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Israel continues its attacks into Gaza
Official pledges 'all-out war against Hamas and its kind'
AP Photo
Palestinian women cross a street during Palestinian clashes with Israeli troops in the Shuafat refugee camp on the outskirts of Jerusalem.
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Published: December 30, 2008
JERUSALEM
Residents of the Gaza Strip braced yesterday for a long-feared Israeli tank incursion as warplanes pounded the bottled-up coastal enclave for a third successive day.
The Palestinian Authority, based in the West Bank, announced the suspension of peace talks with Israel in protest of the Israeli campaign against the militant Hamas movement, which controls Gaza. But Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak promised an "all-out war against Hamas and its kind."
As a third day of multiple airstrikes pushed the Gazan toll to 364 killed and about 1,400 wounded, according to local medical sources, Barak spoke at a stormy session of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament.
"This operation will be widened and deepened as we see fit," said Barak, who promised "war to the bitter end" to neutralize the rocket fire from Gazan militants that has plagued southern Israeli towns.
Several Arab parliamentarians were ejected for heckling and interrupting Barak's speech.
"There are those who are profiting from Palestinian blood in order to get elected," said Mohammed Barakeh, shortly before being thrown out of the session.
Among yesterday's targets in Gaza were Hamas' Interior Ministry and the homes of two senior military commanders in the movement. The ministry had been evacuated days ago, and there were no casualties. But the attack on the home of Maher Zaqout, a commander with the Izzidin al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas' military wing, killed seven civilians. Zaqout was not home at the time; like many of Hamas' senior leaders, he went into hiding when the attacks began.
Hamas and other militant factions launched at least 50 rockets into southern Israel, killing three Israelis and injuring many others. The day's attacks were one of the deadliest by Hamas to date, as the militant group has shown a capability to strike deeper into Israel than ever despite the assault.
Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said yesterday that Israel is trying to avoid civilian casualties, whereas Hamas is "looking for children to kill."
Israel declared the area around Gaza a closed military zone, ordering out journalists who were observing the buildup of soldiers and tanks near the enclave. The number of Israeli soldiers on the border has been doubled, according to news reports, and officials approved calling in 6,500 reserves. The expulsion of the journalists only deepened fears among Gazans that a tank assault was imminent.
Israel closed the main border crossing with Gaza at the start of the attacks Saturday, preventing most Western journalists from entering Gaza to report on the conflict. Limited shipments of humanitarian and medical supplies have been allowed in from Israel and through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt.
The Israeli offensive continued to inflame Palestinian public opinion throughout Israel and the occupied West Bank.
Yesterday, a Palestinian laborer stabbed four Israelis in a West Bank settlement. One of the wounded was in serious condition, and the attacker was shot as he tried to escape and later arrested.
Clashes between Palestinians and Israeli soldiers continued throughout the West Bank, particularly in Hebron, where 18 people were hospitalized, some suffering from tear-gas inhalation or injuries from rubber bullets.
Many shops in predominantly Arab East Jerusalem were closed in protest, and a firebomb was thrown at the entrance of Jerusalem's Hadassah Hospital late yesterday.
Rising public anger has left the Palestinian Authority struggling to control demonstrations. Palestinian police have broken up numerous protests in recent days, and several officials have warned of the dangers of public unrest spreading through the West Bank. Hamas leaders in Syria and Hassan Nasrallah, the head of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, have called for the start of a third Palestinian intifada, or mass uprising.
The Palestinian Authority is controlled by the Fatah faction, Hamas' enemy. Hamas defeated Fatah in January 2007 parliamentary elections, but the militant group immediately was shunned by Israel and most Western powers for its refusal to formally accept the Jewish state's right to exist. After a Hamas-Fatah unity government collapsed in summer 2007, Hamas routed Fatah forces and took full control of Gaza.
Fatah controls only the West Bank and the Palestinian Authority, and its leaders continue to walk a tightrope between criticizing Hamas and appearing to support the Israeli assault.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas courted controversy Sunday by saying that Hamas was responsible for ending a six-month truce with Israel 10 days ago.
Yesterday, the Palestinian Authority shifted to a public show of support for Gazan victims, if not for Hamas. In Ramallah, the de facto capital of the West Bank, senior Palestinian negotiator Ahmed Qureia said that peace negotiations with Israel would be suspended in protest.
"There can be no negotiations while this Israeli aggression is continuing," Qureia said.
The move was largely symbolic; the negotiations, intended to produce an agreement that creates an independent Palestinian state, have shown few signs of progress after more than a year. What little momentum the talks possessed has dissipated in recent months as Israeli politicians shifted focus to national elections scheduled for Feb. 10.
U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon criticized both Hamas and Israel yesterday afternoon for the violence. Ban has described the Israeli attack as "excessive" in recent days.
"All this must stop. Both Israel and Hamas must halt their acts of violence and take all necessary measures to avoid civilian casualties. A cease-fire must be declared immediately. They must also curb their inflammatory rhetoric," Ban said yesterday. "Only then can dialogue start."
He also said that world leaders and Arab governments have not moved quickly enough to help resolve the dispute.
Arab League foreign ministers are scheduled to meet Wednesday to form a common position on the Israeli attacks. Hamas leaders, however, frequently say that such moderate Arab states as Egypt are secretly pleased with the campaign to weaken Hamas, which they say Egypt views with suspicion.
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