Max Peck /
On Thursday, Israel’s defense minister promised to continue the counter-offensive against Gaza – this in response to the recent onslaught of rocket attacks from Palestinian Hamas militants. Later that day, at least 20 Palestinians were killed by Israeli air strikes, four of the dead being children.
Another airstrike hit a Palestinian police station, demolishing it.
Almost 90 rockets have hit the Israeli state since Wednesday, killing one Israeli and wounding several others. On Wednesday almost immediately following the Hamas’ attacks, Israeli’s answer consisted in air-striking Gaza, killing 11 people, including three children (one three-month old).
The only defense for Israeli common-people is crouch in their bomb shelters, which are being quickly constructed to defend against the constant barrage of rockets, which are fired on almost a daily basis. Sderot, an Israeli city, is the most common target because it is the closest city of significance to the Palestinian-inhabited Gaza area.
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said she discussed the situation with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in a meeting Thursday in Japan, where she voiced both personal and political concerns. "I'm concerned about the humanitarian condition there and innocent people in the Gaza who are being hurt," she said. Meanwhile, Olmert stubbornly promised his people that he would not “slacken” in his fight against Hamas, promising violent retaliation.
This is looking extremely dismal, to say the least. Everyone with the slightest knowledge of the Israeli-Palestinian disputes must be dismayed by the recent developments in this area, since on some levels it had seemed that something resembling peace might be achieved, even if for a short amount of time. This is an extremely important story, since it’s not entirely out of the question for the U.S. to get involved to save their economic baby, Israel, if things get too out of hand.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/02/28/mideast/index.html
(Associated Press)
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