Israeli army says Gaza pullout completed
Posted: 21 January 2009 1506 hrs
"The last soldier left the Gaza Strip this morning," the spokesman said. "However the army remains deployed all around the Gaza Strip to meet any eventuality."
The pullout began Sunday after Israel declared a ceasefire and Palestinian militants matched it. Hamas gave Israel a week to remove all troops and open crossing points into Gaza or face renewed hostilities.
Israel launched its massive assault on December 27, bombarding the narrow coastal strip where 1.5 million Palestinians live from land, air and sea.
Palestinian health ministry figures list more than 1,300 people dead, including 410 children and about 100 women. Another 5,300 people were wounded - 1,855 of them children and 795 women.
The Palestinian bureau of statistics reported 4,100 homes totally destroyed and 17,000 others damaged in the offensive.
UN chief Ban Ki-moon became Tuesday the first world leader to visit the enclave since Israel halted the deadliest offensive it has ever launched on the Palestinian territory, which has been ruled by Hamas since June 2007.
He accused Israel of using "excessive force" in the conflict, but he also condemned Palestinian rocket fire on southern Israel which sparked the invasion.
Eight Israeli human rights groups also accused the army of ignoring the rules of war.
They urged prosecutor general and government legal adviser Menachem Mazuz to act, describing the scale of casualties among women and children as "terrifying."
The Washington Post reported that President Barack Obama plans this week to name former Northern Ireland peacemaker George Mitchell as his Middle East envoy to deal immediately with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
After looking at the article, I'm really saddened to what has happened. a few thousands innocent people in Palestine and Israel died in the war. For what purposes ? To satisfy each country's pride ? To show the world that they are powerful ? or for religious purposes which they often dubbed as 'Holy War' ?
Anyway, in this article what I would really want to stress is the fact that this war has not only affected the two parties, rather it has became a world epidemic. This is what happened around the world particularly in Indonesia and Malaysia.
- 300 angry demonstrators in Indonesia, Central Sulawesi, Palu stormed KFC restaurant in protest against Israel's military strikes on Gaza Strip.
- Islamic groups in Malaysia have urged a boycott of US brands such as Coca-Cola during a recent protest by around 300 people outside the National Mosque in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur.
In my opinion what actually happened in Indonesia and Malaysia is that they perceived the war in Palestine and Israel as a 'holy war' or Jihad between the Christian community against the Muslim community. Why can't they perceived the war as just a mere conflict between two countries rather than a jihad?
- Is it because due to their culture?
- Is it because due to their different perspectives?
What do you guys think?
3 comments:
well. .according to what I know, Israel isn't really fighting Palestine. It is actually Israel fighting Hamas (terrorist group). If you look at that point of view, it is no longer a holy war anymore. Ain't i right? Even Palestine sort of "washed their hands" in this war. That makes me thing about all the fuss in Indonesia and Malaysia. Is it neccessary? Or is it because of a miscommunication among people. Or is it just an influence of cultural background?
is war all about power and conquering ? to justify that, people use all kinds of reasons such as religious reasons and defending their interest. just one solution to stop war .make peace not war !
I think it is due to their different perspective. Such "war' is very devastating affecting other countries like Malasia and Indonesia. The worst part is innocent lives are being lost for no reason. very saddening.
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