[News] Israel pounds Gaza after rocket strikes house

Anti-Imperialist News news at freedomarchives.org
Tue Mar 26 10:39:24 EDT 2019


https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/maureen-clare-murphy/israel-pounds-gaza-after-rocket-strikes-house 



  Israel pounds Gaza after rocket strikes house

Maureen Clare Murphy 
<https://electronicintifada.net/people/maureen-clare-murphy> - 25 March 
2019

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Seven <https://twitter.com/press221/status/1110266689898401798> 
Palestinians were injured as Israel bombarded Gaza on Monday night in 
what Israel’s acting foreign minister said 
<https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/military-prepares-for-gaza-offensive-after-rocket-strikes-central-israel-1.7059002> 
was the military’s largest offensive there since 2014.

Palestinian factions fired rockets from Gaza towards southern Israel in 
response. Video showed a home in Sderot that was hit with a rocket fired 
from Gaza:

    أضرار داخل منزل للمستوطنين في "سديروت" بعد استهدافه بصاروخ من قطاع
    #غزة
    <https://twitter.com/hashtag/%D8%BA%D8%B2%D8%A9?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>.
    pic.twitter.com/8b5e8c8OfC <https://t.co/8b5e8c8OfC>

    — شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) March 25, 2019
    <https://twitter.com/qudsn/status/1110276102424064000?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>

The bombing and rocket launching continued despite reports that Egypt 
had mediated a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Palestinan 
factions in Gaza.


    Gaza rocket destroys Israeli house

The bombing began Monday hours after a rocket fired from Gaza destroyed 
a home 
<https://www.reuters.com/article/us-israel-palestinians-sirens/israel-says-six-wounded-near-tel-aviv-in-long-range-gaza-rocket-attack-idUSKCN1R60A2> 
in Mishmeret, an agricultural town north of Tel Aviv, injuring seven 
<https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/military-prepares-for-gaza-offensive-after-rocket-strikes-central-israel-1.7059002>. 
No Palestinian faction claimed responsibility for the rocket.

Monday marked the second time 
<https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/maureen-clare-murphy/israel-pounds-gaza-after-mistaken-missile-launch> 
in two weeks that projectiles fired from Gaza reached central Israel, 
both purportedly 
<https://www.timesofisrael.com/hamas-investigating-rocket-fire-official-cites-bad-weather-as-possible-cause/> 
by accident.

    That’s right. Indiscriminate attacks on civilian populations are
    strictly prohibited under int’l law. But it’s equally prohibited to
    resort to belligerent reprisal against the civilian population,
    civilian objects, objects indispensable to the survival of the
    civilian population. https://t.co/Fd4NZnCvEe

    — Jamil Dakwar (@jdakwar) March 25, 2019
    <https://twitter.com/jdakwar/status/1110161502735163398?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>

    Raining fire on densely populated area (2 million in 25 by 7 mile
    territory) on population you've occupied for 50+ yrs & caged in
    open-air prison for 10+ bound to result in civilian death & won't
    make Israel safer. Sending a message should never come at expense of
    civilian life. https://t.co/b8rHpexZYp

    — Omar Shakir (@OmarSShakir) March 25, 2019
    <https://twitter.com/OmarSShakir/status/1110213252271796229?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>

Israel claimed 
<https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog-march-25-2019/#liveblog-entry-2043911> 
that a three-story building in Gaza targeted by its warplanes was a 
“secret headquarters” belonging to the intelligence services of Hamas.

Videos were said to show that building being hit:

    مشاهد أخرى للحظة قصف مبنى الأمن الداخلي في #غزة
    <https://twitter.com/hashtag/%D8%BA%D8%B2%D8%A9?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>.#غزة_تحت_القصف
    <https://twitter.com/hashtag/%D8%BA%D8%B2%D8%A9_%D8%AA%D8%AD%D8%AA_%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%82%D8%B5%D9%81?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>
    pic.twitter.com/QXODL2kQR4 <https://t.co/QXODL2kQR4>

    — شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) March 25, 2019
    <https://twitter.com/qudsn/status/1110278845813452800?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>

    لحظة قصف الطيران الحربي لمقر الأمن الداخلي غرب #غزة
    <https://twitter.com/hashtag/%D8%BA%D8%B2%D8%A9?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>.#غزة_تحت_القصف
    <https://twitter.com/hashtag/%D8%BA%D8%B2%D8%A9_%D8%AA%D8%AD%D8%AA_%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%82%D8%B5%D9%81?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>
    pic.twitter.com/4FqKVyANRH <https://t.co/4FqKVyANRH>

    — شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) March 25, 2019
    <https://twitter.com/qudsn/status/1110276481098362880?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>

Also reportedly targeted 
<https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/military-prepares-for-gaza-offensive-after-rocket-strikes-central-israel-1.7059002> 
were the offices of Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas’ political wing:

