Two dead as Israeli jets hammer PA PM Haniyeh's Gaza office

"The Israel Air Force On Saturday night attacked the office of Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh in Gaza, causing a fire in the building.

"According to Palestinian eyewitnesses, two missiles hit the northern part of the building containing the office, which was empty due to the late hour. One person was reported wounded in the strike."

"This is the policy of the jungle and arrogance," Haniyeh told Reuters, adding that the strike "targeted a symbol of the Palestinian people."

The official IDF statement:

July 2nd 2006

"IDF SPOKESPERSON ANNOUNCEMENT

"IDF aerial attack on the office of Ismail Haniya

"Early this morning, July 2 nd 2006, the IDF carried out an aerial attack on
the office of Ismail Haniya, prime minister of the Palestinian Authority
from Hamas.

"Hamas is a terror organization which regularly plans and carries out attacks
against Israel, including attacks carried out in recent weeks. The IDF holds
the Palestinian Authority and the democratically elected Hamas government
responsible for the attack and the fate of the abducted soldier.

"The IDF will continue to act with determination and to employ all means at
its disposal to combat terrorists and their infrastructure, in order to
defend the citizens of Israel and to secure the safe and unconditional
return of Cpl. Gilad Shalit."

Baleboosteh has more from Down Under.

And this is your brain on drugs (Satire... right?)

Gay Black Jewish Klansmen.

For tolerance and understanding.

A'yup...

So, I guess this means, umm, that there's still hope for mideast peace, or piece, or... ahh, geez, I sure hope this is real and not a Photoshopped satire...

But them again, real in this case is way scarier, and besides, that Spongebob poster on the right makes my brain hurt trying to figure it all out.

(Hat tip to Yisrael at My Right Word)

FIRST REPORT: IDF SAYS GILAD SHALIT ALIVE, HELD IN S. GAZA

IDF units massed alongside Gaza Strip. (Photo: AFP)

Kidnapped IDF Cpl. Gilad Shalit is still alive, suffering from wounds to an arm and minor stomach area "scratches," and is still being held in the southern Gaza strip, according to the Saturday night midnight update on Israel Channel One television.

Correspondent Yoav Limor, quoting IDF sources, said Shalit had received medical care from a Palestinian doctor. His flak jacket was reportedly found hanging along the fence near where he was abducted, stained with small blood spots.

More here on Hamas' demands for his safe return to Israel.

Meanwhile, "U.S. President George W. Bush said on Saturday that freeing abducted Israel Defense Forces soldier Corporal Gilad Shalit was "key" to ending the crisis in Gaza, the White House said."

Israeli PM Olmert's "predicament" (Editorial Cartoon)

Just saw this in the Shabbat/Sabbath edition of Israel's Makor Rishon newspaper.

Never mind the political affiliations - it sure sums up Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's present situation, no?

This week in Israel: Margot Dudkevitch on Gaza (Exclusive Podcast Interview)

Israeli tank crew viewing an explosion in the Gaza town of of Beit Hanun (archive)

Hear Margot Dudkevitch, an Ozsraeli defense affairs and territories commentator, and former Jerusalem Post territories reporter as she takes look at this difficult week in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza.

Hanging fire in Gaza, 'just waiting on a friend'

From The Jerusalem Post:

"Israel will consider releasing the 64 Hamas activists it rounded up early Thursday morning if IDF soldier Cpl. Gilad Shalit is freed, OC Central Command Maj.-Gen. Yair Naveh said Thursday.

"'The possibility exists,' Naveh said. "The diplomatic echelon can decide to release the Hamas officials if the soldier is returned to us." Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said the primary goal of the operation "is to bring about Shalit's release. If he is released, this would dramatically deescalate the situation.'"

Carl at Israelmatzav rips that idea a "new one:"

"This evening, the IDF was supposed to enter Northern Gaza to deal with the Kassam shooters. Instead, it is sitting outside lobbing in shells. While they did get lucky and shells hit two power transformers, knocking out power which had been partially restored since Tuesday night, the 'Palestinians' have gotten off six more Kassams. Two of the Kassams landed south of Ashkelon near a 'sensitive installation' (probably our power plant); two landed in Sderot, one of which landed next to or in the municipal cemetery, and two more landed in Kibbutz Mevakiim. No one was hurt beyond people treated for shock. "The reason that tonight's entry was called off - ostensibly by Ehud Olmert after a meeting with Defense Minister Comrade Peretz - was to 'give diplomacy a chance.' Comrade Peretz claimed this afternoon - four days after wounded IDF Corporal Gidon Shalit was kidnapped - that we are on the verge of a major diplomatic breakthrough. Tonight, Debkafile is claiming that there is no diplomatic breakthrough and there never was one on the verge or otherwise.

