8 Responses to “Israeli strikes hit UN schools”

1. Kai Jones Writes:
   January 8th, 2009 at 10:53 am

   Why does the UN allow Hamas to position and use rocket launchers in their school?

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2. Susan England Writes:
   January 8th, 2009 at 11:21 am

   Hundreds of human beings have died, many of them children, and the victims are blamed. It is a point of view I just simply do not understand.
   How do you know that Hamas has rocket launchers positioned in it’s schools? Because the Israeli’s say so?
   Why can’t we talk about the conditions the Palestinians live in; about the fact that food and medical supplies are cut off; about people who cannot go to work, cannot go to school, cannot live anything close to ordinary lives; about how they have no human rights?
   How can we as human beings ignore the situation the Palestinians are placed in and blame them for their efforts to survive?

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3. Sailorman Writes:
   January 8th, 2009 at 11:42 am

   It appears to be the case that the attack was in response to another mortar attack:
   http://www.wtap.com/news/headlines/37167019.html

   Gaza City, Gaza (AP) — Residents of a Gaza neighborhood are confirming Israel’s claim that Hamas militants had opened fire from the cover of a U.N. school where hundreds of Palestinians had sought refuge.
   Israeli forces fired back with mortars, and hospital officials says three dozen Palestinians were killed.
   Two residents say a group of militants had fired their mortars from a street near the school, then fled into a crowd of people in the streets.
   The Israeli Army says two of the dead were militants. It accuses Gaza’s Hamas rulers of “cynically” using civilians as human shields.
   Gaza health officials say a total of 70 Palestinians have been killed Tuesday, with just two confirmed as militants.
   A top U.N. Officials is calling for an investigation into the mounting civilian death toll.
   Meanwhile, Israeli ground forces have been edging closer to two major towns in Gaza, despite international criticism over civilian deaths and diplomatic efforts to broker a cease-fire.
   (Copyright 2009 By The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

   That seems reliable, as residents of Gaza are unlikely to be pro-israel: if they’re pointing the finger elsewhere, it’s likely to be true.

   Obviously, that doesn’t make the school explosions OK. But it changes the equation: instead of asking “did Israel target innocents?” (as so many seem to be assuming) one might ask “Should Israel shoot back at people who were firing mortars at them, when those people are firing from near a civilian population?”

   Now, arguably this was a situation where Israel should have sucked it up and taken the mortar fire without responding to it. I’m not a military strategist so perhaps I’m wrong.

   It will be interesting to see what (if anything) Hamas says about their role in this. It will also be interesting to see if news and bloggers change their responses to the crisis in light of the information.

   This comment was written by Sailorman.
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4. Radfem Writes:
   January 8th, 2009 at 12:13 pm

   So even if they place mortar near the schools, it’s okay to bomb the schools themselves which are filled with families evacuating? That makes a lot of sense. And the Israelis equipment is much more precise in hitting targets than that used by the Hamas. As is their equipment for deflecting rockets coming into their country.

   Why can’t we talk about the conditions the Palestinians live in; about the fact that food and medical supplies are cut off; about people who cannot go to work, cannot go to school, cannot live anything close to ordinary lives; about how they have no human rights?
   How can we as human beings ignore the situation the Palestinians are placed in and blame them for their efforts to survive?

   Can’t be done. That’s a world where most of us can’t even imagine. It’s much easier to look at it through the lens including those who live in a country which gives over $1 billion to finance attacks where children are 30% of the victims, where schools, hospitals, funeral tents and evacuating families with no where to go are bombed, have their limbs blown off and are killed, filling up rooms wall to wall with bodies. All in a area where foreign press have been forbidden by the bombing country from entering.

   Change it to Afghanistan or Iraq and the U.S. is pulling the trigger. That’s what makes it much easier for us to sleep at night. Because we believe what our leaders tell us, that this makes us safer when in reality, it really doesn’t.

   And you have to bomb the children. Why? So they don’t grow up. Nits become lice, you know.

   Go team go!

   This comment was written by Radfem.
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5. Jack Stephens Writes:
   January 8th, 2009 at 12:37 pm

   Why does the UN allow Hamas to position and use rocket launchers in their school?

   Because the UN hates Israel and is secretly controlled by the Illuminati which also controls Hamas????

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6. Dianne Writes:
   January 8th, 2009 at 1:04 pm

   The Israeli Army says two of the dead were militants. It accuses Gaza’s Hamas rulers of “cynically” using civilians as human shields.

   Suppose two members of your least favorite radical group went up to a random policeman, shot him, and then ran into, say, the rush hour crowd in Times Square. The police then started firing wildly into the crowd, killing about 70 people, including the two attackers. Would you suggest that the police get a medal? Or would you think that they were trigger happy goons who needed some retraining? In how to aim, if nothing else.

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7. Sailorman Writes:
   January 8th, 2009 at 1:50 pm

   Radfem Writes:
   January 8th, 2009 at 12:13 pm

   So even if they place mortar near the schools, it’s okay to bomb the schools themselves which are filled with families evacuating? That makes a lot of sense. And the Israelis equipment is much more precise in hitting targets than that used by the Hamas. As is their equipment for deflecting rockets coming into their country

   .
   Er, no. Which is why I said this:

   Sailorman Writes:
   January 8th, 2009 at 11:42 am
   Obviously, that doesn’t make the school explosions OK.

   Incidentally, as far as I can figure out from the article, they didn’t “bomb the school.” I think that they fired a small number (two?) artillery shells at the street next to the school. The reports are saying things like this:

   GAZA (Reuters) – Israeli shelling killed more than 40 Palestinians on Tuesday at a U.N. school where civilians had taken shelter, medical officials said, in carnage likely to boost international pressure on Israel to halt a Gaza offensive.

   The Israeli army accused Hamas of using civilians as “human shields” and said its troops had fired mortars at the premises after gunmen mortared their positions from inside al-Fakhora school in Jabalya refugee camp.

   Citing intelligence reports, it named two men it said were Islamist gunmen killed in the attack. A spokesman said the army did not know how many others died.

   People cut down by shrapnel lay in pools of blood in the street. Witnesses said two shells exploded outside the school, killing at least 42 civilians and wounding dozens among people who had taken refuge there and residents of nearby buildings.

   Does this make it OK? nope. Artillery shells are just a way of delivering explosives, and they’re no more moral than a bomb. Israel should have considered the effects of secondary damage.

   How can we as human beings ignore the situation the Palestinians are placed in and blame them for their efforts to survive?

   We can’t. We can, however, categorize some efforts as “acceptable” and other efforts as “unacceptable.”

   This comment was written by Sailorman.
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8. OPa Infinity Writes:
   January 8th, 2009 at 5:34 pm

   Attacking a densely populated city, and blaming the people for being in the way is absurd. Tanks shells, bombs, rockets, and mortars are not weapons of discrimination in a city. I’ve seen the results on the ground of 500 and 1,000 pound bombs up close and personal. I spent a good part of my life as a warrior. The Israeli military may be targeting Hamas fighters, but the weapons of choice kill all of those around who are in range of the weapon. The Israeli’s are lucky, the weapons of Hamas are much less deadly and much less accruate, which is seen clearly in the small number of casualties inflicted. For every Palestinian the IDF kills, they create many more terrorists and people who grow up to hate Israel. Hamas can not be defeated militarily for this very reason. By just surviving they win, and the Israelis insure more killing, more hatred, no peace. Their tactics strengthen Hamas and other terrorists, and weaken the moderates who want peace. The problems in the Middle East will never be solved through violence, by either side.

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