SAOIRSE32

Al Jazeera
27 Dec 2008

At least 220 Palestinians, including women and children, have been killed in an Israeli aerial bombardment on Hamas security installations.

Israel launched air attacks across the besieged Gaza Strip on Saturday, threatening that further operations would be carried out.

Residents carry a body out of the Bureij refugee camp [AFP]

Emergency services said that at least 700 people had been wounded. Witnesses reported heavy damage as at least 30 missiles were fired.
Ehud Barak, the Israeli defence minister, said that the operation would not be short. “The operation will go on and be intensified as long as necessary,” he said on Saturday. An Israeli military spokesman added that any “Hamas target is a target”. As dusk fell, Israel continued to bomb the strip, firing on a metal foundry in the south.

Hours after the Israeli assault, Gaza fighters fired home-made rockets into southern Israel, heeding calls by Hamas and other affiliated Palestinian groups to avenge the attacks, unprecedented in their scale. One Israeli was killed in the rocket fire, medics said.

Taher al-Noono, a Hamas spokesman, described Israel’s operation as a “massacre”, adding: “However, our resolve cannot be dented and cannot be shaken. We will continue our struggle with absolute strength and steadfastness.”

Islam Shahwan, a Hamas police spokesman, said a police graduation ceremony in Gaza City was struck by Israel. Among those killed was Tawfiq Jabber, the Gaza chief of police.

The Hamas-run interior ministry said all security compounds in the Strip had been destroyed.

Gaza is densely populated. Its 1.5 million residents area already experiencing shortages in medicine, power and basic supplies due to 18 months of an Israeli blockade.

‘War crimes’

Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president and leader of Fatah, condemned the “aggression” in Gaza. Mousa Abu Morzouz, the deputy leader of Hamas, told Al Jazeera: “Until now the aggression didn’t stop … they are targeting all the police headquarters and offices.

“We will defend our people, we will retaliate against this aggression … our military will retaliate.”

Morzouz called on the world’s most powerful nations to condemn the attacks: “Nobody in this world can accept what happened and the Israeli aggression … [we expect] the international community to stand against this and say that it is not acceptable.”

Mustafa Barghouthi, the former Palestinian information minister, said: “This is not an attack on the Hamas. It is an attack on the whole population and the free will of the people of Gaza.”

He accused Israel of committing “war crimes” and demanded that Abbas and his government stop all relations with Israel.

‘Only just beginning’

The Israel army released a statement saying “terrorist installations” were hit and that all Israeli pilots returned unharmed. The operation against the Hamas is “only just beginning,” Avi Benayahu, an Israeli military spokesman said. The air raids follow the decision by the Israeli security cabinet to increase reprisals for cross-border rocket attacks against Israel, and the breakdown of a six-month-old Israel-Hamas truce earlier this month.

The ceasefire expired on December 19, with Hamas arguing that Israel had violated the truce by preventing vital food and medical supplies into the Strip.

Ayman Mohyeldin, Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Gaza, said: “A series of explosions were heard over Gaza City.

“From where we are, there are at least seven different clouds of smoke from the strikes. We are seeing some casualties being evacuated in cars.”

Egypt has opened the Rafah crossing with the Gaza Strip to receive injured people, Egyptian officials said. Ambulances have been sent to the crossing and two Egyptian hospitals emptied to take in the wounded.

Weakened security services

Mohyeldin said that Hamas, which rule the Gaza Strip, was being held responsible by Israel for any attacks from the territory into Israel, even if they are undertaken by other Palestinian factions.

Palestinian officials called on the international community to condemn the raids [AFP]
However, officials of the deposed government in Gaza which maintains law and order, while being Hamas member in the main, are separate from the group’s military wing and other factions responsible for attacks into Israel.

“There is within Gaza a functioning ministry of interior that has security services, traffic control, emergency medical services,” Mohyeldin reported.

“Those workers are seen as employees of the government in Gaza. So now that many of these installations have been targeted, it will have an immediate impact in terms of the law and order structure here in Gaza.”

Jacky Rowland, Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Jerusalem, said that Israel’s decision to strike at this moment was down to Hamas withdrawing from the ceasefire and the intensified rocket fire coming from the Gaza Strip in recent days.

“In one day [in the past week] we saw 80 rockets … which is a huge upsurge,” she said.

Hamas won control of the Palestinian Legislative Council in elections in January 2005. The international community refused to accept a Hamas-led government, demanding that the faction recognise Israel and renounce violence. Economic sanctions by the EU and US followed.

Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip in June 2007 after bloody street battles against its rival, the Fatah movement.

Click on the picture to be taken to some photos, links and an article on this year’s ‘Republican fundraising frolics at the Grand Canal on Christmas day’ at Indymedia.

News Letter
27 December 2008

Traditional Unionist Voice leader Jim Allister and the DUP have both hit out at European funding for former paramilitary prisoner groups while welcoming the announcement of cash for victims.

DUP MLA Simon Hamilton said: “The announcement regarding the third stage of the European Programme for Peace and Reconciliation raises serious questions for the Special EU Prog-rammes Body responsible for administering the funding.

“While it is welcome that e55 million is going to victims it is outrageous that several million will be going to former prisoners.

“This money would have been much better served going to economic development and other projects.

“The fact that the victims sector budget at this stage is more than five times greater than that allocated to ex-prisoners is a positive situation but far from ideal.

“For too long the victims have been ignored whilst the perpetrators have been supported by Europe.”

Mr Allister said: “This is a monstrous decision.”

He said that most of the money was going to “groups representing IRA terrorists”.

The MEP attacked the DUP over the funding: “What is the point of the DUP being in government if it is not prepared to exercise a veto over Provo funding?”

North Belfast News
Belfast Media

A New Lodge mechanic with links to the Real IRA and jailed for trying to blow up the city’s tax office six years ago, has been arrested by police and had his licence revoked.

Terence McCafferty, 39, was arrested at the airport on Monday after flying home from a holiday in Spain.

He had been released from prison just a few weeks ago having served six years of a 12 year jail sentence.

Mr McCafferty’s legal representative Kevin Winters said at the time of going to press it is unclear what charges are being brought against his client.

“We will be meeting with my client this morning (Tuesday) and we were waiting to speak with the Prison Service and Secretary of State to find out why his licence has been revoked,” he said.

The last person from the prisoners early reelease scheme to be arrested and returned to jail was loyalist paramilitary leader Johnny Adair.

In 2003 the then Secretary of State Paul Murphy revoked his licence on police advice saying he was satisfied that Adair was a danger to others.

This week an NIO spokesperson said, “On the basis of information available the Secretary of State is satisfied that Mr McCafferty is a danger to others and that he is likely to commit further offences.”

Mr McCafferty from Dill House in the New Lodge and Paul Donnelly, 29, from Colinview Street were both handed down a jail sentence in July 2005 for the attempted bombing of the Belfast tax office.

At the time police said it was part of a campaign by dissident republicans to undermine the peace process.

The pair left a device, which was later defused, in Upper Queen Street in November 2002.

The would-be bombers were being watched by police and army as the bomb was driven to the tax office.

During the court case it emerged that McCafferty was driving the stolen car containing the improvised incendiary device. Donnelly followed in another car, waiting to pick him up.
However, after the pair drove off, police intercepted them at the junction of Howard Street and Great Victoria Street and Donnelly was shot. Sending Mr McCafferty to jail for 12 years and ordering that Mr Donnelly complete two years’ probation after his five-year term, Mr Justice Weir said the pair were lucky not to be facing more serious charges.

The Prison Service confirmed that Mr McCafferty was returned to Maghaberry Prison on Monday and was on a republican wing.