18 Palestinians killed, rights advocates' silence lambasted
Palestine-Iran-UN, Politics, 5/21/2007

Nine Palestinians were killed and tens others wounded during the Israeli seventh air raids on the Gaza Strip on overnight and today at dawn, security and medical sources said.

They added that Israeli warplanes fired missiles on Al-Hayya site in al- Shajaiyeh neighborhood, east of Gaza city, resulted in killing eight of family's members and injuring ten others, including some seriously.

Israel's Ministry Of Foreign Affairs said today "A 35-year-old woman was killed and another man moderately injured (today) evening when a Kassam rocket hit a car at a commercial center in Sderot. Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and the Popular Resistance Committees all claimed responsibility for the attack. The fatal attack came during a meeting in Sderot between Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and EU Foreign Policy Commissioner Javier Solana."

Livni said "The situation in Sderot is unbearable... Israel must defend its citizens. Israel left Gaza in order to give peace a chance. In exchange, unfortunately, we are getting nothing but terrorism...The people of Sderot feel that the world is deaf to their suffering. We not only expect that the world understand, but demand that the international community act with determination against the Palestinian Authority with no compromises when it comes to terrorism," the Israeli ministry reported, adding that "Sderot and the western Negev have come under attack since Tuesday night (May 15), with a barrage of over 130 Kassam rockets landing in the town and surrounding area. Hamas has openly claimed responsibility for the ongoing attack."

US Department Of State spokeman Sean McCormack said today "I understand that they're having some ongoing attacks with the Israeli Government seeking to defend itself against those individuals and cells that are launching Qassam rockets against Israeli populations. They continue to fall in and around Israeli towns. And Israel has a legitimate right to defend itself. In the course of those actions, I understand that there has been loss of innocent life. And it's -- and again, it points out the difficulty of trying to go after those who will use violent extremism, use terror, against innocent civilian populations and then embed themselves in another innocent civilian population. We saw a lot of this with Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. So these are extremely difficult situations for governments and security forces to deal with. And as we have done with the Israeli Government, we have counseled them to use all caution and all possible -- take all possible actions in order to avoid any civilian casualties, to avoid any undue damage to the Palestinian infrastructure, and always to consider the effects of their actions on the political process, the Israeli-Palestinian track, and moving that -- and moving that forward."

Israeli warplanes targeted a brick factory, east of Gaza city and resulted of killing one Palestinian and injuring four others, of whom one is seriously.

Ambassador Riyad Mansour, Permanent Observer of Palestine to the United Nations, called on, Monday, the international community, including the UN Security Council to bring an end to Israeli deadly attacks against the Palestinian civilian population.

In a letter to the President of the Security Council of the United Nations, the Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, Mansour said necessary measures must be taken to compel Israel to cease its unlawful actions and abide by all of its obligations under international law.

"Such action has become ever-more urgent at this critical time to stop the bloodshed and destruction and preserve the hopes for peace that have recently arisen but that are quickly diminishing with the refueling of the cycle of violence between the two sides," the Permanent Observer added. "Serious action is needed to help steer this crisis situation away from disaster and instead towards the stability necessary to allow all concerned parties to seize the moment to work together for the achievement of a peaceful and final settlement to this prolonged conflict." "The overall dire situation that prevails is the cumulative result of all of the illegal policies and practices being carried out by Israel, the occupying Power, against the Palestinian civilian population" he added.

"The constant and daily violation of their human rights and the suffocation and devastation of their economic and social life has caused a grave humanitarian conditions and the steep decline of the situation throughout the entire Occupied Palestinian Territory. Moreover, all of this has undoubtedly helped to fuel the inter-factional turmoil that has tragically been plaguing the Palestinian people in Gaza at this time." While serious efforts are being exerted on the Palestinian side to resolve this internal matter and put an immediate end to the fighting between factions via a comprehensive truce, Dr. Mansour said, what is sorely missing at this crucial time are efforts by the international community to address the illegal Israeli attacks against the Palestinian people.

