Media groups are protesting the attack killing a journalist captured in a remarkable video below — showing an Israeli tank firing and hitting a clearly marked press vehicle. A medical examination showed on Thursday indicated that metal darts from the shell was the cause.
Not only is the attack causing an uproar but the possible use of the weapon, known as flechettes, is being raised. The 3 cm (1 inch)-long darts can cause considerable collateral damage to innocent individuals given the air explosion. Click here.
Reuters soundman Wafa Abu Mizyed, also in his 20s, was being treated for shock and injuries. Click here.
For the video, click here.
For the full story, click here.
VC:
It is my understanding that while there are some fertile areas in the interior and along the coast, a significant portion of Palestine consists of the briny Dead Sea, and the large area of the Southern desert, which comprises one half of the existing land. The Jordan Valley is below sea level and Ghawr has good soil but little water resources. Irrigation is thus essential. The mountain and hill region is rocky with terraces and olives do grow there but little else. Israel too has some fertile land but the Negev desert again takes up about one half of its land mass.
This is hardly the Eden which you seem to imply, and that again leads me to my question. Why is incessant warfare between two intractable sides preferable to a relocation by one group or the other? I personally believe that religion fuels this fire by deluding the occupants that the Creator of the Universe in his role as divine real estate broker conveyed this land to each side. But then again I am just a novice not locked into internecine warfare with my neighbor, so what do I know.
very concerned,
If they do reach a one-state solution, than expect them to pre-adopt Lani Guinier’esque safeguards for minorities in parliamentary democracies.
The question becomes for them what outcome to expect should they (the jewish Israelis) become the minority: Kenya or South Africa? I don’t suspect that either looks too palatable to them.
mespo, although I don’t take your question seriously, you really seem to believe the land is desert and scub. In fact, it is fertile, which is why the historic core of the Palesitnian economy is agriculture. The olive groves, for instance, are thousands of years old.
Neither side is going anywhere – they’ll eventually come around to the one-state solution, because the Isareli govt mooted the two-state one, and this grotesque prison-state solution will blow up in their face.
very concerned:
I see. I still am puzzled why each side would fight for this land knowing full well that neither side can never totally defeat the other side. I understand the economic component, but I fail to see how condemning your children to incessant warfare over a few thousand square miles of desert and scrub is wise. If the international community would transplant either side to more productive land say with a purchase and lease back, could that solve the problem? It has to be cheaper in terms of lives and treasure than this seemingly unending situation.
“Is there no middle ground approach”
Well, most Palesitnians today are willing to settle for keeping 28% of the land (i.e. the two state solution) and my guess is they feel this is pretty “middle ground”.
Yet the Israeli government continues to build settlements on that 28%. In fact, the Israeli govt has been pouring concrete all over the West Bank every day for the past 40 years, while still convincing the world they truly seek peace. Settlements, bypass roads connecting these settlements to each other and to Israel, and a grotesque wall which annexes large amounts of territory west of the Wall, and east of it cuts off Palestinians from each other and from their property and in some cases completely encircles entire towns.
Bottom line: the Zionist ideology allows no Palestinian any part of Palestine. They will never negotiate, nor have they ever had any intention of doing so.
actually, they’ve come up with the newly minted “prison-state solution”. that is, build a wall around the west bank (and eventually gaza), with checkpoints in, and “industrial estates” along, the wall where cheap Palestinian labor can be used to enrich Israeli businesses.
historically those in power in Israel successfuly used the stalling solution, fooling the world into thinking a “peace process” was taking place but it took decades because it’s all just so damn complicated.
DW:
I see the poles of the issue. Is there no middle ground approach, like a regional government with two independent states? Although there are two sticking points like the West Bank and Jerusalem, perhaps acooperative government plan can be effected with each side having representation based on population for these two apparently sensitive locations.
Mespo,
Waiting for an answer, I will throw in 2 points.
