Friday, January 25, 2008

"In Our Faces"

Arlene Kushner

How long, I am forced to ask, do we continue with policies that are insanity? How long do we have a government that engages our enemies, putting our people at risk?

Almost simultaneously, yesterday evening there were two terrorist attacks.

In one, two terrorists approached a checkpoint at the entrance to the UNRWA refugee camp at Shuafat, which is inside the Jerusalem municipal border in the north of the city. As they began shooting, one officer in the Border Guard was killed, and a second officer sustained moderate to serious wounds. The terrorists then fled the scene and are being sought. The gun of one of the guards has been taken.
Now...those who committed this terrorist act are members of Fatah -- an Al Aksa Brigades spin-off. They're not Hamas. They're from the party with which we are supposed to be negotiating "peace." We were supposed to have a "deal" -- an "amnesty" with them, in which we stopped pursuing them and they behaved themselves in return. Right... They have indicated that all amnesties are cancelled and they want to fight in the resistance against the occupation.

But is there even a remote chance that Olmert will call a halt to the negotiations until Abbas gets his act together? Nah. Not a snowball's chance in hell. Olmert is determined to "pursue peace."

What is more, from what I've read, the checkpoint was a weak one and had been structured as open -- less imposing -- rather than as a closed unit that would have provided our police with better protection. We wouldn't want to be too offensive with our checkpoints, now, would we?

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The second terrorist attack was committed south of Jerusalem, in Kfar Etzion in Gush Etzion (the Etzion Bloc). Two terrorists armed with a gun and a knife broke into a yeshiva there -- the Mekor Hayim High School Yeshiva run by Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz -- and threatened the students and counselors. Two counselors were armed and did battle with them, shooting them dead and sustaining minor wounds. Thank G-d, no one in the yeshiva was killed or seriously wounded.

These terrorists were reportedly with Hamas, cousins from the town of Beit Omar north of Hevron. They had been released from Israeli prison last week.

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MK Ze'ev Elkin (Kadima) has now called on Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to postpone his meeting, scheduled for Sunday, with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

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As had been anticipated, Egypt, employing riot officers, is attempting to block Palestinians from moving deeper into Egyptian territory. A cordon has been formed blocking their way, as the first efforts are being made to move the Palestinian back into Gaza. Clashes have ensued with the angry crowds. Egyptian officials are saying all Palestinians must be back in Gaza by 3PM today.

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There will a great deal more to say after Shabbat.

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see my website www.ArlenefromIsrael.info

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