05 January 2006

Another way to let your steam out

"Egypt guards killed in border clash"

Says Al-Jazeera, going into a fascinating account of the latest mayhem in Gaza.

"Two Egyptian soldiers have been killed and 25 more wounded in chaos gripping the Egypt-Gaza border while Egyptian police have arrested some 100 Palestinians who swarmed across the border, Aljazeera and agencies said quoting Palestinian witnesses. The Egyptian crackdown began after Palestinian fighters on Wednesday bulldozed a path through the barricade lining the frontier."

"The fighters seized bulldozers and smashed through the border wall between Gaza and Egypt, Aljazeera and agencies said quoting Palestinian security officials at the border.The fighters who stormed the border were said to be angry at the jailing of their leader by the Palestinian police."

"The men, from al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, an offshoot of the Fatah party, decided to attack the border wall hours after rampaging through Rafah, closing the border crossing and occupying four government buildings."

Indeed, one could understand the hurt feelings of the brave al-Aqsa Martyrs. Arresting their leader for a mere attempt to use his unalienable right to kidnap one measly foreigner! Chutzpah.

In the same article:

"Witnesses said Mustapha Ibrahim Awlad Mohammed was killed in Tarrama, to the southwest of Hebron, when troops entered the village at daybreak. "He directed his weapon towards the force and refused to put it down. Soldiers then opened fire on him," an Israeli army spokesperson said."

"It was not immediately known whether Mohammed was a member of any armed faction."

That last remark is unclear. Should IDF soldiers check first whether a "civilian" that points a gun at them is a member of an armed faction before they decide to shoot? Normally, if somebody points a gun at a person, ... Forget it, there is nothing normal here. Another "civilian" with a Kalashnikov bit the dust.

Update - Thursday evening, January 5th.

16:00 PA police in Gaza release Al-Aqsa leader suspected in kidnapping of 3 Britons (AP).

See? If your boss gets nabbed, just kill a few soldiers of a neighbouring country and the issue is settled.