Palestinian chemical weapon threats against Israel? Been there, done that...

Not that it isn't a valid, chilling threat, but we've been in and continue living this movie:

Fatah Aksa Martyrs Brigades' threat on Sunday, that it has succeeded in manufacturing chemical and biological weapons are nothing new.

Despite the bellicose statement, emanating from Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas's own party, which asserted that the weapons were the result of a three-year effort, Palestinians have already used chemical weapons against Israel. Repeatedly.

On some five occasions in the last several years of suicide bombings against Israelis, I recall forensic investigations showing assayable amounts of the pesticide wafarin - that's rat poison - soaked on remains of the bomb casings and shrapnel removed from victims. The pesticide, thankfully, was mostly incinerated when the charge was detonated, limiting the gruesome, hoped-for effects.

Example:

"[Jerusalem Hadassah Hospital's Dr. Avi] Rivkind regularly encounters injuries virtually unseen before: horrific wounds to the head, chest, even rectum, caused by nails, screws and ball bearings flying at high velocity. One suicide bomber sprinkled rat poison among his nuts and bolts, which acts as an often-fatal anticoagulant. “This 14-year-old girl was bleeding uncontrollably from every one of her puncture wounds,” Rivkind says. The doctor managed to stop the bleeding by using a coagulant, still unapproved by the American Food and Drug Administration, which he has since used to treat several other bomb-blast victims."

Example:

"There have been many reports of Hamas operatives planning and preparing attacks incorporating chemicals. Hamas has long sought to increase the lethality of its attacks by lacing shrapnel attached to its suicide bombs with chemicals. Israel’s Health Ministry revealed that nails and bolts packed into explosives detonated by a Hamas suicide bomber in a December 2001 attack at the Ben-Yehuda pedestrian mall in Jerusalem were soaked in rat poison. Furthermore, an interrogation of Hamas military leader Mohammed Abu Tir revealed that on the verge the new millennium, Hamas intended to commit a mass murder of Israelis. The plan, masterminded by Adel Awadallah, then head of Hamas’s military wing in the West Bank, involved the contamination Israeli water resources. In his interrogation, Abu Tir admitted that Awadallah told him that he and others had “reached a high level in producing chemical substances which could cause mass murder if put into the drinking water or swimming pools.”

And let's not forget a foiled plot to poison diners at a popular downtown Jerusalem eatery with a drug "Palestinian plotters hoped would produce heart attack symptoms in Cafe Rimon patrons some 15 hours after eating food laced with toxic quantities of the muscle relaxant Delaxin"

All this, as I'm drinking my morning coffee...

How did Ariel Zilber's wry, classic Israeli pop song go? "We survived Pharoh? We'll survive this, too..."

Abducted soldier believed seriously wounded; Cabinet okays large-scale IDF operation

The IDf officer and soldier killed in today's assault:

• 1st-Lieutenant Hanan Barak, 20, of Arad
• St.-Sgt. Pavel Slotzker, 20, of Dimona

The captive soldier is 19-year-old Gilad Shalit, of the Galilee community of Mitpze Hila near Carmiel. He is one of three siblings. (Thanks to Carl for the image)

Defense Minister Amir Peretz, in a brief statment to the press at 17:15 IST, said that if Shalit was harmed in any manner, "his blood would be upon the heads" of his captors and the Palestinian leadership, in a pointed reference to the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority.

Shalit reportedly sustained stomach wounds in the assault and abduction on the IDF outpost, according to The Jerusalem Post. His whereabouts are unknown and the IDF is said to be preparing possible rescue scenarios.

A particularly ghoulish aspect of the incident is a Palestinian claim that the captors are holding body parts of the slain Israelis, as well, to increase the pressure on the Israelis to accede to their demands, among them, the release of Palestinian security prisoners held in Israeli jails.

Channel 2 News reported shortly after 20:00 that the security cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert decided on a large-scale, graduated operation against Palestinian targets in southern Gaza. The extent and aims of the operation were not revealed.

Troops searching for Shalit discovered the entrance of the nearly kilometer-long tunnel, which extended some 300 meters into Israeli territory.

IDF spotters said that that they'd had intel warnings for over a month of a tunnel in the vicinity, although massive army backhoes digging in the area were unable to find it in time.

"Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni spoke with United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan and American Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to ask they urge Palestinian Authority Chair Mahmoud Abbas to secure Shilat's release. She also relayed the message that Israel considers the abduction a test to Abbas' leadership, and expects him to stay in Gaza to help resolve the crisis.

"Livni also spoke with her European Union and Spanish counterparts, and is set to speak with foreign ministers from Great Britain, France, Russia and others."

