[Peace-discuss] IPA: Gaza and Israel

[Robert Naiman]

Institute for Public Accuracy
915 National Press Building, Washington, D.C. 20045
(202) 347-0020 * http://www.accuracy.org * ipa at accuracy.org
___________________________________________________

       Thursday, June 29, 2006

       Gaza and Israel

NASEER ARURI
   Aruri is chancellor professor emeritus of political science at the
University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth and author of the book
"Dishonest Broker: The U.S. Role in Israel and Palestine." He said
today: "Virtually every one of the nearly one hundred Hamas officials
and lawmakers that Israel has taken prisoner has called for the release
of the Israeli soldier. Israel's actions are totally contrary to its
stated goal of rescuing the boy. More generally, Hamas leadership has
refrained from suicide bombings for more than a year, despite Israel
assassinating some of them. A Hamas engaged in diplomacy is apparently
more upsetting to Israel than one engaged in suicide bombings. ...
Israel has not bet on a Hamas endorsing the two-state solution." See:
"Hamas Arrests Planned Weeks Ago" from the Israeli newspaper Haaretz:
<http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/732528.html>.

STEPHEN ZUNES,  http://www.fpif.org
   Zunes is Middle East editor for Foreign Policy In Focus and author
of the book "Tinderbox: U.S. Middle East Policy and the Roots of
Terrorism." He said today: "Though a carefully-targeted Israeli
paramilitary operation to liberate the captured soldier could perhaps be
considered legitimate, Israel's decision to respond by destroying
bridges, power stations and other civilian targets constitutes
collective punishment, which is expressly forbidden by international
law. In addition, the launching of this destructive assault just when
the Palestinians are exploring new diplomatic initiatives appears
designed to further delay a resumption of the peace process."

AMJAD SHAWA,  http://www.pngo.net
   Shawa is Palestinian NGO Network Coordinator for Gaza. He said
today: "We are already receiving reports of civilians being killed from
the Israeli attack -- as well as houses being demolished."

MOHAMMAD OMER,  http://www.rafahtoday.org
   A freelance journalist and photographer, Omer writes the Rafah Today
blog. He said today: "Most of the Western reporters are in hotels in
Jerusalem, not in Gaza. There are constant sonic booms from Israeli jet
fighters frightening everyone here, particularly the children."

RABBI ARTHUR WASKOW,  http://www.shalomctr.org
   Director of the Shalom Center, Waskow asked about the attack on
Israeli soldiers: "What kind of narrowness of thought and disregard for
human life, not just of the soldiers being directly attacked, but the
victims of the consequences -- was involved in the decision to carry out
this attack? What kind of disregard and narrowness of thought was
involved in destroying more of the infrastructure of Gaza, thus
punishing hundreds of thousands of the common folk with more misery,
more hunger, more thirst, more disease, more death?"

LAILA EL-HADDAD,
http://a-mother-from-gaza.blogspot.com
   A journalist based in the U.S. and the Gaza Strip, El-Haddad said
today: "Hamas made some effort, but I don't think they were capable of
stopping the Qassam rocket attacks into Israel -- after all, Israel
couldn't stop the attacks when it was in Gaza. There are numerous
splinter factions and a lot of competing interests."

BARBARA LUBIN,  http://www.mecaforpeace.org
   Director of the Middle East Children's Alliance, Lubin recently
returned from Gaza. She said today: "The children in the Gaza Strip have
been suffering for a long time even before this latest bombing. The
borders to Gaza have been closed for months. No food or medicine have
been allowed into the area, and because countries like the U.S. and
Europe have withheld financial aid, most of the workers have not
received a paycheck since February. With the bombing of the electric
plant the children now face new diseases. The Middle East Children's
Alliance will continue to send much-needed food and medicine to the
children."

For more information, contact at the Institute for Public Accuracy:
Sam Husseini, (202) 347-0020; or David Zupan, (541) 484-9167


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