Gaza rocket lands near Ashkelon in southern Israel

[Eugene]

Source: BBC

26 February 2013 Last updated at 06:19 GMT

Gaza rocket lands near Ashkelon in southern Israel

A rocket fired from the Gaza Strip has landed in southern Israel - the first such attack since shortly after a ceasefire ended eight days of clashes in November, Israeli police say.

The rocket caused some damage to a road in Ashkelon but no injuries.

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Israeli police spokesman Doron Ben-Amo told the BBC a missile fired from Gaza landed in an industrial area in Ashkelon and some damage was caused to infrastructure.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack from militants in Gaza, where Egyptian mediators helped negotiate the November ceasefire.

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Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/21583481

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

1. Perhaps the international community should make it clear that every time a rocket is fired, or found

in the Palestinian territories that they lose funding for that week and it doesn't come back. In addition the IC should let the Palestinians know that the road to Statehood will be delayed indefinitely until they can prove that they will act like a non-aggressive state.

If any Israelis are killed in any rocket attacks then the deal is completely off until the Palestinians hand over those responsible for firing the projectile and all other rockets are turned over.

Fair?

I may criticize Israel a lot for what it does, but I don't see why the Palestinians believe that what they are doing is responsible in any way either.

[holdencaufield]

4. That would assume ...

... the "International Community" (whomever that might be) gives a fetid dingo's kidney about rockets aimed at Israeli civilians. I see no evidence that is the case.

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

5. Yes, HC, the entire international community "whomever that might be"

is against Israel in every single way.

Would you like some salsa to go with that chip on your shoulder?

[holdencaufield]

6. Sarcasm ...

... if you can call it that ... on your part is no proof that what I say is in any way incorrect.

What has anyone outside of Israel or the Jewish Community done to stop or even mitigate those attacks?

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

11. "...is no proof that what I say is in any way incorrect."

You could always back up what you say with proof. And when I mean proof I mean Proof.

That would assume the "International Community" (whomever that might be) gives a fetid dingo's kidney about rockets aimed at Israeli civilians. I see no evidence that is the case.

In converse you assume, by your words, that the international community doesn't gives a fetid dingo's kidney about rockets aimed at Israeli civilians.

You assume poorly.

http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/international/27-Feb-2013/fatah-fires-rocket-un-condemns

GAZA CITY - The United Nations condemned the firing of a rocket from Gaza into Israel which it said had broken the longest ceasefire between the two sides in recent years. Fighters from Fatah’s Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades fired the rocket in a response to the death of a Palestinian prisoner in an Israeli jail at the weekend. There are mounting international fears that serious new unrest could erupt in the Palestinian territories. “This was the longest period without projectiles fired from Gaza in recent years, and both sides should work to consolidate the calm that prevailed before today,” UN political chief Jeffrey Feltman told a UN Security Council meeting on the Middle East. He said the UN was “deeply troubled” by the rocket attack, which was the first since an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire ended a showdown between Gaza and Israeli forces in November. Just three weeks before a top-level visit by US President Barack Obama, his first since becoming president, Israel has been grappling with fears that the rising anger over the prisoners could spark a third intifada, or uprising. But following four consecutive days of clashes between protesters and troops, the demonstrations appeared to be tailing off on Tuesday, with Palestinian police in the northern West Bank moving to prevent protesters from gathering at Jalame checkpoint, an AFP correspondent said. Tuesday’s rocket marked the first time fighters had fired across the border in more than three months following an Egyptian-brokered truce deal which ended eight days of deadly fighting in November.

[holdencaufield]

12. Resolution number?

There is nothing I can find on the UN Website that indicates any official condemnation of Gaza attacks on Israeli civilians.

"UN political chief Jeffrey Feltman told a UN Security Council meeting on the Middle East. He said the UN was “deeply troubled” by the rocket attack"

There is nothing to indicate that he isn't "deeply troubled" by the fact that Hamas isn't using more powerful rockets.

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

13. I am deeply troubled by your sophistry.

[holdencaufield]

15. Is that your way of saying ...

... that the UN has never officially condemned Hamas for the rocket fire?

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

16. That is my way of saying

I am deeply troubled by your sophistry.

