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JPost Middle East- Analysis: Why has the West Bank been quiet? January 6, 2009
- Lebanon doubts Hizbullah will open second front January 6, 2009
- UNSC to meet on Gaza resolution January 6, 2009
- Hamas opens hospital for gunmen January 6, 2009
- Sarkozy urges Assad to press for truce January 6, 2009
- ynet - Updates for RSS
- Bush adviser: Iran, Pakistan key Obama challenges January 7, 2009
- Judge to ponder whether Bernard Madoff dangerous January 7, 2009
- Rice says US supports Mubarak proposal on Gaza January 7, 2009
- Saddam wouldn't have allowed Israel's Gaza raid, says aide January 7, 2009
- UK voices support for Egyptian ceasefire initiative January 7, 2009
- Haaretz.com - News
- ANALYSIS / Israel must double, triple, quadruple its medical aid to Gaza January 7, 2009A few days ago, Physicians for Human Rights began soliciting $700,000 in donations for hospitals in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli humanitarian organization also provided a detailed list of the medical equipment Gaza lacks, including portable monitors, respirators, ultrasound and X-ray machines, wheelchairs, needles, dressings, catheters, oxygen, medical gases, endo-tracheal tubes, screws and plates for shattered limbs, and surgical gloves. According to PHR, Gaza also has a severe shortage of intensive-care beds, which cost about $50,000 apiece. Moreover, many Palestinian ambulances are out of commission. ...
- As truce efforts grow, Israel mulls expanding Gaza ground op January 7, 2009Israel's political leadership will meet in Tel Aviv on Wednesday morning to discuss expanding the ground offensive in the Gaza Strip at a time when most of the aims of the operation have been met. ...
- Rice: U.S. backs Egypt proposal for Gaza cease-fire January 7, 2009U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Tuesday Washington backed a proposal by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. ...
- Venezuelan President Chavez: Gaza operation is a Palestinian 'holocaust' January 7, 2009Venezuela expelled the ambassador to Israel on Tuesday in protest over the offensive in Gaza only hours after leftist President Hugo Chavez called the attacks a Palestinian "holocaust." ...
- Israel to establish 'humanitarian corridor' for Gaza Strip January 7, 2009Israel will set up a "humanitarian corridor" to counter a crisis caused by its offensive in the Gaza Strip, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office ...
- ANALYSIS / Israel must double, triple, quadruple its medical aid to Gaza January 7, 2009
ARMAGEDDON WEEK
By Joel C. Rosenberg
(Washington, D.C., January 5, 2009) — Last night, “Armageddon Week” began on The History Channel. This is a series of several documentary films every night dealing with different angles on — and different perspectives of — the End Times.
In August, I was interviewed by a producer and film crew for this series and asked to describe an evangelical Christian perspective on Bible prophecies regarding the last days. The producers have emailed us to say portions of my interview will appear on tonight’s (Monday) broadcast at 9pm eastern in a special entitled, “Seven Signs of The Apocalypse.”
The description of the program reads: “The Seven Signs are clear: We will be struck by deadly plagues, famines and earthquakes, the sky will turn dark and oceans will turn to blood, and the antichrist will emerge to fight the final battle between good and evil. Could this all be true? Experts decode this powerful prophecy and come to a startling conclusion: there is now scientific evidence that many of these catastrophes could, in fact, be occurring….To reveal the ultimate truth behind the prophecy, this investigation will turn to the past to reveal why the prophecy was written, and why it keeps such a powerful hold on our imagination today.”
I have no idea how the program has turned out, as I have not had the chance to see it. Moreover, I’ll be traveling all day so I won’t have a chance to watch tonight. But I did want you to be aware of the week-long series, and tonight’s show, if you’re interested.
God bless.
UPDATE ON HOW THE JOSHUA FUND IS HELPING ISRAELIS IN THE WAR ZONE
The Joshua Fund is moving quickly to bless Israeli caught in the crossfire of this escalating war between Israel and Hamas.
On Friday, TJF helped fund a project to care for 150 elderly Israeli Jews trapped in the city of Sderot, right on the border with Gaza, which is receiving a seemingly never-ending barrage of rocket attacks. TJF paid for hot meals that were delivered personally by dozens of volunteers to these elderly shut-ins. The project was organized and run by Eeki Elner and Calev Myers, co-founders of AFFI, the Alliance for the Future of Israel. Several other allies provided logistical assistance as well.
