| The situation in Israel is increasingly approaching the front line The situation in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict zone, which sharply worsened on Monday due to a terrorist attack by Palestinians in the Gaza Strip (a bus carrying schoolchildren was blown up), is deteriorating. Yesterday, Israel carried out large-scale retaliatory strikes against targets in Palestinian territory. The press secretary of the local counterintelligence, Ahmad Sabawi, told the Vremya Novostey newspaper that the attacks hit his service office (15 rockets), television and Fatah headquarters, about 80 people were injured, at least three were killed. The number of victims of the conflict, which began on September 28, has already exceeded 250 people. Although shelling of the city from Israeli helicopters and ships in the Mediterranean has so far stopped, Israeli tanks are stationed in Gaza. There are calls to fight the Israelis by any means necessary; Palestinian police have been ordered to open fire on the Israelis.
Meanwhile, Israel finds itself in isolation; all its neighbors do not hide their hostile attitude towards it. Yesterday, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak recalled the ambassador from Tel Aviv, but among the Arab countries only Egypt and Jordan had normal relations with Israel. An Israeli diplomat was wounded in Jordan, and yesterday's Syrian newspapers called the Israelis "neo-Nazis." Saudi Arabia demanded the intervention of peacekeepers.
The Palestinians are seeking the arrival of two thousand UN inspectors, which is why Israeli and Palestinian representatives Yehud Lankri and Nasir Al-Qudwa urgently met with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan separately. According to the Israeli Lankri, his country is against this idea, and, according to Russia and the United States, peacekeepers should not be invited without Israel’s permission. The still unagreed visit to the region by Vladimir Putin (as we learned, before the latest aggravation it was assumed that he could come to Egypt and Israel in December) was called into question. However, Moscow apparently does not consider the situation in the Palestinian territories dangerous. We managed to find out that Russian diplomats in the autonomy do not even receive “combat” pay (20% salary increase), as, for example, in Iraq.
The Israelis laid the main blame for the explosion of a bus with schoolchildren near the settlement of Gush Katif in the Gaza Strip on the chief of Palestinian counterintelligence, Muhammad Dakhlan. On Monday, two adult passengers on this bus were killed, nine people were injured, including five children, three of them - two sisters and their brother - are in serious condition. The Israeli army does not forgive such things. The press service of the Israeli government, however, assured us that these are “dosed and targeted strikes, in which civilians should not suffer.” Israeli Chief of Staff Shaul Mofaz announced a gradual call-up of reservists.
Palestinian counterintelligence officers explained to us that an investigation into the explosion is underway, and suspicion falls on the Islamists, although the people are so angry that these could also be spontaneous acts of revenge by less organized groups of the population. But the Israelis no longer want to know who is behind the terrorist attacks, blaming the Palestinian leadership, primarily the intelligence services, for everything. Israeli opposition leader Ariel Sharon, who has long personally hated Muhammad Dakhlan and, it must be said, enjoys the reciprocity, even proposed simply eliminating the chief of Palestinian counterintelligence. According to our data, he reacted calmly to the threats, saying that “the Israelis are capable of anything,” but “you still can’t kill everyone.” A week ago, the 19-year-old nephew of Muhammad Dakhlyan was killed in clashes.
It is noteworthy that on the eve of the escalation, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak spoke by phone for the first time in a long time with the head of the Palestinian Authority, Yasser Arafat, noting the decrease in tension that had emerged as a result of the incredible efforts of international diplomacy. Now you have to start all over again. Elena SUPONINA |
|