Read it all.

Ynetnews has a good report and video of the current fighting.

'Say Whut?' Babelfishing for the mot juste

Good morning to Europe and points east.

Thanks to the many visitors from non-native English speaking countries, I just added Babelfish to the top of the page, over there to the right, to ease translations. Please give it a try, and let me know just how badly cutting-edge technology can mangle language.

But no. No, not as badly as many Israeli spokespersons do when addressing the foreign media, and quite often in a dialect that, actually, almost resembles English...

Lesse', there was Dalia Yitzik to the UK's Court of St. James. That was a good one. Late (and deeply missed) Jerusalem Post colleague Sam Orbaum ripped into Itzik on her "hibroo"; Defense Minister Amir Peretz speaking (sic) at The Rabin Center in something English-istic (hat tip to OneJerusalem). Myself, I was always partial to Vice Premier Shimon Peres' "piss pro-sess."

This example by Gil Hoffman at The Jerusalem Post was written back in 2001. Has anything changed? Got any better examples? There must be bazillions...

Reporter and media affairs expert Dan Diker at The Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs takes a more serious, well-documented look at the issue.

NBA drafts two Israeli players!

From The Jerusalem Post:


Eliyahu (Photo: FIBA Europe)

"Lior Eliyahu, was selected by the Orlando Magic with the 44th overall pick of the 2006 NBA Draft in New York City..."



Halperin (Photo: Ales Fevzer)

And, "most analysts projected Yotam Halperin to be the first Israeli player drafted since the Los Angeles Clippers picked Doron Sheffer with the 36th selection of the 1996 Draft. Halperin surprisingly dropped to the Seattle Supersonics with the 53rd pick.

"In other basketball news, Pini Gershon, who led Maccabi Tel Aviv to three European titles, signed a contract to coach Greek team Olympiakos."

Catblogging: Israel and the terrorists (Editorial Cartoon)

Catblogging: Israel and the terrorists, via Cox & Forkum. Cat be nimble, cat be quick.

Yossi Klein Halevi in the New Republic:

"Nothing unites Israelis in outrage more than the seizure of hostages. On July 4, Israel will mark the 30th anniversary of the Entebbe operation that freed over a hundred Israeli hostages, and little has changed since then in the national ethos of rescue. The last Zionist ideal still shared by most Israelis is the determination to fight back. An Israeli soldier held hostage is a taunt against the Zionist promise of self-defense, an unbearable reminder of Jewish helplessness.

"Our obsession with hostages is a tactical weakness but a strategic strength. It allows terrorists a stunning psychological advantage: With a single random kidnapping, they hold an entire society emotionally hostage. Strategically, though, hostage-taking only strengthens Israeli resolve."

Israeli gov't source: 'Asheri's killer doesn't have long to live'

"Asheri's killer doesn't have long to live," a source in the Prime Minister's Office was quoted as saying on Israel Army Radio's 13:00 news broadcast.

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Now, please contrast and compare the following. There will be a test. Actually, it's already begun:



"The pain is great, almost too great to bear," said Miriam Asheri, mother of slain Itamar resident Eliyahu Asheri in an interview with Israel Radio on Thursday.

"But one thing I feel, despite all this… is that in the wake of disagreements between our brethren, with our different worldviews and different relationships to the land of Israel that creates a lot of conflict, a lot of anger, a lot of argument - many times, I've asked G-d that he should first of all grant me love for everyone in my heart, and… that He should show me the special quality of the nation of Israel, and that I should succeed - that we should all succeed in loving each other… truly from the heart."

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“The abduction was easy to carry out, and the hostage was alive for two days," said Palestinian Resistance Committee spokesman Abu Abir said on Thursday.

"Before we issued the announcement of his kidnap and after, the Israeli security system couldn’t decide who the kidnapped person was. Of course this only encourages us to continue the blessed Jihad and we promise more abductions in the near future.

“Operation ‘Cavaliers’ Wrath’ will turn Israelis’ lives into hell. Soldiers and settlers will find us everywhere; we will come out at them from under the ground and above it. We will to attack from every direction. The Salah a-Din Brigades are completing preparations for the next big operation. We will kidnap and murder more Zionists,” he said.