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By Miriam Raftery
October 7,2023 (San Diego) -- The Israeli Foreign Ministry announced early this morning, “We are at war,” after Hamas launched attacks targeting Israel cities, killing and capturing civilians. “Thousands of rockets have been firedto the south and center of Isarel, including at Jerusalem.” The Israeli government accused Palestinian “terrorists” of patrolling streets and “slaughtering innocent civilians” releasing a video that showed bombs igniting fires in urban areas and gunmen in the streets. The post on X added that civilians have been captured, adding, “We will take every measure to protect our citizens and target those who harm them.” The post said at least 100 Israelis were killed and 900 wounded.
Hamas claimed it fired 5,000 rocket and claims to have captured Israeli soldiers including senior military officers. Hamas spokesman Khaled Qadomi told Al Jazeera that its goal is for “the international community to stop atrocities in Gaza, against Palestinian people, our holy sites like Al-Aqsa,” a reference to a mosque that has been the site of conflicts between Gaza settlers and Palestinians in recent days.
Film on social media shows a bulldozer apparently breaking down a border fence that separated Israel and Gaza.
Israeli forces have retaliated to protect their homeland, targeting Hamas targets in the Gaza strip. Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu says his nation is in a war it “will win.”
U.S. President Joe Biden denounced the “appalling Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel.” He indicated on his @Potus account on X that he has spoken with Israel’s prime minister and “reiterated my unwavering commitment to Isarel’s security.” He also voiced condolences to families who lost loved ones.
Pentagon Chief Lloyd Austin said the U.S. will work to assure that Israel “has what it needs to defend itself.”
Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt confirmed that hundreds of Israeli citizens are dead or injured and said she is “aghast at the scale of the onslaught by Hamas terrorists,” adding, “The United STates stands in solidarity with the people and government of Israel.”
The House of Representatives is currently without a speaker, after Republicans ousted Kevin McCarthy. Democrat Hakeem Jeffries, the House minority leader, condemned the attack on Jewish people and the state of Israel, adding, “The Congress must stand with Israel until the invasion by Hamas has been crushed and security in Southern Israel and throughout the country has been permanently restored.”
Just how any new aid could be swiftly approved, however, appears in doubt until the House elects a new Speaker with the power to bring legislation to the floor.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican, condemned Hamas’ attack on Israel as a “reminder of the evil that motivates Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and their patrons in Tehran. The United States and the civilized world must stand in solidarity as a fellow democracy defends its sovereignty and its citizens,” he said, adding, “The terrorists responsible for this ongoing war against Israel were trained and equipped by Iran, the same terror state providing lethal drones to Russia to attack Ukraine. There must be consequences for those who conduct or support such terror.”
An advisor to Iran’s leader Ali Hosseini Khamenei confirmed that Iran supported the Palestinians’ attack, while the Lebanese designated terror group Hezbollah has said it is in “direct contact with the leadership of the Palestinian resistance.”
Some Republicans are criticizing Biden for freeing up Iranian assets in a prisoner exchange deal. "Just weeks ago, the Biden administration handed over $6 billion to Iran, and today, innocent Israelis were murdered by Iran-backed terrorists," Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., said in a statement. "We must continue to support our strongest ally in the Middle East and their right to defend themselves against these unprovoked, horrific attacks."
San Diego Congressman Scott Peters says he is horrified by the news and condemns the attacks. “Our commitment to Israel’s right to self-defense is unwavering,” he posted on social media. “America stands with our closest ally in the Middle East and our condolences go to the grieving families.”
The attacks on Israel have been denounced by the United Nations and leaders of many countries including the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia, while Turkey’s president Recept Erdogan urged all parties to “act with restraint.”
The United Nations Security Council will meet tomorrow to discuss the crisis.
Antonio Guterres, Secretary General of the United Nations urges “all diplomatic efforts to avoid a wider conflagration," Barrons reports. He concluded "Only through negotiation leading to a two-state solution can peace be achieved."
Comments
Israel is a Neo-Nazi State, A Betrayal of Judaism
As a Jew I lived in Israel for six months; but more importantly I have read extensively on Israel's history. Early 20th Century Zionists murdered literally thousands of Jews, including Rabbis, who were friends with Palestinians and wanted a democratic state with both Jews and Palestinians having complete equality. Starting in 1948 Israeli Jews massacred several Palestinian villages and sent soldiers to warn others to either flee or face massacre. Today there is a small minority of Palestinians who are Israeil citizens; but they live in limited enclaves. If they request permits to, for instance, built a second story to their homes, almost always turned down. Their schools receive half the funds per student as Jewish schools. And, tthough they have a few representatives in the Knesset, the Jewish Parlament, no one works with them. And now over 600,000 Israeli Jews have moved into the Palestinian Authority backed by Israeli military. They have burned mosques, attacked Palestinian farmers, etc.
And, though Hamas has sent rockets that have killed civilians, Israel has attacked Gaza by air and sometimes with tanks and killed 100 times as many civilians.
I suggest three books to start with:
Thomas Suarez. Palestine Hijacked
Ilan Pappe. The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine
Carolyn L. Karcher. Reclaiming Judaism from Zionism.
And while Israeli's right wing government is dominated by Orthodox Jews who claim they are only following Judaism, the first five books of the Bible repeat the following four times:
"Be Kind to the Strangers in Your Midst for were you not strangers in the Land of Egypt"
An excellent article that builds on the above that can be downloaded from internet free is: Rabbi Reuven Hammer (2016 Apr 21). The Status of Non-Jews in Jewish Law and Lore Today.
Don, you're disgusting for
Palestinians are not savages,
I'm not saying all
You go, Palestinians
Two wrongs don't make a right. Anyone who murders children
intentionally should not be defended. There are many displaced and disadvantaged people in the world, and most of them would not condone slaughtering and beheading babies who had nothing to do with whatever wrongs were done.
two-state solution? no