| Mid-East Realities | www.middleeast.org |
The American media is so bad and so late in putting all this in perspective. Worse yet in highlighting the American complicity in making what the Israelis do possible, and then in covering it up and preventing any effective sanctions. And even worse in even allowing discussion of the role of the powerful Israeli/Jewish lobby along with a conglomerate of interlocking persons and media sources that essentially conspire with the Israelis to terribly mislead the American people about what is really happening in the Middle East...and why.
JERUSALEM - AP - 24 August –– Israel's army chief said Friday that about 600 Palestinians have been killed, 1,200 arrested and 10,000 wounded in the past 11 months in what he termed the army's "war against terror."
Lt. Gen. Shaul Mofaz said it was the army's "supreme mission" to target militants it suspected of planning attacks on Israelis.
"Since September, when the armed conflict began, we arrested, in very complicated operations, nearly 1,200 terrorists, helpers and those who sent terrorists to carry out their missions," Mofaz said, answering questions from soldiers and listeners in an hour-long program on Israel's armed forces radio.
"About 600 Palestinians have been killed from all the groups, Tanzim, Hamas, Palestinian security organizations, and about 10,000 of them have been wounded, among them about 100 who led terror in the field. This is the first accomplishment of the military in this war against terror."
Mofaz made no reference to Palestinian civilians or stone-throwers killed in the fighting. Asked about Mofaz' remarks, the army spokesman's office said it would not add to what the army chief had said.
Palestinians say the army has been using excessive force against them. Nabil Amr, a Palestinian Cabinet minister, said that about 70 percent of those killed since September were unarmed civilians.
According to a count by The Associated Press, based on hospital reports and official announcements, 584 people have died on the Palestinian side and 152 have died on the Israeli side since September.
According to Palestinian estimates, about 15,000 Palestinians have been injured.
In the first few weeks of the fighting, many of the Palestinians killed by Israeli fire were Palestinian stone-throwers participating in mass protests. Later on, the fighting was increasingly dominated by Palestinian shooting attacks on Israelis and bombings by Islamic militants.
Israel says 114 of the Israelis killed by Palestinians were civilians.
Explaining army policy to a listener, Mofaz said: "When we know that there are terrorists and attackers who are about to leave on missions to carry out terror attacks against citizens of Israel and soldiers. We must act against them."
Palestinian human rights groups have said Israel has killed more than 50 Palestinians in pinpointed attacks. Most of those killed were militants suspected of involvement or planning of bombings and shootings against Israeli civilians. However, several bystanders, including children, have also died in such attacks.
The policy of singling out militants for killing has drawn harsh criticism from the United States and other nations. Palestinians label it state terrorism. Israel has acknowledged some of the killings, but has refused comment on others.
| Mid-East Realities | www.middleeast.org |
| Source: http://www.middleeast.org/articles/2001/8/358.htm |