Israel: Fighting 'could get worse'

Posted: Monday, December 29, 2008 12:49 PM by Domenico Montanaro
Filed Under: Security

From NBC’s Libby Leist
In a conference call with reporters this afternoon, Israeli Prime Minister Olmert's spokesman Mark Regev said that the conflict in Gaza "could get worse before it gets better..." as Israel continues striking Hamas targets.

Regev said the Israeli goal is "to try to neutralize the threat Hamas poses" and create "a new reality on the ground, a new security environment" where civilians in southern Israel are not threatened by rocket attacks. He said Israel does not seek to re-occupy Gaza.

"We are acting defensively to protect our people. That's our goal," he said.

Regev told reporters the Israelis believe their military strikes "started off very effectively" and caught Hamas by surprise.

He insisted the Israeli military was seeking to avoid civilian casualties and that Israeli is allowing sufficient humanitarian aid to enter.

Regev denied that the political calendar in Israel -- which holds elections on Feb. 10 -- was a factor in the current military operation.

"We are responding to their aggression," he said.

The Israeli government has been working with the Bush administration throughout the weekend, Regev said, and he expressed support for the Obama team position that there is only one president at a time.

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Comments

Kind of Ironic isn't when the Bush Administration asks (and expects) the Israelis to avoid the deaths of civilians when targeting Hamas members while at the same time having caused by way of the Iraqi invasion the deaths of thousands of innocent civilian Iraqis. And Israel's enemies (Hamas terrorists) are just across the border shooting rockets and sending in suicide bombers for Gods' sake), not thousands of miles away.

C A, Tuscaloosa, AL (Sent Monday, December 29, 2008 1:04 PM)

'...He insisted the Israeli military was seeking to avoid civilian casualties and that Israeli is allowing sufficient humanitarian aid to enter....'

For months the Israelis have prevented medical and other viatal supplies from entering Gaza

Why are the Israelis preventing REPORTERS from entering Gaza ??

This is a POGROM against Palestinians

These are calculated civilian casulties, just like in Lebanon where the policy was to 'de-populate' Southern Lebanon and destroy infrastructure
Collective punishment
The Israelis even used cluster bombs against civilians

'For Peace'

The goal here is 'regime change' in Gaza
Just before Israeli elections
It was the Israelis who started hostilities
Rather provocative bombings

You might want to quote some neutral third parties in Europe, the French, Italians, Swiss, Germans, Dutch

What Orwellian commentary in the American media

MSierra, SF (Sent Monday, December 29, 2008 1:17 PM)

No news here

We really do have a President
(worthless and inept, as usual)

And we only have one President at a time

The Israelis are creating more terrorists with their terroristic actions

Collective punishement is prohibited by the Geneva Convention
so is targetting civilians

MSierra, SF

A new title holder is named as posting the dumbest comment on FR. MSierra has passed jawille with this one. A display of such ignorance has never been seen to this date. Each line is representative of political ineptitude bordering on racism and slander. I won't take time to break it down because most readers will see it immediately. Cheers to MSierra as you truly earned this honor! We applaud your courage in posting.

Pete, Salinas, CA (Sent Monday, December 29, 2008 1:35 PM)

Bush may have the title,but I know who is in charge of this country.Chaney has been at the switch since day One.GW never had the brains to run a day care let alone the USA.He has done everything that Dickhead Dick told him.My guess is that Littledicky is out shooting something and could not be bothered.And Little George was only a puppet,a straw Prez,like the scare crow he has been.Why would Obama want to give Lil'GW any advice,only to be blamed later for what went wrong,after all we have all seen that LIL'GW has no power anymore.His own party wants nothing to do with this Neo-Nut.

jesse St.Paul Minnesota (Sent Monday, December 29, 2008 1:40 PM)

Mr. Obama, please make a statement to stop the violence before more innocent are killed. You are not the president but you can not turn a blind eye to the carnage going on there now. State how you feel and how you will deal with this situation. Your view and opinion counts. Lives may depend on it.

Omar A., Dearborn, MI (Sent Monday, December 29, 2008 1:48 PM)

What a mess. Did anyone think to ask "WWSD"? What Would Sarah Do?
I understand from many comments made during the presidential election campaining, she has a whole LOT of experience. Let's just ask HER.

BUzz (Sent Monday, December 29, 2008 1:56 PM)

3-18
So - and this was done now, why? Because Bush is still in office and Obama isn't? Because one Israeli died so 300+ Palestinians can die? WHen is this eye- for-an-eye stuff going to stop? Yes the rockets are wrong, but smart bombs? US bombs? Is Israel so afraid of diplomacy that it couldn't wait for the new administration to even sit down? From what I have read - nothing has changed, daily rockets for weeks on end. Does Israel think this is how to get world opinion with them? I've been listening to htis for 46 years - the way to get rid of Hamas, is not necessarily to give them more of the same. that didn't work that well with Lebanon, did it?

Kay P Tempe AZ (Sent Monday, December 29, 2008 2:07 PM)

The greatest deed any US president can do is to create a situation in which Israel and their neighbors can live in peace. That should be our only goal.
It doesn't take any guts for Israel to declare war to the bitter end when they are going up against a bunch of peasants.
If their was an ounce of brains in the whole Hamas leadership they wouldn't be firing rockets into Israel. They should be working for the betterment of their own people.