    #عاجل
    <https://twitter.com/hashtag/%D8%B9%D8%A7%D8%AC%D9%84?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>
    #شاهد
    <https://twitter.com/hashtag/%D8%B4%D8%A7%D9%87%D8%AF?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>
    قصف صهيوني يستهدف مكتب رئيس المكتب السياسي لحركة #حماس
    <https://twitter.com/hashtag/%D8%AD%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%B3?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>
    إسماعيل هنية غرب مدينة #غزة
    <https://twitter.com/hashtag/%D8%BA%D8%B2%D8%A9?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>.
    pic.twitter.com/PNTAgZZOoG <https://t.co/PNTAgZZOoG>

    — قناة الأقصى الفضائية (@AqsaTVChannel) March 25, 2019
    <https://twitter.com/AqsaTVChannel/status/1110250994963759104?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>

    طيران الاحتلال يدمر مكتب رئيس المكتب السياسي لحماس إسماعيل
    هنية.#غزة_تحت_القصف
    <https://twitter.com/hashtag/%D8%BA%D8%B2%D8%A9_%D8%AA%D8%AD%D8%AA_%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%82%D8%B5%D9%81?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>
    pic.twitter.com/HN6GjBXcR3 <https://t.co/HN6GjBXcR3>

    — شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) March 25, 2019
    <https://twitter.com/qudsn/status/1110262854354116609?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>

Israel also closed the Erez and Kerem Shalom checkpoints, preventing the 
movement of people, including 
<https://twitter.com/joedyke/status/1110235615826796544> international 
correspondents, and goods in and out of northern Gaza.

    Israel closes crossings between Israel & Gaza and blocks all access
    to the “fishing zone” off Gaza’s coast. Trucks are being turned away
    at Kerem Shalom and exit via Erez is limited to humanitarian
    exceptions.

    (Thread)

    — Gisha גישה مسلك (@Gisha_Access) March 25, 2019
    <https://twitter.com/Gisha_Access/status/1110162209634746368?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>

Nickolay Mladenov, the UN’s Middle East peace envoy, decried the firing 
of the missile towards Israel and said that his side was working with 
Egypt “but [the] situation remains VERY tense.”

    #BREAKING
    <https://twitter.com/hashtag/BREAKING?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>:
    Today's firing of a rocket from #Gaza
    <https://twitter.com/hashtag/Gaza?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>
    towards #Israel
    <https://twitter.com/hashtag/Israel?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>,
    which hit a house north of Tel Aviv and injured seven people, is
    absolutely unacceptable. This is an extremely serious incident! #UN
    <https://twitter.com/hashtag/UN?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw> is
    working intensely with #Egypt
    <https://twitter.com/hashtag/Egypt?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw> and
    all sides but situation remains VERY tense.

    — Nickolay E. MLADENOV (@nmladenov) March 25, 2019
    <https://twitter.com/nmladenov/status/1110146667599282177?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is up for reelection in 15 days, 
faced a barrage of criticism from other Israeli leaders who demanded 
blood after the Israeli home was hit.


    Israeli leaders call for assassinations

Culture minister Miri Regev echoed previous calls 
<https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-gantz-as-pm-i-would-resume-targeted-killings-in-gaza-if-israel-is-attacked-1.7019979> 
by Benny Gantz, Netanyahu’s chief election rival, by calling for the 
extrajudicial killing of Palestinian leaders.

“Only when the leaders of Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Gaza feel they’re 
being hunted down and are in the crosshairs will they start to interpret 
us differently,” she said 
<https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/opponents-blame-netanyahu-following-rocket-attack-on-central-israel-1.7048675>.

Israel’s finance minister, Moshe Kahlon, also advocated “restoring the 
policy of targeted assassinations.”

Before they were limited by Israel’s high court, 339 Palestinians – 210 
of them the target and 129 of them civilian bystanders – died in 
“targeted killings” between 2000 and 2006, according to 
<https://www.btselem.org/firearms/20061219_targeted_killing_ruling> 
B’Tselem, a human rights group.

Itamar Ben-Gvir of the far-right Otzma Yehudit party stated “it is high 
time to charge Gaza a heavy price.” He said that for every rocket fired 
from the territory, “30 terrorists should be killed, Gaza should be 
leveled and we should return to Gush Katif,” referring to a settlement 
in Gaza evacuated by Israel in 2005.

In a joint statement, Ayelet Shaked and Naftali Bennet, the outgoing 
justice and education ministers, respectively, stated that “Israeli 
deterrence has collapsed,” and that “deterred people don’t shoot.”

Israeli leaders have long sought the total capitulation 
<https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/maureen-clare-murphy/israel-wants-break-gaza-once-and-all> 
of Gaza’s population, now more than two million, half of them children, 
and two-thirds of them refugees from lands on the other side of the 
Gaza-Israel boundary fence.

