Konflikten mellan Israel och Hamas i Gaza sedan 2008 till idag

RAMALLAH – United States-run programs that train militias from Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah organization have been utilized to kill Jews and were instrumental in the "success" of the Palestinian intifada that began in 2000, a senior Fatah militant trained by the U.S. told WND.

The U.S. has long run training programs at a base in the West Bank city of Jericho for members of Force 17, which serves as de facto police units in the West Bank, and for the Palestinian Preventative Security Services, another major Fatah security force.

This weekend diplomatic security officials announced the State Department will begin training Force 17 again this year in an effort to bolster Abbas against Hamas, which took over the Gaza Strip in June when the terror group easily defeated U.S.-backed Fatah forces in the territory.

Many members of Force 17 and the Preventative Security Services also openly serve in the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, Fatah's declared "military wing," which took credit along with the Islamic Jihad terror group for every suicide bombing in Israel in 2005 and 2006. Statistically, the Brigades is responsible for more terrorism from the West Bank than any other Palestinian organization.

"---Well, given the events of the last 19 days, and the fact that these “morally superior” people who consider themselves a “light among nations” are on record now having bombed hospitals, schools, mosques, churches, medical clinics, shot women and children in the head, used white phosphorous on civilians (a deliberate violation of the Geneva convention) and a whole host of other war crimes that will surely be revealed in the days and weeks to come, it is perfectly appropriate to ask the same question of them–WHERE IS YOUR CONSCIENCE, YOU SELF-DESCRIBED “LIGHT AMONG NATIONS”?

The answer is that–short of a few aberrations here and there–there isn’t a peep of protest to be heard from within the Jewish community, and for the simple reason expressed at the beginning of this essay concerning the physical characteristics of a certain male appendage. The word–both from within the Jewish state and throughout the Diaspora is that what is taking place is, well, “simply splendid”. Other hallelujahs such as “fantastic” and “great” and “long-overdue” have been belched out in various news stories the last few weeks as well and absent those there are the now-infamous still photos to consider–Israeli troops holding hands in that great big “circle of love” and dancing the Hora just prior to the forced penetration of Gaza…The pics of Israeli teenagers, sitting on their lawn chairs from an elevated position with cokes in hand and smiles on their wretched faces, giggling and gawking as they watch the slaughter in Gaza take place a few miles away as if they were peeping-tom voyeurs at the Roman coliseum watching Christians being fed to the lions or gladiators hacking one another to pieces.---"

Fruit growers in Israel have reported delays and reductions in orders from abroad since the military operation in Gaza was launched, due to various boycotts against Israeli produce.

Farmers say much of their produce is being held in warehouses due to canceled orders, and fear a sharp decrease in fruit exports to countries such as Jordan, Britain, and the Scandinavian countries.

"We export persimmons, and because of the fighting a number of countries and distributors are canceling orders," Giora Almagor, of the southern town of Bitzaron, told Ynet. He said some of the produce had already been shipped while some was awaiting shipment in warehouses.

Almagor said a large number of cancellations came from Jordan. "The produce stays packed in warehouses, and this is causing us massive losses," he said.

"The longer the fruit waits in storage after sorting, the more its quality decreases. We also have to pay for cooling the merchandise that should have already left, and the cost in considerable," he added.

Ilan Eshel, director of the Organization of Fruit Growers in Israel, said Scandinavian countries have also been canceling orders. "It's mostly Sweden, Norway, and Denmark," he said. "In Scandinavia the tendency is general, and it may come to include all of the chains."

Eshel says the boycott did not exist before the Gaza offensive was launched. "It's getting worse, and more voices can be heard calling to boycott Israeli merchandise," he said. "Until the operation began we had excellent business, though the economic recession in Europe was causing a slight fall in the market."

He added that winter was an especially difficult season to be unable to export fruit, because the avocado, persimmon, and citrus markets are at their height.