Fierce fighting erupts in central Gaza Strip

[dArKeR]

Gaza - Fierce fighting has erupted in the central Gaza Strip early on Thursday after Israeli forces surged into a Hamas stronghold in the Nusserat refugee camp in a bid to arrest a Hamas militant.

Palestinian gunmen fired dozens of anti-tank grenades, set off landmines and fired from automatic weapons at the forces as they surrounded the house of a Hamas militant, sparking one of the heaviest gun battles in the Gaza Strip for months.

Helicopter gunships were called in to back-up the Israeli forces and they fired at least two missiles at the building, camp residents said.

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=123&art_id=qw106385076162B253&set_id=1

[LastDemInIdaho]

1. So that's where all the PA money for food and relief went

"Palestinian gunmen fired dozens of anti-tank grenades, set off landmines and fired from automatic weapons at the forces as they surrounded the house of a Hamas militant"

Instead of feeding their people they use the money to protect their hamas terrorists with a wide assortment of weaponry. Landmines? How progressive of them.

[pretzel4gore]

2. you're a citizen of a country

that spends HALF the entire human race military budget on itself, and you criticize the Palestinians for trying to defend themselves? and against helicopter gunships firing rockets into apartment building etc?
Israel is the oppressor in this case, it appears despite massive pro israeli media coverage

[LastDemInIdaho]

5. Palestinians for trying to defend themselves?

Read it again. The Palestinians were defending the hamas terrorists.

Are you one of those that believes hamas has a right to exist after murdering all the Jews they have in cold blood?

[el_gato]

10. useless label

Isreal calls anybody who resists them terrorists

The palestinians have a right to fight back

[Scurrilous]

3. So, that's where all the foreign aid we provide Israel went.

"Helicopter gunships were called in to back-up the Israeli forces and they fired at least two missiles at the building, camp residents said."

Instead of caring for their people, the Israeli's use the money to buy a wide assortment of weaponry to employ against Palestinians. Helicopter gunships? How progressive of them. <sigh/>

[LastDemInIdaho]

6. Israel is feeding their people

The PA isn't. Thanks for playing.

[Scurrilous]

7. No..thank you!

http://www.jerusalemites.org/editorial/58.htm

Survey: one million people is suffering from hunger in Israel.

"According to a report commissioned by the Ministry of Health, 22 per cent of Israeli citizens, or one million people are too poor to maintain a balanced diet."

[Violet_Crumble]

4. That's strange. I thought it went straight into Arafat's bank account...

I wish you guys would get yr stories straight ;)

It seems to me that Israel is labelling any militant a member of Hamas and guessing correctly that the folk who don't like to think too hard about these things swallow it hook, line and sinker. Palestinians don't have a right to bear arms to defend themselves? Hey, what about Iraqis? Yrs is a strange attitude given yr wildly pro-gun stance in the gun dungeon...

Violet...

[LastDemInIdaho]

8. No guns for criminals

The PA that protect hamas felons are criminals. Same for Iraqis protecting Saddam. Guns for law abiding citizens.

[Violet_Crumble]

9. Felons?

Y'know, pretty much outside the US there's no such thing as a felon. Show me some proof that the PA protects Hamas members. I thought Hamas hated the PA and the feeling was mutual. And some proof that Iraqis resisting the US occupation are protecting Saddam would be nice as well...

Uh, there's plenty of Americans who aren't law abiding citizens running round armed to the teeth thanks to the complete lack of gun control over there...

Violet...

[tinnypriv]

11. Funny you should say that

The PA arrested a bunch of Hamas guys the other day after they'd kidnapped a PA official.

Hamas hates the PA because they're quislings and mostly secular.

[Darranar]

12. Sort of like Al Qaeda and Saddam? n/t

n/t

[bemildred]

13. You have to wonder it the "Hamas Felons" have a right

to defend themselves, or are they just supposed to stand
up with signs that says "Hamas Felon" and has a big target
underneath? But that kind of thinking would interfere with
the hate orgy. In any case, it seems a bit unrealistic to
expect them to lay down like doormats, or to expect the
general population to get involved on the side of their
buddies in the IDF, a fellow could get shot that way, and
not even know which side nailed him.

The reason I bring it up is that it seems that a good portion of
the Palestinian population at this point would be assigned to
the category of "Hamas Felons", and the GOI at present seems
to be doing its best to drive the rest into that category too.

[Darranar]

14. True enough...

though I don't think that actual members of Hamas who plot to kill innocent Israelis have a right to defend themselves against a force with the true purpose of stopping the killings of all innocent people. Of course, just because they don't have a right to resist justice doesn't mean that I think they won't try to, anyway...

[bemildred]

15. Hey D, how you doing?

I just don't think arguing about "rights" and "morals"
when you are hunting some people down to kill them rises
much above the level of mental masturbation. If rules and
ethics had much to do with it, you would not be there in
the first place.

So if you go in with guns, expect them to pick theirs up too,
and apply your attention to what they are up to. Hate makes
you stupid, and you can't afford to be stupid in a firefight.

[Darranar]

16. I don't disagree...

As I said above, they don't really care whether they have a right in my mind to resist or not - who would?

[bemildred]

17. I don't think anybody cares all that much what we say here,

except us. That's one of the things I like about it,
nothing earthshaking at stake, no way for anybody to
compel anybody to think or do anything, the only law is
the Mods and their only weapon is removal of things they
consider to be out of line. The World would be a better place
if it worked similarly. Suppose the Israelis and Palestinians
could just put each other on ignore?

[Darranar]

18. That would be an interesting situation...

However, who would be the moderators, and who would control them?

[bemildred]

19. I expect that would be a contentious issue.

Let's stick with the "ignore" fantasy for now.

[pschoeb]

20. You can't read

It doesn't say PA gunmen, it just says they are Palestinian, they could be anybody, maybe their just other Hamas. Considering Israel is in the habit of killing rather indiscriminatly to get so called Hamas militants, and bulldoze random buildings, why not.

A far as the issue of landmines, maybe you would like to talk to the Lebanese farmers who are blown away by the landmines Israel left there(130,000 of them). At least the Palestinians put them on there own territory and not some other country.

Patrick Schoeb