Olmert holds consultations on war decision on Gaza, Velnai says the onslaught is nearing

Olmert holds consultations on war decision on Gaza

[ 09/06/2008 - 11:06 AM ]

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)--

Israeli occupation government prime minister, Ehud Olmert, is to head a consultative meeting grouping him with war minister Ehud Barak and foreign minister Tzipi Livni on Tuesday to decide whether to launch a large-scale offensive on Gaza Strip, the Hebrew radio reported on Monday.

The radio quoted Israeli political sources as saying that Barak is adamant on launching a "severe military offensive" against the Strip and the Hamas Movement before approving any calm with the Palestinian resistance factions.

They said that the army was ready for the onslaught, which would include aerial attacks along with a ground invasion that would occupy certain areas in the Strip for a long period.

The sources said that the consultations on Tuesday would decide whether the Israeli occupation forces would launch the offensive or accept calm with Hamas, "which controls the Strip".

However, Israeli occupation army sources said that it was premature to discuss a large-scale attack on the Strip. Hebrew daily 'Ha'aretz' quoted those sources as saying that the matter was not as "imminent" as published by the media.

They said that negotiations with Hamas would continue for the next few weeks but if the missiles continued to fall on Israeli targets then Israel would decide new steps.

The sources said that the Israeli occupation army did not reinforce its troops stationed on the Gaza borders and no reservists were summoned. They said that the Israeli air force and ground forces might gradually escalate attacks.

Velnai: IOF military onslaught on Gaza is nearing

[ 09/06/2008 - 12:45 AM ]

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)--

Mitan Velnai, the Israeli deputy war minister in the Israeli occupation government, has disclosed on Sunday that the Israeli occupation forces invasion of Gaza Strip was a matter of time only, and that it was drawing closer.

Velnai's remarks came as he paid a visit to family of an Israeli settler killed in the retaliation attack of the Palestinian resistance factions on the Israeli settlement of Ashkol, in western Negev, Saturday which many described as a dose to tranquilize the Israeli settlers.

The IOF killed hundreds of Palestinian people, and wounded hundreds others since the start of this year by aerial strikes and tank shelling, in addition to 185 sick Palestinian citizens who died after Israel denied them exit permit to receive medical treatment outside the besieged Gaza Strip, according to Palestinian records.

Israeli sources and a number of military analysts disclosed that the Israeli occupation government was seriously mulling unleashing wide-scale military onslaught on the tiny Gaza Strip before it finally decides on the proposed Egyptian initiative for a reciprocal truce with the Palestinian resistance factions.

Palestinian resistance factions had agreed on the Egyptian initiative, stressing that the calm must be reciprocal, comprehensive, and simultaneous. Israel has not yet replied to the proposal.

"The grains of sand in the clock have started to run out, and we are now at the last handful of sand grains", The Hebrew Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper quoted Israeli war minister Ehud Barak as saying to the Israeli settlers in allusion to the Israeli military action against Gaza.

Furthermore, the paper disclosed that the Israeli action against Gaza would happen within days and not within weeks or months, adding that Barak was apparently convinced that a truce with Hamas before lunching military strike on Gaza is not an option.

Moreover, the paper revealed that the Israeli political echelon was, likewise, amenable to the military action against Gaza; yet, the paper added, the Israeli political leadership appears unable to make up its mind on that option due to the "unpredicted dangers" that might result out of the invasion.

According to the paper, the Israeli occupation army preferred to start with concentrated air strikes against Hamas's infrastructure, but it added, such an option needs accurate and complete intelligence information on Hamas's bank of targets in the Gaza Strip, which, the paper confirmed, was impossible.

Hamas unshaken by the saber-rattling: For its part, Hamas Movement asserted that the Israeli threat doesn’t frighten it, vowing to "teach" the IOF troops a painful lesson in the event they invaded Gaza.

The Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Movement, confirmed that such Israeli threats against Gaza reflect "the blood-thirsty and criminal mentality of those criminals".

"Leaders of the Zionist enemy are ready to shed Palestinian blood for political and elections gains," said Abu Obaida, the spokesman of the QB in a statement published on the group's website on the internet.

"This (the invasion of Gaza) will be the biggest mistake committed by the Israeli occupation because they will pay a very high price, and they will be surprised by our resistance and steadfastness", underlined Abu Obaida.

The QB spokesman, furthermore, explained, "We will win the battle, and we will foil all the plans of the enemy because the QB fighters will remain in the field, and the Israeli soldiers will go out of Gaza Strip in body bags, and the nightmares of failure and defeat will chase the Israeli occupation forever ".

Israeli officials: We will invade Gaza before truce deal takes effect

Sunday June 08, 2008 20:32 by Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News & Agencies

Israeli occupation army officials told the Jerusalem Post newspaper that the Israeli occupation government will order a medium range ground offensive targeting Gaza before any truce deal with the Palestinian resistance groups in Gaza takes effect.

The officials said that it's likely the operation will be approved this coming Tuesday during the meeting between the Israeli occupation government prime minister, Ehud Olmert, and his defense Minister Ehud Barak.

According to the Israeli occupation army officials, the Israeli occupation government does not want to appear weak, by accepting the truce deal while Palestinian resistance groups are still firing home made-shells from Gaza toward nearby Israeli areas.

Last week, representatives of the ruling Hamas party in Gaza returned “empty handed” from Cairo, as Egyptian mediators had received no response from Israel to the Hamas offer of a truce.

The Egyptian-mediated ceasefire stipulates that Hamas will halt the fire of homemade shells into Israeli territory, in exchange for Israel lifting the 12 month-blockade and ceasing all military attacks against the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli occupation government has set two new more demands: the release of a captured Israeli soldier, and ensuring an end to alleged “arms smuggling” through underground tunnels on the Egypt-Gaza borders.

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