Meanwhile, "Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas invited leaders of various Palestinian terror organizations to his office Sunday afternoon and informed them that he had received an ultimatum from the Israeli government warning that if the kidnapped soldier was not released safely within a matter of hours, IDF forces would enter Gaza and the organizations would bear responsibility."

Gaza escalation: (Exclusive Podcast Interview, Ch. 10 live video)

Israel Channel 10 live video feed on Hamas-led attack against IDF outpost near Gaza.

IDF armored personnel carrier hit by Palestinian grenades in infiltration alongside Gaza. The vehicle was empty during the attack. (Photo: Ynet)

Hear the IDF Spokesman's Office update on this rapidly-escalating report.

From Haaretz:

"Two Israel Defense Forces soldiers were killed and another was reported missing when Hamas and other armed Palestinian groups attacked an IDF post within Israeli territory near the Gaza Strip border, in the pre-dawn hours Sunday.

"Shortly afterwards, IDF tanks and troops entered Gaza near the site of the attack, an IDF position close to the Kerem Shalom crossing. Military sources said the incursion was part of a manhunt for the missing soldier."

From The Jerusalem Post:

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Sunday he holds the Palestinian Authority and the Hamas-ruled government responsible for an attack on a military outpost near the Gaza Strip earlier in the day.

"We in Israel view the Palestinian Authority, headed by Chairman [Mahmoud] Abbas and the Palestinian government, responsible for this incident, with all that implies," Olmert said at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting.

Justice Minister Haim Ramon told Army Radio "Israel will wipe out all those who are involved in terrorism. Their organizational affiliation will not protect them."

Former Gaza commander Yom-Tov Samia said the IDF was "making every effort to secure the release of the soldier reported kidnapped by Palestinians. The soldier's condition was unknown."

Fatah, according to one report, is threatening to renew shooting attacks on Jerusalem’s southern Gilo neighborhood if Israel enters Gaza. (I'll update you about that report from here: I live in Gilo - ed.)

"IDF ground troops entered the Gaza Strip Sunday morning after Palestinian operatives infiltrated southern Israel through the coastal strip, attacking a military post and two vehicles in an operation that touched off a gunbattle with soldiers that left at least six IDF troops hurt and four gunmen dead.

"Two Apache helicopters were flying low over the area as the troops entered."

Six soldiers hurt in large-scale firefight with Gaza infiltrators (Updated)

At least six IDF soldiers were wounded and at least four Palestinian gunmen were killed in a still-developing clash near Kibbutz Kerem Shalom early Sunday morning, according to Israel Army Radio.

"Hours after the raid, IDF tanks and troops entered the Strip near the site of the attack, an army position near the Kerem Shalom crossing. Military sources said the incursion was part of a manhunt for the remaining gunmen.

"The attack on the IDF tank was claimed by Palestinian militants, including the Hamas armed wing. The Popular Resistance Committees also later claimed responsibility for the attack," Haaretz reported.

An unspecified number of Israelis were medivaced to Soroka Hospital in Beersheba, as of the 07:30 Army Radio update, as the IDF brought helicopters, tanks and large forces into rapidly- evolving operation.

Army Radio is cautiously using extreme terms in describing the fast-developing incident, terminology commonly used in the past when referring to severe IDF and/or civilian casualties, before receiving the go-ahead from the army censor.

"A Palestinian security source told Ynet that there is a possibility that the terrorists who fired a missile at an IDF post near the Sufa crossing infiltrated Israel from Sinai.

"The official said that the fact that the gunmen were heavily armed and that their access to the area was almost uninterrupted hints to the possibility they arrived from the Egyptian side, and from the Palestinian side, which is secured by IDF soldiers."

Five soldiers were killed in a similar attack at the same location, when Palestinians detonated a large bomb in a tunnel beneath the facility four years ago.

Kibbutz Kerem Shalom manager Ilan Regev said the Palestinian gunmen used a tunnel to bypass the security fence with Israel, in the surprise assault by several Palestinian groups, including Hamas, on a nearby IDF position and tank.

Kibbutz member Iris Lavie, speaking with Army Radio said they were awakened at 05:00 by the sounds of the firefight.

Repeated bursts of machine gun fire heard in the background punctuated radio interviews with both members.

Kerem Shalom's residents were instructed to enter "safe rooms," early Sunday morning as the firefight between the two sides escalated, some 300 meters from the kibbutz. The army requested that residents of other Israeli communities also remain indoors, and deploy civilian perimeter security squads.

Severe security alerts have kept the nearby Sufa cargo crossing point with Gaza, alongside the Egyptian border closed for the last week.

This just in: Bush embarrassed to discover Gaza Strip has nothing to do with sex

Washington DC - President Bush today decried the Gaza Strip as both an “immorally seductive dance” and a place of “gross and unadultemerated iniquity” in an apparent confusion over the hotly contested area of land. The misunderstanding arose during current negotiations involving Israeli and Palestinian leaders.

