I was under the weather the last 24 hours, which precluded me from posting on this little tidbit I found yesterday, on a story about new negotations for Gilad Shalit’s release:
The militant group is leading the negotiations, demanding the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails in exchange for the soldier. Those prisoners include top-level Hamas militants who oversaw or planned attacks that killed Israelis in years of fighting.
“Years of fighting” is now the AP pseudonym for terror attacks, suicide bombings, and shooting attacks on civilians. Let me review a few of those “attacks that killed Israelis in years of fighting”:
- Aug 31, 2004: 16 people were killed and 100 wounded in two suicide bombings within minutes of each other on two Beersheba city buses, on route nos. 6 and 12.
- May 14, 2004: Ten people were killed and 16 wounded in a double suicide bombing in the area of the Ashdod Port. Hamas and Fatah claimed responsibility for the attack.
- January 14. 2004: A female suicide bomber killed four people and wounded 20 at the Erez Crossing in the Gaza Strip. Hamas and the Fatah Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades claimed responsibility for the attack.
There are many, many more, up to and including the current year. These aren’t examples of “fighting.” But then, I never expect any less of a whitewash from Ibrahim Barzak, the author of the article. Note that in the updated piece, the “years of fighting” has become:
The most recent talks broke down over Israel’s refusal to release a number of prisoners who carried out deadly attacks on civilians because of fears they would return to violence. Hamas insists these prisoners be part of any deal.
The update was written by Aron Heller. What a difference an author makes. And oh, yeah—they’re back to the “traditionally Arab east Jerusalem” crap. Because the Temple Mount, which is in the eastern half of Jerusalem, is so totally traditionally Arab that I guess there weren’t two Jewish Temples on the Temple Mount before the Arabs built their mosques there.
It’s all in our imagination.
Actually, Meryl, the Palestinians–the PA moderates as well as the supposed exttremists–deny that there were any Jewish temples on the Temple Mount, just as they officially deny any historical connection between the land and the Jewish people. Again, this is not the fevered conspiratorial whisperings of outliers but official leadership positions.
And these are the people who only want peace with Israel, and whose failure to secure it is the fault of those obstinate Israelis.