested to carry it out. The troop concentration, along with direct death threats against Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, are meant to clarify Israel's later intentions if its demands are not met...
Such an attack, if launched, will no doubt be terribly punishing. But practically, it will solve nothing. It will not end the Palestinian Resistance, as the Jerusalem Post noted today:
Even as IDF forces were massing in large numbers on Gaza's border for a possible ground incursion to rescue kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit, three Kassam rockets were fired from Gaza into Israel Monday evening...

As a result of the hit, four people were lightly injured from shrapnel, and were taken to Ashkelon's Barzilai Hospital. Sderot Spokesman Yossi Cohen said that in the course of the evening, a total of 11 people had been treated for shock. At least one person also suffered from cardiological distress as a result of the latest Kassam barrage.
Bedwetting... shock... cardiological distresss: as Apartheid Israel proves itself unwilling to fight and die on behalf of these White Colonialist Settlers, petty complaints may bring the occupation of Palestine to an end.
The rocket caused damage to the electrical lines causing a power outage throughout the city, according to the report....

The rocket fire comes as Islamic Jihad claimed to have developed a new longer-range rocket to be used against Israeli targets, Channel 1 reported. The groups said the new "Quds 4" projectile has a range of 20 kilometers, three times longer then the crude Kassam rockets.

On Sunday, Fatah announced that they had biological and chemical weapons capabilities. They said that they would not hesitate to use unconventional warheads on missiles.
It's becomming increasingly clear that the White Colonialist occupiers have a choice to make in very short order: return Palestine to the Palestinians or continue to suffer political defeats that stem from Apartheid policies.