Tuesday, June 27, 2006

Israel prepares the invasion of Gaza Strip


NIZMIT HILL, Israel (Reuters) - Israeli tanks and troops massed near Gaza on Tuesday for a threatened offensive against Palestinian militants as the Israeli government said it would target Hamas leaders if an abducted soldier was not freed.
In northern Gaza, Palestinians blocked roads with dirt and barbed wire. Militants wielding automatic rifles and anti-tank rockets rigged explosive devices along a road as tensions hit their highest since Israel quit Gaza nearly a year ago.
The United States urged Israel to give diplomatic negotiations a chance to win the release of Corporal Gilad Shalit, who was seized on Sunday by militants who also killed two soldiers in a raid on a military border post.
Israel's military build-up came as Palestinian factions put aside months of internal acrimony and agreed on a manifesto at the heart of a power struggle between the moderate President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas.

So let me get this straight, Israel is about to cross over into Palestinian-controlled Gaza Strip, with the intent to target members of democratically-elected Hamas government, crossing the border in clear violation of Oslo Accords, under a reason way too reminiscent of Gleiwitz incident, and yet - no one in international community seems to scrutinize this action - interesting.