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Subscribe to RSSIsrael and Gaza enter a second day of deadly exchanges that erupted after a Hamas military leader was killed in an Israeli missile attack. Israelis maintain that deadly strike was in retaliation for Palestinian rocket attacks. ITV's Paul Davies reports.
News analysis
TEL AVIV, Israel - Unilateral Israeli military attacks are not unexpected in this part of the world, as the wars with Gaza in 2008 and Lebanon in 2006 show.
In the past, Israel, with help from the United States, could rely on the acquiescence of the Egyptian government to do nothing. This week's attacks, the first large-scale Israeli operation since Arab Spring revolts erupted and toppled governments throughout the region, will seriously test whether the United States and Israel can still depend on Egypt's new government to hold the line.
Egypt's reaction to Israel's bombing was swift.
Baz Ratner / Reuters
Israeli soldiers watch as an Iron Dome launcher fires an interceptor rocket near the southern city of Beersheba on Thursday.
"The Israelis must realize that this aggression is unacceptable and would only lead to instability in the region and would negatively and greatly impact the security of the region," Egypt's President Mohammed Morsi said in a televised address on Thursday.
In a post-revolutionary Egypt, one where the country's foreign policy is expected to be more closely aligned with the will of the people, the latest round of Israeli strikes is sure to test Egypt's willingness go along with Israel and the United States. More importantly, it will test whether the United States' international priorities still hold sway in Egypt.
ANALYSIS: Israel, Gaza slide closer to war neither side wants
But whether or not the Israeli strikes on Hamas anger the Egyptian government, the key question is, what can Egypt actually do?
Egypt, which has acted as a mediator between Hamas and Israel since 2007, recalled its ambassador in protest to what it called Israel's aggression on the people of Gaza. It has summoned the Israeli ambassador to Cairo for a diplomatic dress down. It has also pushed for a United Nations Security Council meeting and will convene an Arab League gathering.
Egypt's ruling Freedom and Justice Party, and by extension the Muslim Brotherhood, has condemned the attacks and called for a strong international response. Already there are protest rallies and marches in solidarity with the people of Gaza being organized in Cairo.
Israel: Three civilians killed by rockets fired from Gaza as violence escalates
Many in Egypt aren't sure what any of these moves will amount to. At the end of the day, any international measure condemning Israel will have to go through the U.N. and will most likely be vetoed by the United States.
So Israeli actions in Gaza will test the United States' evolving relationship with Egypt post-Hosni Mubarak, the U.S.-backed dictator who was deposed in 2011.
Three Israelis were killed when their apartment building was struck by a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip, an attack that intensified tensions between Israel and Palestinian militants. The incident came after Hamas' top military commander and seven others were killed in a series of airstrikes by the Jewish state. NBC's Martin Fletcher reports.
The White House said on Wednesday that Obama had spoken to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Egypt's Morsi, and reiterated U.S. support for Israel's right to self-defense in light of rocket attacks from Gaza.
"The president urged Prime Minister Netanyahu to make every effort to avoid civilian casualties. The two agreed that Hamas needs to stop its attacks on Israel to allow the situation to de-escalate," the statement said. "The president also spoke with President Morsi given Egypt's central role in preserving regional security. In their conversation, President Obama condemned the rocket fire from Gaza into Israel and reiterated Israel's right to self-defense."
These and other initial statements out of Washington have been received with great disappointment on the Arab street. Unlike in the past, the Arab street increasingly matters to more responsive Arab governments.
Hatem Moussa / AP
Palestinian mourners carry the body of Hamas' top military commander Ahmed Jabari, who was killed in an Israeli strike on Wednesday, during his funeral in Gaza City, on Thursday,
Many in Egypt blame Palestinians for a week of rocket fire into southern Israel, but not the Israeli strikes on Gaza over the past week that have killed civilians, including young children. On Arab talk shows, news programs and press, many are denouncing Obama for failing to live up to the promise he made when he traveled to Cairo in 2009 and offered Muslims "a new beginning" and "mutual respect.
Four years ago, under the same pretext it used in carrying out Operation Pillars of Defense, Israel carried out Operation Cast Lead to stop Palestinian rocket fire into southern Israel. It is hard to say that the operation succeeded -- Hamas not only remains firmly in power and it has grown stronger in Gaza.
Israel acknowledged that since Cast Lead, Palestinian militant groups have acquired new longer-range rockets and missiles and Hamas has not been weakened operationally to the point its not a threat.
If Israel's military operation failed to stop rocket fire four years ago, why would it succeed this time around?
