Israeli Air Strike

[Kajii]

wow what a fucking tool

[guartz]

No you guys, U.S kills civilians too, so it's ok.

[archibaldcrane]

Hezbollah fired a few rockets into northern Israel from Lebannon today (hitting nothing), in a show of support for the Palestinians. Also, the death toll rises:

Of the 688 Palestinians killed since Dec. 27, some 350 were civilians, among them 130 children, according to Palestinian officials.

10 Israelis have died in the offensive.

[Lordender]

so sick about hearing about this again, I wish god would come down and just wipe out the entire area because of morons killing in his name.

[Brill Weave]

Kuya and I can at least agree Bloomberg is a fucking mongoloid.

[Kuya]

so sick about hearing about this again, I wish god would come down and just wipe out the entire area because of morons killing in his name.

Hi, you've only read the last page, haven't you?

[Deftscythe]

BBC NEWS | Middle East | Iran takes advantage of Gaza crisis

Definitely in our best interest to let Israel do whatever they want. They're a stabilizing force in the region, amirite?

[Kuya]

I find Iran a very peculiar country. Its people are so prudent, moderate and well mannered, yet its leadership seems insane. Curious.

[Elvis]

Son of a bitch. (not you Deft)

This is exactly what Israel would want - and if I were Israel, I'd want it too.

I'm pretty sure Israel could defeat Iran. Not to mention Iran is surrounded by it's enemies at the moment - the US in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Although, I believe the Iraq-US S.O.F.A. states that the US cannot use Iraq as a platform for cross-border attacks.

In any case, I believe the mainstream press in both Britain and here in the US will use this opportunity to launch a propaganda campaign against Iran.

Iran (in one form or another) hasn't declared war on another country in at least 100 years *I think*. So I don't see them initiating anything.

They may continue funding militias and fighting a proxy war but nothing direct.

Overall, I don't think anyone should believe that Iran would go to war over this. They could easily rouse support amongst their population but it wouldn't be in their interests considering the entire region is getting a makeover thanks to us.

Here's a very interesting article from the Baltimore Chronicle, entitled Oil 2009:
Be Careful What You Wish For.

Plunging oil prices are also expected to place severe strains on the governments of Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela, all of which benefited from the record prices of the past few years to finance public works, subsidize basic necessities, and generate employment. Like Russia, these countries adopted expansive budgets on the assumption that a world of $70 or more per barrel gas prices would continue indefinitely. Now, like other affected producers, they must dip into accumulated reserves, borrow at a premium, and cut back on social spending -- all of which risk a rise in political opposition and unrest at home.

The Gaza assault has caused major unrest in the Arab world(more than usual). Mass protests are taking part in the West as well (I even saw some pictures of protests going on in Japan).

Iran is going to have to tread carefully IMO. They should watch what happens in Egypt first though. That's a country that won't do anything to Israel since it's an American client-state. If Egyptian citizens don't go berserk than the Iranians won't either.

[Correction]

Well Egypt's citizenry already has one assassinated 'Israeli sympathizer/collaborator' president on their scoreboard. Time will tell.

[Brill Weave]

UN just cancelled aid shipments. Apparently an Israeli tank officer just killed an aid worker driving one of the trucks. Way to reinforce that negative opinion.

[Elvis]

Mubarak is a tool. I don't think he'd be missed, but Arab nationalism is dead. Jihaaaaaad!

[Lee]

lol Hezbollah apparently called the Government of Lebanon to tell them that they weren't the ones firing the Katyushas. Shitting bricks much?

[Obev]

So I thought that the Security Council would just get vetoed by the US, but it turns out that they gave a near-unanimous "fucking stop fighting, guys" vote (America went and abstained, but hey, it's better than vetoing!). Unfortunately it turns out that when the UN Security Council says "jump," Israel says "no u!"

I'm trying real hard to sympathise with Israel, but they're making it so bloody difficult.

[#686578]

No you guys, U.S kills civilians too, so it's ok.

No, we liberate them.

[Brill Weave]

Death is the ultimate freedom?

[#686578]

Not with 72 women nagging you for all eternity.

[guartz]

No, we liberate them.

I like you sir, you are a patriot.

[Kuya]

Israel mató a 30 palestinos que se refugiaban en una casa · ELPAÍS.com

The Israeli army on Sunday killed 30 Palestinian civilians that their soldiers, the previous day, had put in a house in Gaza, according to a document from the Office of the UN Humanitarian Coordination (OCHA).

"According to several witnesses, in January 4th, the Israeli Infantry evacuated the 110 Palestinians, half of them children, in a building in Zeitun and warned them to remain indoors," said OCHA in its weekly report on the situation in Gaza.

"Twenty-four hours later, Israeli forces repeatedly bombed the building, killing approximately thirty people who were staying in it," he adds. Zeitun is one of the neighborhoods on the outskirts of Gaza City, where Israeli forces took up positions in order to attack the capital of the strip, which has been surrounded since the operation began on earth, January 3.

The Israeli army said it was investigating the information and that it could not give any explanation at this time, according to the agency Efe. The UN suspended aid in Gaza yesterday. Also in Zeitun the Red Cross found four children, hungry, and nestling along with 12 dead bodies in a house, as reported yesterday.

...

UN: 30 Died in Israeli Shelling of Crowded Home

The Red Cross made the announcement as it accused Israel of blocking access to a bombing site where several emaciated children were found next to their dead mothers. Overall dozens of dead civilians were found in a one-block span of the neighborhood of Zeitoun. Red Cross mission chief Katrina Ritz described the bombing’s aftermath.
Katrina Ritz: “I think one of the big shocks was those people were very weak, they were children. Children being next to their dead mother, there were no assistance given to these people, there were about 18 wounded which have not
had medical aid and very, very weak people. The children could hardly stand there was no water for them there was no food and they were with all the dead bodies."
In a report Thursday, the UN said thirty of the victims killed in the Zeitoun attack had been taking shelter in a home on orders from the Israeli military. More than 100 Palestinians had been evacuated there and told to stay indoors.Palestinian paramedic Attia Barami was among the first to reach the victims.
Attia Barami: “We found bodies that the tanks drove over. The medics checked the bodies and found damage at the cellular level, and bodies. This baby girl, age 5 months, she is dead for more than two days. The dogs ate parts of the baby’s body. This baby was burned because you can see her face and body are dark and charred."
Most of the dead were members of the same extended family, the Samounis. The death toll was initially lower but rose as more bodies were pulled from the rubble.

From DN.

[Kuya]

Meanwhile, in the US...

As the United Nations and the Red Cross condemned the Israeli assault on Gaza, the U.S. Senate approved a measure overwhelmingly supporting the attack. The non-binding measure passed by unanimous voice vote. Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid and Republican Minority leader Mitch McConnell both spoke in favor of the Israeli invasion. Reid said: “When we pass this resolution, the United States Senate will strengthen our historic bond with the state of Israel, by reaffirming Israel’s inalienable right to defend against attacks from Gaza, as well as our support for the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.” The House is expected to pass a similar measure today.

HOORAY