[holdencaufield]

17. Better than perfidy

[King_David]

9. Even a so called blockade

Doesn't work.

Your plan punishes ordinary Palistinians and Hamas and their fellow terrorists don't really care about them enough to stop.

[Jefferson23]

2. Hamas: Missile fired at Israel not launched from Gaza

BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- A Hamas spokesman on Tuesday denied reports that a rocket fired at southern Israel was launched from the Gaza Strip.

"This is only a lie. None of the Gaza Strip factions claimed responsibility for firing that missile, and the government is checking all the details," Ehab al-Ghussein said in a statement.

Israel is attempting to divert attention from its crimes against the Palestinian people, most recently, the death of Arafat Jadarat after being allegedly tortured in an Israeli jail, the statement added.

Earlier Monday, a rocket hit a road near the southern city of Ashkelon, Israeli police said.

The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, affiliated with Fatah, claimed responsibility for firing the rocket, a statement from the group said.

"We must resist our enemy by all available means," the group said in a statement emailed to reporters. "We stress our commitment to armed struggle against the Zionist enemy."

http://maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=569351

[JoDog]

7. If it was supposed to be a false flag

then it was not a very good one.

[Jefferson23]

3. PA, Hamas not interested in escalation

GAZA CITY (Ma’an) – A third intifada is not likely to erupt in the occupied West Bank, neither a military confrontation is expected between Israel and the Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip, say Palestinian analysts.

Two local analysts highlighted Tuesday that the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank is not interested in a third intifada, because the results would be disastrous.

Similarly, Hamas is not interested in ending the ceasefire and resuming military confrontation with Israel forces.

“The missile fired Tuesday from the Gaza Strip was just a threat, but it can’t be seen as escalation against the Israeli occupation,” the Gaza-based analyst Talal Ukal told Ma’an.

He added that the Palestinian factions operating in the coastal enclave remained committed to the Egypt-brokered ceasefire, and “would tolerate Israel’s violations to a certain extent.”

Tension prevails in the West Bank, he added, because of the prisoners’ issue, the ongoing settlement expansion and settlers’ violence and the dire economic conditions. However, the political leadership are not willing to start an intifada, and Israel “is happy with appeasement and is not interested in escalation both in the West Bank and in the Gaza Strip.”

He added that by withholding Palestinian tax revenues, Israel plans to exert a certain degree of pressure on the PA, but not too huge that it leads to deterioration. Nevertheless, he said, Israel treats the Gaza Strip as an “enemy entity” so Israel is not concerned about ceasefire even if the Palestinians are concerned.

Similarly, Shakir Shubat, a West Bank analyst, says political leaders both in the West bank and in the Gaza Strip are not interested in confrontations with the occupation. “Hamas is not interested in either an armed or a popular intifada as the movement is trying to reach a security agreement and wouldn’t prefer warfare in Gaza.”

He added that Israel seeks to restore “warm relations with Egypt.” Israel, he said, is taking advantage of Egypt’s influence on Hamas to fight arm smuggling and to shut down smuggling tunnels. The Israelis succeeded to get the Egyptian government to take certain security procedures against Hamas which the former Egyptian regime has not done, such as destroying smuggling tunnels.

http://maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=569410

[Alamuti Lotus]

8. What a 'period of calm' looks like in the Occupied Territories

Three months have passed since the ceasefire that brought an end to Israel's eight-day attack on the Gaza Strip known as Operation "Pillar of Defence". This infographic depicts the number of attacks on the Gaza Strip by the Israeli military during this three-month period, as well as the number of Palestinian attacks emanating from Gaza. Since late November, Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip have averaged over one a day, everyday. These include shootings by troops positioned along the border fence, attacks on fishermen working off the Gaza coast, and incursions by the Israeli army.

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2013/02/2013220152044327694.html

[delrem]

10. On the other hand

In the immortal wording of holdencaufield:
That those stats matter at all would assume ...
... the "International Community" (whomever that might be) gives a fetid dingo's kidney about terrorism aimed at Palestinian civilians. I see no evidence that is the case.

[King_David]

14. Thanks for repeating that

Cos he's right, so we agree.

[delrem]

18. I'm sure we do, Dave. n/t