Nir Elias / Reuters
Two sides exchange deadly airstrikes, rocket attacks.
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This is one of the worst pieces of "journalism" I have read. Isreal's "unilateral" attacks. I guess firing rockets and mortars are just good neighborly fun. The resolve being tested is whether Egypt will condemn the Hamas terrorists for starting the conflict or use it as an excuse to try to nullify the treaties with Israel it claims it will honor. If I were conspiracy theory minded, I would almost suspect the rockets into Israel were at the behest of the Muslim Brotherhood led Government of Egypt to give them a cover story for when they show their true colors and refuse to honor the treaties.
I also note a critical difference in the response of the Israeli's versus Hamas terrorists. The Israeli strikes were all at military/terrorist targets and the Hamas rockets were all aimed at civilian targets. The death of innocents is truly sad and not to be made light of, but I can assure you, no other nation in the world would have stood by after even one rocket was launched into their territory. Look at Turkey's response to accidental artillery fire landing in their territory from a neighboring war zone. No world condemnation there, but when Hamas intentionally attacks Israel, any response is wrong. Hell, some Arab radicals launched the 9/11 attacks on the world trade center and we knocked two Countries into the stone age -- why is ok for us and not for Israel? As for the Israel "bond with the U.S. dictating U.S. foreign policy -- what a load of delusional bull. I might remind you, Israel did not retaliate when Sadam launched missiles into Israel during the Gulf war, at the behest of the U.S. It met with the terrorist organization, the PLO, at the behest of the U.S. If anything, Israel moderates its policies for the U.S.
Kill all the the Palestinians and eliminate the problem. One nuke would do it. Put the second one into Iran and be done with the bickering and posturing.
Egypt is a non-factor in this dispute. They dont have the resources to fight anyone at this point. People have finnaly realized that Muslim Brotherhood is in fact a terrorist organization. So we dont listen to them. Israel will continue to protect itself. Maybe Palestine will finally learn that when you hit Israel with a stich they hit you back with a sledge hammer. How many times will they lose 5 times what they cost Israel before they learn it is not worth it?
hey anthony a yellow keyboard commando like yourself would wet your pants and not fight but the pals have way more courage then you do
hey jak off I am all infavor of nuking the pals because all the pissraelis would die a slow death from radiation
Hey uka, I'm glad you're so full of hate. It means you're going to die soon.
Not soon enough, though...
false god and savior fairy I will try to kill you two first before I die
You're a legend in your own mind.
Are you going to lie awake at night plotting your vengeance? Cool!
uka it is you who is the jagoff .
Hey Morsi, stand up and be a man. Tell your people that Hamas is the instigator and that what they're doing is only harming their own people. Enough of the lies and BS. You know better Morsi.
I would agree with you, but then i would suspect that people would line up in Tahir Square demanding his excecution.
There can be no peace when Hamas and other groups call for the destruction of Israel. That's just common sense. I don't hear Israel calling for the destruction of any country.
If the rockets came for outside the country Israel has every right to retaliate.Given Obama's Muslim background (he said so on an interview during his first run for office) it's not surprising that the Muslims expected him to take their side in the conflict. It appears he has lied to them as well as the American public.
It's rhetoric and lies like this that cost you the election and will continue to cost you elections. Don't you think we would have seen this "interview" thousands of times on TV during the election cycle?
People like you are turning this country blue.
Gaza started it. Israel will finish it.
THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE WORLD!! JUST THE PEOPLE IN IT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
There will always be war!! Israel and the other religious sects will never live in Peace!!
History has shown that this is true!!! So what is NEW!!!
The only thing that will end this fighting is ARMAGEDDON!!!!
IT IS WRITTEN!!
Hamas may as well be more open about using children and women as shields because thats essentially what they are doing. The only difference today is they are too ashamed to let the rest of the world see them for what they are. They shoot missles from neighborhoods and cry foul when those launch sites are hit and civilians are killed. The last time we've seen this type of pure cowardly behavior in a fighting force was when the Nazi's began killing innocent people for about the same reason. These men aren't real fighters at all. There has yet to be a name for these types. We can call them terrorists but they are really only an uneducated ignorant species that kill because they've been told they have a reason and are too simple minded to know the difference. And their leaders prefer to keep them uneducated. I mean who else would be willing to do the dying?
every time there is a "election" in pissrael the pals get bombed in order to satisfy the old testament genocidal blood lust of the jew voters as far as the pals using kids as shields they are in the most crowded prison on earth
Hey uka, I'm glad you're so full of hate. It means you're going to die soon.
demigod I will eat your heart as I am dying lol
No, you'll sh!t your pants. ;-)
and it will be your heart coming out lol I fear no man especially a killer of little girls
but it's ok when your hero muslims kill little girls right ?