Here is an email we just received from Calev on how the project went:
“We have just returned from the project in Sderot. It went very well. Eeki Elner…was able to bring between 50-60 volunteers from Tel-Aviv and the North. I brought about 11 volunteers from the Jerusalem Institute of Justice in Jerusalem.
Eeki received from the Mayor of Sderot the names and address of about 150 elderly people in Sderot who can not leave their homes. Many of them suffer from health problems and all of them suffer from poverty. Through the generous donation of the Joshua Fund we were able to give a hot meal to each individual, together with a brand-new down blanket (provided by JIJ).
“All of the volunteers split up into about 14 teams with a list of names and homes, and we were able to distribute all of the gifts within about 2.5 hours. The volunteers were instructed to enter peoples home and to take their time asking if everything is okay and trying to encourage the recipients as much as possible — to give them the feeling that they are not alone. This was a little challenging at times. Most of the recipients were Russian or Ethiopian new immigrants. Out of six homes that my team covered, we only found one Hebrew speaker. However we heard a lot of hearty “thank you”s in Russian and the tears and smiles on the faces of the recipients clearly expressed their appreciation regardless of language limitations.
“As we were going from home to home it was hard to ignore the Israeli fighter jets flying over our heads and the artillery fire in the background. It is inconceivable to me what must be going through the mind of an elderly new immigrant who does not speak Hebrew, lives in abject poverty and listens all day to the sound of war about a mile from his/her house (not to mention the Kassam rockets which frequently fall in the vicinity).
“Eeki was also able to procure a donation of tens of boxes of brand new educative toys and games, from a toys and games factory in Israel. After we finished the distribution to the elderly, each team of volunteers filled up their cars with educative games and toys and we went door to door asking if the homes had children, and distributing the games and toys to the ones that do. This really meant a lot to the recipients because the children of Sderot do not have school due to the war, and the kids need to need to interesting games, etc, to occupy them (as they try to ignore the bombings and gunfire which they hear throughout the day).
“We want to thank you so much for helping us bring a ray of light and encouragement into the darkness and fear of the residents of Sderot today.”
Please pray for all of these elderly shut-ins, as well as all of the people of Sderot, that the Lord would protect them as rockets keep raining down on their homes and communities.
Meanwhile, I just got off the phone with John Moser, our executive director, just a few hours ago. I gave him authorization to fund another project to care for Israelis in the war zone. The Joshua Fund, working closely with our Jewish allies on the ground, will begin helping Israeli families who live near the border of Gaza to move out of their homes and to a safer city for the next week or so. We are paying for the buses, the accommodations and the food for these families. Lord willing, these families will start moving out of harm’s way within the next 24 hours. I will update you as soon as I possibly can.
Jesus said in John 14:15, “If you love me, you will obey what I command.” The Lord commanded us to love our neighbors. He commanded us to bless the people of Israel in real and practical ways, including to feed those who have no food. We are seeking to obey in the power of the Holy Spirit.
I have also spent this afternoon praying with an Arab ministry leader, discussing how we can especially help Palestinian followers of Jesus trapped in Gaza. It’s not yet clear how to help given how tightly Hamas controls the situation and how violent the situation is at the moment. For now, we will keep assisting Jewish Israelis since we have clear access to them. If an opportunity presents itself to bless our brothers and sisters in Gaza, we will move as the Lord leads us.
* Please continue praying for real peace — not just the absence of conflict but the presence of true justice and true security on both sides of the fence.
* Please also continue praying for the scores of children on both sides who are being traumatized by all the rockets and bombs — pray for the Lord to comfort and care for them in a supernatural way.
* Please pray for the followers of Jesus in Israel and Gaza, that they will have courage and hope from the Lord, that they will hear from the Holy Spirit how best to love their neighbors and their enemies, and that by their words and actions they can communicate the good news of God’s great love and plan for Israel and her neighbors.
* Please continue praying for wisdom and discernment for The Joshua Fund leadership team, as well. We are in contact with our allies on the ground in Israel and readying relief supplies to help them care for those in severe need.
* Please also pray that we can recruit 100,000 allies who are willing to pray knowledgeably, faithfully and consistently for the people of the epicenter. Already some 80,000 have signed up from around the world.
* Please also pray about helping us financially as this war escalates.