"At least 36 Palestinians, including children, have been killed by the occupying forces, most of them killed by targeted missile strikes from Israeli warplanes," he added. "These attacks, which are being carried out following the decision of the Israeli Government to intensify its military operations, have been launched against Gaza City, Beit Hanoun and the Rafah areas among others, causing extensive human and physical destruction and further terrorizing the Palestinian people." "Such attacks by the occupying Power constitute grave breaches of the tenets of international law prohibiting military attacks against civilians and the wanton destruction of property," Mansour said.

"Along with the occupying Power's military raids on towns and villages, its daily arrests and detentions, its continuing collective punishment of the Palestinian people, including by means of continuing severe restrictions on movement and closures, and its intensifying colonization campaign throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, these attacks are fueling the already-high tensions, constituting further incitement and provocation, and threaten to completely destabilize the extremely fragile situation on the ground."

Iran's Majlis Speaker Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel yesterday criticized indifference of the so-called human rights advocates towards Israel's recent attacks on Palestinians in Gaza.

Addressing Majlis open session, he said 18 Palestinians lost their lives and scores of others were injured as a result of the Israeli air raid on Palestinians' residential areas in Gaza on Friday.

Voicing Iran's sympathy with the families of the killed Palestinians, Haddad-Adel said watching the heart-rending scenes of mothers crying and children mourning death of their loved ones after the Israeli attacks would cause terrible pain to everyone.

"Europeans, the so-called human rights advocates, are only witnessing such savage attacks and have kept silent," the speaker regretted.

Criticizing the US for consistently supporting its "illegitimate child," (Israel), Haddad-Adel said "This is the same America which alleges to be the vanguard of freedom and democracy in the world and claims to bring the same democracy to the Middle East and Islamic states." The speaker said American citizens should question their statesmen on their actions.

Referring to Israel's continuous attacks on members of the Palestinian Hamas movement, Haddad-Adel said the Israeli defense minister (Amir Peretz) has reiterated in his official statements that Israel wants to assassinate Hamas leaders.

During Hadad-Adel's talks, the MPs expressed their hatred towards the Israeli regime by chanting anti-Israel slogans.

Meantime, Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said on Saturday that the Israeli regime which is facing serious crises should not be given any privileges.

Also, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Mohammad-Ali Hosseini termed Israel's recent air raids on the Palestinians residential areas as well as their facilities as a "savage and terrorist act.. Targeting residential areas and slaughtering innocent children, women and men in Palestine as well as demolishing their houses through bombardments indicate the depth of the hostility and hatred of the Zionist regime and its ally, the US which has hidden itself behind the mask of loving peace and democracy, towards Palestinians and people of the region." He added the present inhuman measures which are underway in Gaza and the hostility of the Israeli officials against Palestinians, would double the need for avoiding any form of confrontation among Palestinian group.

The current carnage against Palestinians requires avoiding any struggle at home, said the spokesman who also stressed the need for further strengthening of unity among different Palestinian groups to safeguard their national interests and maintain values of their Islamic resistance.

Previous Stories:
  President Abbas commemorates 59th anniversary of NAKBA (catastrophe)   (5/15/2007)
  UK minister calls for more int'l aid for Palestinians   (5/15/2007)
  EU, Arab League clash over Palestine   (5/15/2007)
  Deadly clash at UN-run school in Gaza Strip sparks concern from Ban Ki-moon   (5/7/2007)
  Arab States should not allow Israel to undermine the Palestinians   (4/2/2007)
  New Palestinian Government 'positive step forward' : Ban Ki-moon   (3/20/2007)
  Ahmadi-Nejad: Israeli acts will accelerate its collapse   (2/11/2007)
  Palestinian unity government support from Iran   (2/4/2007)
  De Soto concerned at internal Palestinian escalation   (1/27/2007)

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