• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

Israel readies plan to start kicking ass if current negotiations fail

glenn1

glenn1

Lifer
Story link

JERUSALEM, March 24 -- As the United States tries to mediate a truce in the Middle East, Israeli military planners are preparing for a major assault on Palestinian cities, towns and refugee camps that would be broader and deeper than the offensive undertaken earlier this month, according to Israeli officials.

The officials, speaking on condition they not be identified, emphasized that they intended to give every chance for the cease-fire negotiations under the U.S. envoy, Anthony C. Zinni, to succeed. But they expressed pessimism that the talks would lead to a durable end to violence and terrorist attacks against Israelis.

If the talks fail as Palestinian violence continues, there is widespread and growing support both in Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's government and in the army for what one official called a "comprehensive military confrontation" with the Palestinians.

"The next days might be crucial, because if we don't succeed [in the cease-fire talks], we may come to the conclusion that there is no hope, and we have to choose the other way," said one highly placed Israeli official.

The Israeli warnings seem designed both to prepare domestic and international public opinion for a new round of bloodshed, and to induce the Palestinians to crack down on militant groups and accede to Israel's terms for a truce. However, previous warnings have been met with Palestinian threats and attacks. Western criticism of Israeli aggression has generated sympathy for the Palestinian cause.



 


<< Good. >>



A-men. Is Israel supposed to sit there and let the terrorists pick them off 5-10 at a time? The problem is not going away, so eradicate the people causing the problem. These terrorists only understand force and violence, they're just not any good at it, so they need to resort to blowing up buses, discos and restaurants. On the other hand, the Isaeli military is very good at it, so let the terrorists see some professionals at work.
 
I say let the the Palestinians have all that hardware that was seized on that ship, plus a few other goodies like anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles, then let Israel and the Palestinians fight it out until the last man is standing. That man wins.
 
Sounds like a PR ploy... but then again, Arafat really doesn?t want a Palestinian country, or if he is, it sure doesn't look like it.
 
Here's another snippet from the same story:

Israeli newspapers have also reported in recent days that Sharon has told the Bush administration to expect an escalation if no cease-fire is achieved. For instance, Shimon Schiffer, arguably Israel's best-connected political reporter, wrote in the newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth today that when Vice President Cheney visited Israel last week, Sharon "reached an agreement" with him that if Zinni's mission fails, Washington would support Israeli strikes on the Palestinians. U.S. officials did not deny the report.
 
First Israelis take out halfof Palestinian police, now they demand from Arafat to control the terrorists. Where is the logic?

It'll be the stupidest thing to do for the US to support such a development of the conflict that Israel is planning.

Never forget.
 
SpyKey

Few of the actual police have been killed. It is the buildings that are being targeted as a symbolic gesture.

Arafat has the capabilty to defuse the situation if he wishes to.

If he can not stop what he started, then the Palestinians need a new leadership.

The police have demonstrated that they can be effective, however, PLO politics prevent the police from continuing what they are asked to do by the offical leaders.
 


<< It'll be the stupidest thing to do for the US to support such a development of the conflict that Israel is planning. >>



Just playing devil's advocate, one could IMHO be fair in making the argument that the U.S. wouldn't be "supporting the development of the conflict" if Israel resorts to increased military force, but rather simply not leaning on Israel to not take such an action.... we'd simply be standing aside and letting the two sides go at each other rather than trying to keep one or both sides on a leash.
 
I wonder what that'll achive. I'd put my money on more violence from the palestinians.

<shrug> Its not like I care though, let the idiots kill themselves.
 


<< we'd simply be standing aside and letting the two sides go at each other rather than trying to keep one or both sides on a leash >>

Well, its not quite that simple. We are inextricably implicated no matter what happens.

One wealthy and well equipped side (US money and arms) will be going at an impoverished and virtually disarmed side (due to U.S influence WRT arms and trade restrictions). It doesn't take a genius to figure out what that will be like...a Palestinian boy throws a rock at an Israeli tank then ducks behind a couple houses, so the Israeli army shells the entire row of houses with tank rounds in "defense" of themselves.

Sticks, rocks, bottles, and AK-47's against the best modern tanks, machine guns, grenades, Cobra gunships and F-16's (all paid for by U.S taxpayers).
 
I fully support an Israeli assault. Arafat has been directly and indirectly involved in how many dozen sucide bombings on Isreali citizens. He is fully capable of stopping them if he wanted to, yet he doesn't even try negotiations. From my point of view, these Palestinian bombers are exactly the same as Al Qaida or however you spell it. If we are allowed to go hunt those bastards down and kill them, I give Israel my full support for them to do the same.
 
Israel either does what every other middle east country has done, kick the Palestinians out and claim their land. Or cede Israel and wind up with helecopter evacuations on top of the American Embassy while their country is overwhelmed with invaders. There's no middle ground or compromise here.
 


<< Check your history!