As always, we will do our best to keep you up-to-date on the kinds of projects we are doing, and brief you on how those projects are proceeding. We will also let you know about the kinds of projects we are developing for the future. In no way do we want to pressure anyone to give financially. We fully believe the Lord will provide for the needs of the people we seek to serve. But if you or others wish to help, we welcome your support, and all financial gifts are tax-deductible.
If you would like to make a year-end contribution to the on-going work of The Joshua Fund please make your check payable to “The Joshua Fund” and send to:
The Joshua Fund
18950 Base Camp Road
Monument, Colorado 80132-8009
Thanks so much and may the Lord richly bless you and your family as you bless Israel and her neighbors in the name of Jesus — especially at critical moment in history of the epicenter.
To visit Joel’s website — www.joelrosenberg.com — please click here
50+ rockets hit Israel today: latest developments
By Joel C. Rosenberg
(Washington, D.C., December 31, 2008) — The Gaza war rages on with no immediate end in sight. Indeed, Israeli sources tell me a ground operation into Gaza is not yet definite, but is likely.
Israel has rightfully rejected a French-proposed 48 hour cease-fire, saying the Gaza operation will continue until Israel’s goal of shutting down the terrorist rocket threat is accomplished. The leaders of the European Union, Russia, and many governments around the world are putting enormous pressure on Israel to stop defending the Jewish people and stop attacking the terrorist strongholds in Gaza. This is crazy. Why do the Europeans and Russians have such a double-standard when it comes to Israeli national security?
More than 6,300 rockets and missiles have been fired at Israel by Hamas since Israeli withdrew its military forces from Gaza in 2005. Some 400 rockets have been fired at Israel just since December 19th. Would the French or Germans agree to a cease-fire if they were being hit by hundreds and thousands of rockets, missiles, and mortars by enemies sworn to annihilate them? Of course not. The Russians invaded Georgia for far, far less.
“We didn’t initiate the Gaza operation in order to end it while Israeli towns are still under fire, as they were before the operation,” Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told reporters. “Israel has shown restraint for years; she gave the truce a chance; we told ourselves ‘let’s try it,’ but Hamas violated the truce.”
I don’t often say this, but Olmert is right. Hamas must be crushed, not coddled. Yet the world is trying to coddle these Palestinian Radical Islamic jihadists. It’s an outrage. The onus is on the Hamas terrorists to lay down their arms and stop firing rockets into Israel. Until that happens, the IDF should continue fighting.
It pains me to see the suffering on both sides, but this is entirely Hamas’ responsibility. They were urged by Egypt, by Mahmoud Abbas, and by the Israelis not to let the previous cease-fire lapse, but they chose war instead. They have never been hit this hard. Indeed, Gaza has not seen this level of fighting since 1967.
Israelis living within rocket range are truly safe and secure. Yet, the Islamic Radicals in Gaza don’t appear ready to surrender. To the contrary, Hamas is using longer-range rockets than ever before - some of them made in Iran - putting hundreds of thousands of more Israeli at risk than in previous clashes. Hamas has already fired more than 50 rockets, mortars and missiles at Israel as of 4pm local time (9am eastern). Two hit the Israeli city of Beersheva last night, some 28 miles from Gaza. This is the first time Beersheva has ever been in range of Gaza-fired rockets. Haaretz reports that no one was injured but 40 people were treated for shock. The city is rattled, and theaters, cinemas and other shops and businesses are shutting down. Rockets also continue to hit the town of Sderot, and the Israeli coastal cities Ashkelon and Ashdod. I’m told that most of the children in Sderot have been evacuated from the town. Many are now temporarily relocated to northern Israeli cities and towns, such as Haifa.
Iran, in addition to providing Hamas longer-range rockets, is also now apparently recruiting some 10,000 volunteer suicide bombers to attack Israel.
To visit Joel’s new weblog site and get the latest developments in Israel, Russia and the epicenter — including links to stories mentioned in this Flash Traffic report — please click here
To purchase a copy of EPICENTER 2.0 from Amazon.com (32% off), please click here
To visit Joel’s website — www.joelrosenberg.com — please click here
GAZA WAR: Prayer Update
The people of the Holy Land are going through great pain and suffering right now. But we should not be discouraged. Rather, we must turn to the Scriptures for the Lord’s perspective, embrace His promises, and obey His commands.