It's funny uka, you claim to be concerned about the well being of little girls .Girls in Israel get full education and careers in their lives. What can you say about girls in muslim countries like afghanistan and pakistan ?They get shot or acid thrown in theri face if they try to even learn to read .open your eyes you cheap tin horn dingus . To reality , instead of just spouting your lefty party line bull@!$%# .
Obama is helpless and hapless! he can do nothing, the powers to be over there control the situation. Hamas, Iran, Syria, Egypt and the Palestinians are puppets and pawns. Israel is on its own thanks to the Jews voting for Obama in this country, so I say good for them, they got what they wanted. Israel is on its own.WE should not send ONE US solider to Israel ever, send the NYC Jews to fight! they are all brave.
Why does the entire Muslim world refuse to acknowledge that Israel: a) has a right to exist in the Middle East and b) the right to defend itself?
If these muslim nations really cared about Palestinians as much as they hate Jews this problem would have been resolved decades ago.
Dude!! Macdeezy, that was a small post as far as words but a huge post as far as getting to the point!!
One small post for Macdeezy, one giant leap for mankind :)
(had to say it)
That area is set to implode. Get ready folks because here comes more death. I have literally nothing more to say about this issue so I think I will let someone who I completely concur with (and miss) speak on my behalf...
"Human beings will do anything, anything. I am convinced. That’s why when all those beheadings started in Iraq it didn’t bother me. A lot of people here were horrified, “Whaaaa, beheadings!” What, are you @!$%#ing surprised? Just one more form of extreme human behaviour. Besides, who cares about some mercenary civilian contractor from Oklahoma who gets his head cut off? @!$%# ‘em. Hey Jack, you don’t want to get your head cut off? Stay the @!$%# in Oklahoma. They aint cuttin’ of heads in Oklahoma, far as I know. But I do know this: you strap on a gun and go struttin’ around some other mens country you better be ready for some action Jack. People are touchy about that sort of thing. And let me ask you this… this is a morale question, not retorical, I am looking for the answer: what is the morale difference between cuttin’ of one guys head, or two, or three, of five or ten – and dropping a big bomb on a hospital and killing a whole bunch of sick kids? Has anybody in authority given you an explanation of the difference? Now, in case you’re wondering why I have a certain interest, or fascination lets call it, with torture and beheadings and all of those things I have mentioned, is because each of these items reminds me in life over and over again what beasts we human beings really are. When you get right down to it human beings are nothing more than ordinary jungle beasts. Savages. No different from the Cro Magnon people who lived twenty five thousand years ago. No different. Our DNA hasn’t changed substantially in a houndred thousand years. We’re still operating out of the lower brain. The reptilian brain.Fight of flight. Kill or be killed. We like to think we’ve evolved and advanced because we can build a computer, fly an airplane, travel underwater, we can write a sonet, paint a painting, compose an opera. But you know something? We’re barely out of the jungle on this planet. Barely out of the @!$%#ing jungle. What we are, is semi-civilized beasts, with baseball caps and automatic weapons."
- George Carlin, Life is worth losing (2005)
i miss him too.
and if you went for the video game reference, excellent choice in user id.
Oddly enough I live down here near the Southern border. But yeah, love the game too :)
macdoozy: if you hung yourself I would not have to read your stupid post lol
You don't have to read it anyway, you stupid clod! Couldn't you have thought of that yourself?
jesus, you're such a jerkoff!
picking a fight? I'm game you candyassed inbred meathead.
macdoozy I really fear a killer of little girls anyone supports pissrael killing little kids is a coward and a traitor
and what about Hamas who shoots their rockets and mortars and hides behind little girls?
There's plenty of blame for both sides, but the fact you only focus on Israel and not the belligerence of Hamas exposes your bias and hence your credibility becomes questionable.
leftys are such idiots .
Palestinians, you want my support? Stop lobbing missiles into Israel and it becomes easy to give. Until then, you bring this on yourselves.
The Slum Dog Muslim Arab Brotherhood will get their AZZES Handed to them by Israel
israelis if you want my support do not rob a country shoot little girls starve blockade bulldoze houses poison wells etc of the pals
Until the Intifada that started in 1987 Palestinians participated in their own oppression.
uka...