Israel’s land, sea and air blockade, imposed on Gaza after the elected 
Hamas government took charge there in 2007, was intended to do just 
that, as were Israel’s three major offensives on the coastal enclaves 
between 2008 and 2014.

Over the past year Palestinians in Gaza have rebelled against the siege, 
which has seen unemployment rates reach the highest in the world 
<https://unctad.org/en/pages/PressRelease.aspx?OriginalVersionID=467>, 
families thrust into poverty, a majority of children 
<https://www.nrc.no/news/2019/march/gaza-childrens-mental-health-rapidly-deteriorating/> 
grapple with psychological distress, and its population become dependent 
on humanitarian aid.

Palestinians have paid dearly for that rebellion, with nearly 200 shot 
and killed 
<https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/maureen-clare-murphy/israel-kills-gaza-protesters-un-body-condemns-unlawful-force> 
and 7,000 injured by live fire 
<https://www.ochaopt.org/content/humanitarian-snapshot-casualties-context-demonstrations-and-hostilities-gaza-30-march-2018> 
during massive unarmed demonstrations under the banner of the Great 
March of Return <https://electronicintifada.net/tags/great-march-return>.

A UN commission of inquiry has found 
<https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/maureen-clare-murphy/un-investigators-call-arrests-over-gaza-war-crimes> 
that Israel’s use of lethal force against protesters warrants criminal 
investigation and prosecution and may amount to war crimes and crimes 
against humanity.

This week marks the one-year anniversary of the protests.


    Trump signs executive order on Golan Heights

Palestinians in Gaza reported Monday’s attacks in real time on social 
media as Netanyahu, in Washington, watched his American counterpart 
Donald Trump sign an executive order delivering on his promise 
<https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/maureen-clare-murphy/israel-kills-gaza-protesters-un-body-condemns-unlawful-force> 
to recognize Israel’s claims to sovereignty over the Golan Heights.

As recognized by international law, the Golan Heights 
<https://electronicintifada.net/tags/golan-heights> is Syrian territory 
captured by Israel during the 1967 war along with the Palestinian West 
Bank and Gaza Strip, and Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, from which Israel 
eventually withdrew.

After Israel claimed to annex the Golan Heights in 1981, the UN Security 
Council declared 
<https://unispal.un.org/DPA/DPR/unispal.nsf/0/73D6B4C70D1A92B7852560DF0064F101> 
the move “null and void and without international legal effect.”

Syria’s foreign ministry said 
<https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/.premium-trump-to-sign-executive-order-recognizing-golan-as-israeli-territory-1.7058996> 
the US move was a “blatant attack on the sovereignty and territorial 
integrity” of Syria.

Al-Marsad, a human rights group based in the Golan Heights, stated on 
Monday that “The decision sets a dangerous standard that glorifies 
systematic human rights abuses, legitimizes illegal aggression and 
occupation, and endangers peace in the Middle East.”

    "We unequivocally reject the U.S.'s decision today and will contest
    all of its practical impacts. The Syrian people must have the final
    say in what happens on their land." #Golan_is_Syrian
    <https://twitter.com/hashtag/Golan_is_Syrian?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>
    pic.twitter.com/xHaZQbyogr <https://t.co/xHaZQbyogr>

    — Al-Marsad | المرصد (@GolanMarsad) March 25, 2019
    <https://twitter.com/GolanMarsad/status/1110230002631622661?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>

The head of the United Nations 
<https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-israel-un-idUSKCN1R623E>, as 
well as Human Rights Watch 
<https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/03/25/golan-expected-us-policy-shift-reflects-disdain-rights>, 
emphasized that Trump’s executive order did not change the status of the 
Golan Heights under international law:

    U.N. chief clear that Golan status has not changed: spokesman
    https://t.co/11N1iYJzII pic.twitter.com/ztfITG2bYx
    <https://t.co/ztfITG2bYx>

    — Reuters Top News (@Reuters) March 25, 2019
    <https://twitter.com/Reuters/status/1110292086820093952?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>

    Let’s be clear - #GolanHeights
    <https://twitter.com/hashtag/GolanHeights?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>
    still occupied #Syria
    <https://twitter.com/hashtag/Syria?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>
    territory, and unilateral declarations cannot deprive Syrians of
    their rights under occupation law. Only thing this does is embolden
    other occupying states to double down on their own land grabs.
    https://t.co/a0Ab2BnYhY https://t.co/Aab9wJCMUi

    — Sara Kayyali (@skayyali1) March 25, 2019
    <https://twitter.com/skayyali1/status/1110223466874261505?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>


-- 
Freedom Archives 522 Valencia Street San Francisco, CA 94110 415 
863.9977 https://freedomarchives.org/
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://freedomarchives.org/pipermail/news_freedomarchives.org/attachments/20190326/d2929b7a/attachment.htm>


More information about the News mailing list