The Bible is clear: God loves the people of Israel, as well as their neighbors. He has a wonderful plan for their lives, plans for good and not for evil, plans to give them a future and a hope. Jesus offers those who choose to follow Him true peace that cannot be found anywhere else. He promises to protect His people. He promises them an abundant life here, and in the hereafter. He promises to answer their prayers when they pray for His will to be done and pray in His Name. What’s more, He commands His followers to love their neighbors and their enemies. He commands them to feed the hungry, give water to the thirsty, and care for the suffering. Should we not draw near to Him and follow Him wholeheartedly at this critical time?
“I have loved you with an everlasting love,” the Lord says in Jeremiah 31:3. “Therefore, I have drawn you with lovingkindness.”
“Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” (I John 4:8)
“For I know the plans that I have for you,” says the Lord in Jeremiah 29:11-13, “plans for welfare and not calamity to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.”
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy, but I came that they might have life and have it abundantly,” said Jesus in John 10:10.
“Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper….The Lord will protect you from all evil; He will keep your soul. The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forever.” (Psalm 121:4,5,7,8)
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you,” said Jesus in John 14:27. “I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
Jesus said, “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also….I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me….Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.” (John 14:1-3,12-14)
“If you love me,” Jesus said in John 14:15, “you will obey what I command.”
* Please continue praying for real peace — not just the absence of conflict but the presence of true justice and true security on both sides of the fence.
* Please also continue praying for the scores of children on both sides who are being traumatized by all the rockets and bombs — pray for the Lord to comfort and care for them in a supernatural way.
* Please pray for the followers of Jesus in Israel and Gaza, that they will have courage and hope from the Lord, that they will hear from the Holy Spirit how best to love their neighbors and their enemies, and that by their words and actions they can communicate the good news of God’s great love and plan for Israel and her neighbors.
* Please continue praying for wisdom and discernment for The Joshua Fund leadership team, as well. We are in contact with our allies on the ground in Israel and readying relief supplies to help them care for those in severe need. We are presently trying to connect with our Arab evangelical Christian allies as well to see how we can help them, too.
* Please also pray that we can recruit 100,000 allies who are willing to pray knowledgeably, faithfully and consistently for the people of the epicenter. Already some 80,000 have signed up from around the world.
——————
As always, we will do our best to keep you up-to-date on the kinds of projects we are doing, and brief you on how those projects are proceeding. We will also let you know about the kinds of projects we are developing for the future. In no way do we want to pressure anyone to give financially. We fully believe the Lord will provide for the needs of the people we seek to serve. But if you or others wish to help, we welcome your support, and all financial gifts are tax-deductible.
If you would like to make a year-end contribution to the on-going work of The Joshua Fund please make your check payable to “The Joshua Fund” and send to:
The Joshua Fund
18950 Base Camp Road
Monument, Colorado 80132-8009
Thanks so much and may the Lord richly bless you and your family as you bless Israel and her neighbors in the name of Jesus — especially at critical moment in history of the epicenter.
Would you consider making a donation of $25, $40 or $60 a month to The Joshua Fund? Please click here to find out more, and/or to make a secure donation on-line.
Three webcasts from San Diego and Jerusalem
Abbas: We won’t agree to Israeli invasion of Gaza
Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas meets with Egyptian counterpart to discuss renewing truce between Hamas, Israel. We won’t agree to Israeli invasion of Strip,’ he adds
Roee Nahmias and AP
| Published: | 12.23.08, 16:51 / Israel News |
“We won’t agree to an Israeli invasion in Gaza or even an aerial attack,” Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Tuesday during a joint press conference in Cairo with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
The Palestinian president said Egypt will push for a new truce between Israel and Hamas, which controls the Strip, and referred to the rocket fire on the Jewish state as “foolish”.
The six-month-old truce, mediated by Mubarak, expired last Friday.
Abbas and Mubarak in Cairo (Photo: Reuters)
Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni is scheduled to come to CairoThursday for talks with Mubarak about a new truce. Abbas also said he and Mubarak agreed that reconciliation talks between Hamas and Abbas’ Fatah party should go forward.
Talks brokered by Egypt and slated to take place last November fell apart when Hamas pulled out at the last minute over a dispute with Fatah over releasing Hamas prisoners.
On Monday Mubarak invited Livni to Cairo in the hopes of preventing the further deterioration of the Gaza standoff.
Livni is expected to present Jerusalem’s current stance, which holds that enough is enough – and that Israel is duty-bound to protect its citizens from the incessant rocket and mortar fire from Gaza.