YHWY is GOD and there is No Other - Allah is Satan Himself......
STOP Sending Rockets into Israel and maybe they would not see the need to take military action.
And By the way...... Stop using The innocent as Human Shields - It Is Not Very Humane !
didnt the pals strap a suicide vest on a mentally disabled kid? there's your vaunted morality.
Nobody wants your support, uka. Even your mother hates you.
i love a deity with a sense of humor :)
Puka--
Nobody wants your support, you sh-thead, That's pretty obvious. Israel would rather kill you, anyway.
Sounds good to me!
savoir - the funny thing is that I read that Israel let a bunch of Gazan's in for free medical treatment. I find it really hard to demonize Israel when even treat people for free who may despise their existance.
Yes, but P-uka and Ryan don't have any trouble demonizing Israel, because they are anti-semitic pricks.
archeimy that is so they can steal their organs ship them to NJ where rabbi sells them to 90 year old jew hahaha savoir faire I will puke in your face see how you show your satanic jew nature by saying anyone does not support pissrael should be killed
you forgot about the whole dipping matzot in gentile blood if you're going for more things we really dont do. Put down the protocols of the elders of zion (which is fake btw), its rotting your brain.
Hey lucky, I do support what you said, but just to help you out a bit, its actually spelled YHWH
the protocols are fake??? they are being carried out to the letter in front of the whole world. archeimy are you telling me rabbis in NJ were not selling organs from pal kids hahah They were locked up (and released I bet) by FBI
Extremist control the region on both sides, both perpetuate the bloodshed and blame one another to justify more bloodshed. The sad part is this has gone on for most of recorded time throughout this region. Centuries old hatred of each others cultures will never be solved by more bloodshed but requires an awaking of tolerance, accpetance and compromise that with the current leadership in Israel and Gaza seems as unlikely as the tea baggers and liberals achieving a compromise on the looming fiscal cliff in our country.
It would seem a spark of spiritual enlightenment is required in most parts of the world today, for human desire and suffering to transcend beyond the limits of human emotions, for us to acheive the simple unifying understanding that we are all in this world together and that cooperation is the only way to prosperity and fulfilment for us all.
Yeahhhh, like that's gonna happen. Guess we can all keep letting these crazies and fools on both sides keep pushing us all closer to the brink.
uka...
YHWY is GOD and there is No Other - Allah is Satan Himself......
STOP Sending Rockets into Israel and maybe they would not see the need to take military action.
And By the way...... Stop using The innocent as Human Shields - It Is Not Very Humane !
now I know why pissraelis shoot the little girls it is so the pals cannot hide behind them I get it now!! they figure if they kill all the little girls the pals will be out in the open they always say the jews are smart know I know why smucky boy Jesus called the jews sons of satan thet is good enough for me
luckyboy, you're a fool. Allah translates to "The Lord". The Koran clearly states The Lord of Mussa (Moses), Ibrahim (Abraham), & Isa (Jesus). There is no God but God.
You should have read the article. The bombing started on Wednesday, with the killing of a Hamas leader (3 children & a pregnant woman). The Palestinian missiles were launched on Thursday.
You have to learn how to read these biased articles.
No, Ilāh does
The Arabic word for God or Deity can be found here
It's proper usage can be found here in the Sahadah, the Islamic profession of faith.
there is no ("ilah"= god) but 'allah'
ilah, is the Arabic word for god, and kibar is the word for great.
"Ilah u Kebir" is Arabic for "god is great".
Not 'allah-u akbar' ......that translates as 'allah' is greater
In the Quran itself these two words (Ilah and allah) are used. 'allah', is said to be the author of the Quran, are you claiming 'allah' is unaware of it's name?
Quran 37;35
the Arabic word used here in the Quran for God is ilah (I highlighted it) the proper name of this Islamic concept of god is, "allah".
http://www.islamawakened.com/Quran/37/35/default.htm
and akba,r does not mean great either
kibar-great
it's not the al-Akbar ( the Greater) history, it's the "Kabir" history (Great history)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_History
One of the many names used by "allah",is "the great" which is naturally, "Al- kabir" and not Akbar.
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/s/salman_rushdie.html
"allah" was a rock, and is still, a rock ( sourced here by a Wiccan)
see 'allah' rock (sourced here by a Hindu)
the black stone of the kabba is "allah"...allah is a rock (sourced here by an Irish pagan)
see above
one questioning mind at a time
kpr37..... tuatha De' Danann, "child of the goddess Danu" in English with a pagans perspective.