1) there are those in Israel who want a one-state solution. But they recognize that demographics are against them and if the one state includes all Palestinians then the prospect would loom that the jewish Israelis would soon become a numerical minority. This is intolerable so they advocate that all Palestinians be repatriated to Jordan.
2) there are those in Israel who want a two-state solution. This way they don’t get swamped by burgeoning Palestinian numbers. The problem here is that no one knows how to deal with the West Bank and Jerusalem.
Guys:
Just a question from an admitted novice in middle eastern affairs: Why would each side believe so fervently that they are entitled to ownership of a rather inhospitable place? Why would they be willing to die for land that doesn’t produce well, has limited natural resources, and has had it’s historic value as a strategic position undermined by modern warfare?
http://www.levitt.com/misc/israel_history.html
Just educate yourself —- please. Your ignorance is astounding.
Here is a clue: the Country of JORDAN was the true Palestinian lands.
yes, only fake journalists are weeping – those who photoshop just because they hate poor, defenseless Israel who’s never hurt a fly!
they’re “just like us”!
http://www.btselem.org/english/Video/Shooting_Back_Index.asp
http://www.levitt.com/misc/israel_history.html
educate yourself “very concerned”
and few real journalists are weeping over the death of Shana.
very concerned: God BLESS ISRAEL. I am ashamed of your posts.
“very concerned” needs to educate herself as to just WHERE the Palestinians lands actually were versus where the anti-semites say they were.
Here is a clue: the Country of JORDAN was the true Palestinian lands. Go complain to Jordan about why they kicked the Palestinians out. Then complain to Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and virtually every other country in the region that over the past number of decades has pushed their “Palestinian problem” out of their country. They did this out of fear the Palestinians, having lost their homeland territory now called Jordan, would attempt to overthrow any nation they could in the area and call it theirs.
and must this post display that ghastly flag which stands for 60 years of racism, apartheid, and grotesque, obscene violence.
Well now, what did they expect in ’48-’49 when they drove Palestinians from 70% of their land, and in ’67 when they occupied the remaining 28%? That the natives would magnanimously hand it all over willingly?
And if Obama’s pandering doesn’t satisfy you, then nothing would. I suppose Ron Paul must be “anti-Semitic”?
“very concerned” gets SO CONCERNED over allegations Israel may have killed civilians during military actions but for some reason gives the Palestians intentionally targeting women & children a pass.
Strange. Well considering the politics of those here, maybe not so strange. A lot of Obama supporters here. I see Obama only mentioned “appropriate action” if Iran attacked Israel as opposed to Hillary’s staunch statement to come to the aid of Israel. Maybe Obama’s idea of an appropriate action if Iran attacks Israel is to raise the bottle deposit fee on American beer sold to Iran.
Tsk, tsk, tsk. No mention of the photographer, eh? Shana was a noted (photo shopping) photographer.
Maybe photographers that are in the habit of staging filming so as to show Israel in a poor light should watch where they stand, or ride around in a car.
Newest reports are that the car he was in exploded, now why would a fletchette shell from a tank cause a car to explose? Perhaps because the car was hauling other shells around in it’s trunk to Palestinian civilian killers and this “photographer” was voluntarily allowing himself to be used as a method of safely transporting weapons to be used against Israeli civilians?
“allegedly”. yes. we must be careful to use the word “allegedly”, because a video and Palestinian witnesses are too unreliable since the Israeli military – with a commendable history of veracity – denied it.
and the IDF is so compassionate after all. i mean, they were “deeply deeply sorry” over bombings in Qana because they “accidentally” killed many children – of course they weren’t “targeting them”, is was an “error” – they were just targeting a UN outpost. Killing children gets two “deeply’s”, you see. Here, it’s only one person, so you don’t get a deeply, just a plain old “sorrow”. And the Beit Hanoun massacre got one “deeply”. Not sure why.
Allegedly, my a$$.