“We will not allow the prolonged existence of a Hamastan state in Gaza,” Livni said during a Kadima security convention in preperation for her visit to Egypt. Senior Hamas official Mahmoud Al-Zahar saidTuesday that his organization was willing to renew the truce in Gaza if Israel adheres to the terms that have been agreed upon last June. Speaking with Egyptian newspaper al-Ahram, al-Zahar said that the movement would reassess the situation in Gaza once the 24 hours during which Hamas vowed to halt rocket fire come to an end.
According to the Hamas leader, if the situation appears to be going in a positive direction, the group would consider maintaining the lull.
Defense officials: IDF to operate in Gaza soon
Security establishment says Palestinian groups in Gaza have left Israel no choice but to launch broad military operation in Strip to quell incessant rocket fire. ‘We will definitely pay a price, but we cannot allow the current situation to continue,’ one of them says
Ron Ben-Yishai
| Published: | 12.21.08, 00:33 / Israel News |
The security establishment estimates that Israel will soon have to launch an extensive military operation in Gaza in an effort to quell the incessant rocket and mortar fire on the country’s southern region, Ynet has learned.
Senior defense officials said that the time for hesitation has passed, as the armed terror groups have left Israel no other choice but to act inside the Hamas-controlled enclave.
However, it is estimated that the results from such an operation will not be evident immediately and the rocket fire will continue and even increase during the first days of the operation – before it begins to subside.
Therefore, the defense officials said, the Israeli public, particularly the residents of the Negev, must be prepared both mentally and physically for the continuation of the attacks emanating from the Strip.”We will definitely pay a price, but we cannot allow the current situation to continue,” one official said Saturday night. “We would like to see the ceasefire resume, but Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the Popular Resistance Committees are leaving us no other choice because they are carrying on with the rocket fire. This is why we are on a collision course with them, even if we have to act in the midst of the election campaign here in Israel and before US President-elect Barack Obama’s inauguration.”
Similar situation during Ariel Sharon’s term
The security establishment is well-aware that the Israeli public is in favor of a harsh Israeli response and that, for the most part, the rocket attacks are condemned by the international community.
In addition, the security establishment fears that a lengthy operation with heavy casualties for both sides may sway public opinion in Israel and within the international community.
International and domestic pressure may cause the government to cut the military operation short before Hamas and its affiliated groups stop the attacks on Israel’s south.
“Hamas understands that it would be able to claim victory in such a case,” an Israeli official said, “they can read us like an open book, and this is why they keep taunting us – even though they do not want us to launch an operation in Gaza.”
The security establishment is therefore trying to create a situation in which it is clear to Israeli public and the international community that the government has acted with the maximum restraint to prevent a further escalation of violence.
If and when the confrontation does erupt, Israel will make an effort to prevent any escalation on its other fronts. The government will also look to shorten the fighting in Gaza and perhaps call for the renewal of the ceasefire if Hamas accepts its terms.
Israel faced a similar situation under former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who ordered the launching of operation Defensive Shield in the West after Israel had suffered hundreds of fatalities from terror attacks carried out during the first year-and-a-half of the second intifada in 2000.
World must hold Israel accountable
Fayyad says settlement construction has accelerated since peace talks resumed last year, disappointed with EU decision to upgrade ties with Israel
Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad says the world must do more to hold Israel accountable, particularly on settlement expansion.
Fayyad said Saturday that without such involvement “we are not really going to get the desired result of ending this conflict any time soon.”
Fayyad noted that settlement construction has accelerated since peace talks resumed last year.
He says the Palestinians are trying to live up to their commitments and that Israel should be asked to do the same.
A US-backed plan requires Israel to halt settlement building.
The prime minister says he’s disappointed by a recent EU decision to push ahead with upgrading ties with Israel. Fayyad says he’ll keep trying to link an upgrade to halting settlement expansion.
Sderot under fire: 3 hurt in rocket strike
Further escalation in south: More than 20 Qassams fired at southern Israeli communities Wednesday; Rocket explodes in Sderot parking lot, three people sustain light wounds. Defense Minister Barak: We’ll operate in Gaza when time is right
Shmulik Hadad
| Latest Update: | 12.17.08, 20:40 / Israel News |
Three people were wounded Wednesday during a tough day in southern Israel that saw more than 20 rockets fired at Negev communities.
Addressing the rocket strikes Wednesday evening, Defense Minister Ehud Barak said that the IDF will embark on a Gaza operation once the situation requires such move.