The President, upon hearing debate over who should claim responsibility for the Gaza Strip, began a tirade against the land, apparently believing that it was some sort of sexual strip tease, or a reputed place of prostitution. “The United States, with its great heritage of morality, will have no part in negotiating who should lay historical claim to perverse dances, or areas of land dedicated strictly to the promotion of illicit sexual acts” stated the President.

While the statement added to an already tarnished image of the President as being a less than cosmopolitan leader, it did establish common ground in the negotiations. Leaders from both the Palestinian and Israeli sides, as well as representatives from Egypt and the militant organization Hamas all agreed that the President is indeed not the “fastest camel in the herd.” After having a good laugh, all parties involved in the negotiations approached the talks with a much more amicable attitude.

Reached for comment, the President’s staff insisted that while he had been to one or two “gentlemen’s clubs” Bush had never actually “touched.”

Remember, I said I liked good parody...

And how was your Shabbat?

Deja vu all over again: In-depth interview with Israeli-American novelist Naomi Ragen (Podcast)

"FBI says U.S. suspects sought al-Qaida help: Plot to blow up Sears Tower ‘more aspirational than operational’"

The headlines give me a gut sense of dread and deva vu about what the US is facing in its war against terror. On 9/11/2001, I was on the Internet newsdesk at The Jerusalem Post.

In an exclusive interview held soon after, world-acclaimed Israeli-American novelist Naomi Ragen told me in plain words about living with terrorism and how it affects her life in Israel, her writing, relations with foreign journalists covering the conflict - and the increasing threat it poses for all of us, worldwide.

Her words were so clear and to-the-point that I wanted to share them anew, unfortunately, because of all-to-familiar circumstances.

"CBS News Photo essay: Authorities talk after a raid Thursday, June 22, 2006, in Miami's Liberty City area. Seven people were arrested in connection with the early stages of a plot to attack Chicago's Sears Tower and other buildings in the U.S., including an FBI office in Miami, a federal law enforcement official said. As part of the raids, FBI agents swarmed a warehouse, using a blowtorch to take off a metal door."

"ABC News: June 24, 2006 — The alleged terrorism plot broken up in Miami is sending out shock waves as people realize terror threats can come from within the United States as well as abroad. But critics are raising questions about how serious the threat actually was."

(Segments excerpted from our discussion on JPost Radio)

Worthwhile video debate on Sderot and Gaza events (Video)

Worth watching:

People killed in Gaza, Kasams dropping in Sderot - A Video Debate

"Things are getting out of hand. Kasams are dropping on Sderot and people are getting killed regularily in Gaza. My mother always told me, “add a little salt to what you hear and a little sugar to what you say”. Please keep that in mind when you see the following videos and/or make your comments. These are taken from YouTube."

(Hat tip and thanks to www.OneJerusalem.com)

Gaza mayor declares: 'Kassams are not meant to kill' (Update - Images)

Sderot residents killed in Kassam and mortar attacks from the Gaza Strip (all photos: Dave Bender)
(Updated)

From a Hashmonean post, headed, Don’t drink the bong water please..:

"From the diary of the absurd, proof positive the Arabs are never responsible for anything.

"This is what you get for pandering to them for the last 58 years. Their own divisions in the UN, historically the highest per capita aid of any people. The perpetual refugee victims of their own folly actually believe their own bull, it is astonishing.. I'm left wondering if this Hamas elected official is living on another planet?

"Enjoy this illuminating interview in JPOST with the Mayor of Beit Hannoun in Gaza, pls keep in mind the man has a PhD."

The Jerusalem Post's original report:

"But how do you want me to talk to the resistance when there is bombing from Sderot on Beit Hanun? It's not patriotic."

The mayor, a father of eight, insisted that the Palestinian "resistance" came from residents outside his town. "If any of them are from here then they cover their faces so that the residents don't know it and try to stop them."

In any case, he claimed, the Kassams were harmless. "These are very elementary rockets," he said. "They are not for killing. They are for rejecting the occupation."

Just a few reminders from Sderot.

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Palestinian Authority: Guns & Butter (Editorial Cartoon)

Custodian sweeping incoming traffic lanes at Karni Terminal between Israel and Gaza. (Photo: Dave Bender)

Israeli humanitarian aid and goods waiting to be transferred through doors in background to Palestinian side of terminal. (Photo: Dave Bender)

Yet again, the dynamic duo of Cox & Forkum (Caped crusaders? Who plays the sidekick?) absolutely nail it: Palestinian Authority: Guns & Butter.

I posted on this issue last week, with an exclusive podcast interview with Israel Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev during a visit to the Karni good and cargo crossing point into Gaza.