Musician666
Yes, Correct but, Not GOD YHWY - Lord of The Darkness................
ALLAH Is Lord Of The Darkness............
Everywhere Allah Name is used - there is DEATH Not Life !
Oh boy! Another religious war! This one is going to decide it once and for all! Whoever's God can kill, maim, torture, burn, rape and pillage the most wins! Whatever God can produce the most disfigured children is DEFINATELY the most kind and loving.
Where are the Christians? Can we ship some over? I mean, you really cannot claim victory for your God if you don't get in there with a couple of land mines. Cheering on the Jewish God just does not count. Ya gotta get in there and cut off a couple of limbs. How but the Mormons? They are mainstream now, right? They have alot in common with the Muslims pertaining to the history of their God. They just haven't been given the right opportunity to sacrifice the women and children of the enemy yet. The Muslims can teach em how!
.Like you atheists are innocent of atrocities. Soviet and chinese , cambodian , north korean atheists have killed a lot more people throughout history than anyone else .
Who said I was Atheist?
A Govt cannot be Atheist....only a person can. All Govts can do is outlaw religion. So the people you mentioned may, or may not have been Atheist. On the other hand, a Govt CAN identify a particular religious group as an enemy, and attempt extermination (Germany/Jews), but whether or not the particular country has a religious identity itself is a moot point.
Smarten up....God and Religion are not one and the same. Further, as soon as religion gets caught up in Government....the end of that Government is already in site.
Imagine
Ok , you muslims .
Israel hit Gaza on Wednesday and Gaza struck back on Thursday and yet Israel claims the right of self defense. They have a different definition of self defense that I do. I believe it's you hit me,I hit back not. I hit you first.
Well, then, your definition of self defense is clearly all wrong. Hamas has been hitting Israel every day with rockets fired at women and children from Gaza for MONTHS. Or did you forget about all that happened before Wednesday?
Israel's airstrike on that Hamas leader was retaliation.
Israel is resolved to end the Palestinian rocket attacks on its southern cities and communities -- 100 rockets fired in the five days before Israel's response and, at the time of writing, 150 since.
that quote is from the analytic article "why neither side wants war"
Just ask yourself who has the bigger motive to start trouble?
Savoir,
Where does it say that? This is a common occurrence. Israel wants to kill a Palestinian leader, so they drop bombs & fire rockets into Gaza, sometimes into residential areas. Then claim they were defending themselves against the rockets launched in retaliation for the war crime they committed.
You're on glue musician
Instead of Isreal strikes old foe , the headline SHOULD read : hamas fires 150 rockets into Israel . Israel retaliates . Msn once again skewed towards taking the muslim side .How much condemnation did egypt serve towards hamas when they were firing 150 rockets ?
Except the Israelis killed the Hamas leader (3 children & a pregnant woman) on Wednesday, & the Palestinian rockets were fired on Thursday. The article is definitely skewed, & you fell right into the trap.
They were firing rockets before that too .
Israel is resolved to end the Palestinian rocket attacks on its southern cities and communities -- 100 rockets fired in the five days before Israel's response and, at the time of writing, 150 since.
See? musician666 your hero muslims broke the truce . As usual . Now commence to making up excuses for them like you wackjobs ALWAYS do. They must be paying you foolios I swear .
Nice Headline MSNBCrap. How about "Egypts Resolve is tested due to Hamas's continued attacks and launching of rockets at innocent Israeli citizens? Seriosly, how biased can you blatantly be?
White...you are so right! What kind of a dumb ass article was that? Israel responded to numerous (hundreds) of rocket attacks fired from Gaza! Who in the hell could refer then to Israel's response as "aggression"! In actuality the response from Israel was an extremely well done surgical attack (with no collateral damage) on the leadership of the Hamas aggressors! I'm bewildered as to the total lunacy and grossly blatant comments by this incompetent writer and the news agency! Go Israel! Demonstrate to the entire world how to respond to these indiscriminate killings and attack by Hamas!
Am I the only one fed up and disgusted with American "news"? They don't even bother to hide their bias anymore, and their influence over the sheep is disgusting.
Hey MSNBC "news". This was nothing more than a piece of propaganda. Israel sat there and took 5 days of rockets being shot into their sovereign nation BEFORE doing anything.
I suppose if someone was shooting rockets at MSNBC headquarters, you lemmings would go out and congratulate them, and maybe shoot a few salvo's yourselves. And if you twits actually hit something, you can always blame it on Bush. Idots.................................
Sick of the propaganda.
msn is a bunch of wackjob wannabe obommunists