“‘We are not deterred by a broad operation in Gaza, but we do not wish to rush into such operation,” he said. “We will act when the time is right; we will decide what the right time and place are.” One rocket exploded in the parking lot of a large commercial center in the southern town of Sderot. Two people sustained light wounds in the attack after being hit by shrapnel, while another man suffered damage to his ears. Magen David Adom ambulance service teams treated the wounded, who were later taken to hospital in Ashkelon. Medical teams also treated numerous anxiety victims at the scene.
Aftermath of attack: Nearby supermarket (Photo: Ze’ev Trachtman)
The rocket landed in the area while hundreds of shoppers were at the site. Vehicles and a nearby store sustained extensive damage in the strike.
‘Chaos at the site’
Sderot resident Yair Madmon told Ynet: “I arrived at the supermarket…when I stood by the entrance, I heard the loud whistle, and then the explosion, which happened right before my eyes. The rocket landed close to me…it was scary.”
“Qassams landed in my backyard twice in the past, yet this time it was much scarier,” he said. “There was chaos at the site. Products flew off the shelves, people started screaming and running away, and many children were crying. It was simply scary to see it; I’m still frightened by what had happened.”
A short while after the attack, the Air Force fired at a rocket launcher in the northern Gaza Strip. The IDF said the launcher was ready for use.
‘Situation is unbearable’
Earlier Wednesday, the Palestinians fired 10 Qassam rockets from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel.
Seven rockets landed within the Eshkol Regional Council. There were no reports of injuries or damage in the earlier strikes. Shortly afterwards, a mortar shell landed within the Sha’ar Hanegev Regional Council, without causing injuries or damage. Another rocket landed in the same area later in the day.
“We woke up to the sounds of the Color Red alert system and explosions,” Ella Fox, a community manager in one of the council’s kibbutzim, told Ynet. “We are strong, but this situation is unbearable. Instead of starting our day like any other citizen in the State of Israel, we’re forced to start it like this.”
Outrage over Livni’s statements on Shalit
Public organization dedicated to securing release of kidnapped soldier furious at foreign minister for saying Israel ‘can’t always bring everyone home,’ lament decision to transfer 100 million shekels to Gaza Palestinians
Daniel Edelson
| Published: | 12.11.08, 17:33 / Israel News |
“As a leader Tzipi Livni should do absolutely everything to find out what’s happening with Gilad Shalit,” an irate Yoel Marshak told Ynet on Thursday afternoon.
Marshak, who chairs the Headquarters for the Release of Gilad Shalit, was responding tocomments made earlier in the day by Foreign Affairs Minister Livni. “We cannot always bring all of them home,” she told students at a Tel Aviv high school during a discussion on Shalit the day the country somberly marked his 900th day in captivity.
“The thought that I can free Gilad and am not doing it is a horrible thought. We all want Gilad to come back home, but part of the willingness to fight is the understanding that we don’t have any other choice.
“There is always a risk of casualties, and it’s not always possible to bring everyone back home,” Livni added at the meeting.
Marshak was also furious at Israel’s decision to transfer NIS 100 million ($25 million) to the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip on Thursday, to help ease the cash-flow crisis in the enclave’s banks.
“We teach our sons to go to the army and volunteer to become officers and tell them we will do everything to ensure they come home. It’s unacceptable that we don’t even know what’s happening with Gilad Shalit,” said Marshak.
“It’s true that not everyone comes home, I myself have fought in battles and seen my friends fall. We know where it is that we send our sons, because our country is not safe, but what does that have to do with anything?”
Cash arrives in Gaza
As Livni was addressing the students’ questions Israel was in the process of transferring NIS 100 million ($25.5 million) to the Gaza Strip in an armored vehicles. The move was authorized by Defense Minister Ehud Barak following a request by Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and the governor of the Bank of Israel, Stanley Fischer, due to the cash flow crisis in the Strip, which has caused a number of banks to shut down.
Marshak and his associates tried to prevent the armored car from entering Gaza, and stationed two vehicles near the Erez border terminal in the hopes of blocking its passage. However after a short delay the armored car was able to circumvent the block and enter Gaza.
“Just last week we saw the footage of Palestinian prisoners being visited by their mothers in jail, why can’t Aviva and Noam Shalit do this too? Gilad is going to end up as the second Ron Arad,” warned Marshak. “We’re not even talking about the price for his return, just information, just to know if he’s alive or dead.”
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