This has all the earmarks of the start of WorldWar3.

I hope and pray that they can mediate. >>


oh yeah, you're right. this is exactly how WWI and WWII started.
 
First Israelis take out halfof Palestinian police, now they demand from Arafat to control the terrorists. Where is the logic? Never Forget

Wow spykey I never new that, I must have missed that one, and I have taken many classes including a Middle east politics course last fall, which got kinda screwed up when on 9/11 we had 50 more people in our class and basically talked about 9/11 non stop for the first 40 minutes of a 50 minute class everyday.

I think that if we blindly support Israel,which many countries claim to have taken genocidinal acts against the Palestinians then we are making a huge mistake. Most of the countries in the region already think we are blindly on Israels side but, if we get involved in this their is going to be trouble.
 
Hmm, strange how Sharon's government policy is apparently gaining support, while I remember reading in several newspapers lately that people are losing trust in Sharon's abilities to lead the country.
 
There are some dumb people on this board calling for more aggression,

have any of you look at the number of people which have died so-far in this conflict,

the numbers you hear about are just part of the story hundreds more have died than what have reached western ears the vast majority of these innocent Palastinians,

sticks and stones against gunships, why do you think they have to resort to sucide bombings

and no i do not agree with bombing innocent people or buses, but they could stick one up Sharrons arse and a lot of people would be happy.

Give the Palastinians back their country and arrest Sharron for war crimes, then peace would be more likely


 
I am with Marshy on this one. Just give those people back what is rightfuly theirs, move the capital of Israel back to Tel-Aviv, and then Arabs will start talking to Israel.

I don't know what is worst in this situation, people that wire themselves with dynamite and then blowing themselves up in the middle of the crowds, or the state which says to its troops it's OK to shoot unarmed people. The ratio for the last couple of years is 3 Palestinians : 1 Israeli. I am sure it is higher if we'll start counting from the beginning of the last century.
 


<<
I don't know what is worst in this situation, people that wire themselves with dynamite and then blowing themselves up in the middle of the crowds, or the state which says to its troops it's OK to shoot unarmed people. The ratio for the last couple of years is 3 Palestinians : 1 Israeli. I am sure it is higher if we'll start counting from the beginning of the last century. >>



Tip of the iceberg.......🙁
 


<< I am with Marshy on this one. Just give those people back what is rightfuly theirs, move the capital of Israel back to Tel-Aviv, and then Arabs will start talking to Israel.

I don't know what is worst in this situation, people that wire themselves with dynamite and then blowing themselves up in the middle of the crowds, or the state which says to its troops it's OK to shoot unarmed people. The ratio for the last couple of years is 3 Palestinians : 1 Israeli. I am sure it is higher if we'll start counting from the beginning of the last century. >>



The state doesn't say it's ok to shoot unarmed people. The state just understands, as you apparently don't, that war is hell. Try fighting in crowded city streets. That's what happens, and they only have themselves to blame. Maybe if their fathers, brothers, uncles and cousins wouldn't be blowing themselves up in croded Jerusalem shopping malls, then Israeli bullets wouldn't be hitting unarmed civillians. Israeli soldiers are not targeting civillians, however, civillians regretfully, do die in war. It's unavoidable. Israel can't just sit back and "fight nicely". Their country and citizens are at stake. Sure, let's just give back to the Palestinians what is "rightfully" theirs. Why is it that the arabs never had this problem when the British took their land away? Or when the Ottoman Empire took their land away? Why weren't they blowing themselves up then? Simple one word answer. HATRED. That's it. One fact is unavoidable. Israeli soldiers are not trying to kill Paelstinian civillians; while Palestinian suicide bombers are TRYING to kill Israeli civillians.
 


<< One word BULL >>



That was deep and profound. Now go back to your armchair, thousands of miles away from this conflict. It always amuses me how those so far removed from this situation, in a different region of the world, in a completely different culture, presume to accurately understand what is going on there. Not only that, but then they cast judgement, since they are so deeply involved as to understand who is right and who is wrong.
 
We werent supplying Isreal with anything in 1967 and they kicked the CRAP out of all those Arab countries. Saying the Arabs will all of the sudden stop hating Isreal if Isreal gives back land IT WON WHEN THE OTHER COUNTRIES LINED UP TO ATTACK THEM, is rediculous. Oh, and the Isreali's didnt take their land in the first place, JORDAN kicked them out after slughtering them of course.
WHo would you rather live next to, a country like Isreal where equality of the sexes is promoted and their is voting, a legal system and judicial system? Or some Arab country led by a militant dictator or Monarchy that oppresses its people and starves them in order to make themselves wealthier?
WHy is all the terrorism in this world linked to Islamic fundamentalists mostly of Middel Eastern or Arab decent?
Who would you rather have the US give weapons to, a country like Isreal who you NEVER have to fear that they would be used against you, or support some ARAB country where there is a 90% chance they would LUV to blow you out of the water?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top