WDRussell, EL, OH. (Sent Monday, December 29, 2008 2:14 PM)

It won't happen until all the Hamas terrorists are either killed or see the foolishness of their ways. These people don't understand coexistance. They only understand that they want to be in charge and will kill others to do that.

S.B. Stein E.B. NJ (Sent Monday, December 29, 2008 2:34 PM)

I'm getting so tired of Israeli trying to level the gaza strip everytime something goes down. Israeli, need to start showing the world that they are better than Hamas is. and instead of bombing that small strip of land in the submission they need to open talkes to finally stop the aggression from happening. every time any body does any thing to then, they bomb, invade, they kill women and children, destroy housing in the name of protecting there counrty, has any body seen the size of is Israeli verses the size of the gaza strip, this is stuipd and i hope that the incoming president will inform Israeli that if they just keep bombing and going over board, the world will not support them we (US) will not support a counrty that is doing nothen but killing women and children. LETS REMEMBER,ISRAELI HAS RENIGED ON MANY PROMISES, NOT GIVEN LAND BACK THAT WAS NOT THERES,HAS NOT STOPED BUILDING SETTLEMENT ON PALASTIANEN LAND,
HAS NOT GIVEN THE MONEY TO GAZA THAT WAS PROMISED, EVERY PEACE ACCORD HAS BEEN BROKEN BECAUSE IF ISRAELI
HAS BROKEN THEM.
ISRAELI stop the bombing, shown the world your are bigger, stronger and better than hamas is. and when i say better, i mean, better than to bomb, kill women and children.

jeff D Evanston IL. (Sent Monday, December 29, 2008 2:35 PM)

Does anyone remember the outpouring of condemnation at the "DISPROPORTIONATE" Russian reaction in Ossetia? Everyone screamed how they reacted to real artillery,how they "BULLIED" their neighbors! Where are those people now? How come we all sit and act like this is any different? Peace will never come to the Middle East with Isreal behaving this way. Our blind support of this kind of behavior is a boon to AL-Qeida recruiters, and a blemish on the face of a proud nation.

JayL, Birmingham, Alabama (Sent Monday, December 29, 2008 2:54 PM)

Why do the moderators at this sight put up comments that have absolutely no relevence to the article?

JayL, Birmingham, Alabama (Sent Monday, December 29, 2008 2:59 PM)

These idiots hide with civilians and blame Israel. They do all for Allah’s and Mullahs, and blame Israel. This is the same tactics used by their brothers in the TERRORIST ISLAMIC COUNTRY OF PAKISTAN. If the world wants to save the poor civilians, let them ask the terrorist to come out of civilian area.

Baasha, Los Angeles (Sent Monday, December 29, 2008 3:26 PM)

WOW, I actually agree w/ Pete from Salinas. Will wonders never cease?

HEY Kay P, get back on KP, Israel isn't on a schedule around the USA election. Heads up, they are a soveriegn nation, ("palestine" is NOT, and NEVER HAS BEEN A NATION) what POSSIBLE reason should they have to tolerate 3000 plus missles fired and keep sitting on their hands to wait for some changing of the gaurd from one same-old to the next same-old half-way round the planet. I might add half-way round the planet where they (the USA) has NEVER ENDURED A SINGLE HAMAS MISSLE, and when less than a handful of planes were hi-jacked hilsy and every memeber of Obama's (you rememebr the next same-old) cabinet voted to go to war and invade TWO WHOLE SOVERIEGN COUNTIRES

It is easy to criticize from safety

Ted K, Hyannis, MA (Sent Monday, December 29, 2008 3:38 PM)

Jesse, St. Paul: "Bush may have the title,but I know who is in charge of this country.Chaney has been at the switch since day One.GW never had the brains to run a day care let alone the USA"

That's giving day care providers a bad name.

We can only hope that a new administration will have the better good will of all parties in the Middle East situation and will be able to make a difference in the intractable problems there.

Sarah, Springfield, VA (Sent Monday, December 29, 2008 4:08 PM)

Looks like Israel will not be satisfied until every man, woman and child in Gaza is killed. Then they can live in "peace". Blockading the border any time they choose so that medical supplies, food, etc. cannot be obtained by the people of Gaza - gee, if that was done to me I would be a little bit angry, too.

We are supporting Israel with billions of dollars in aid and military equipment and supplies. No wonder the Arab countries are angry at us, too. Guess we can look forward to a 'scorched earth" policy in Gaza.

AZrebel, Fort Mohave, AZ (Sent Monday, December 29, 2008 4:42 PM)

Its time for the new iron lady - Secretary of State Designate Hillary Clinton to be heard on this. Neither side would dare to cross her. She could have a 30-day cease fire within 24 hours. I hope we don't have to wait until Jan. 20th.

Ben from Boston, Ma. (Sent Monday, December 29, 2008 4:51 PM)

WOW, I agree with MSierra, line for line.

Sunyata (Sent Monday, December 29, 2008 5:21 PM)

Shall we remember that United Nations Resolution 242 was never enforced; that the Palestinian crises was the birthplace of the current course of terrorism that emanates out of the Mid East; that Hamas was elected into leadership by the Palestinian people in fair elections and then choked by the West. The current problems in that part of the world cannot be cured by the Israeli military or for that matter ours; there must be fair even treatment and there must be peace.
If the world can partition Palestinian land and create Israel it can do the same for the Palestinians even to the extent of partitioning Israeli occupied lands; making Jerusalem an international city that is open to and respectful of all religions and cultures and then enforce these new borders with UN peace keepers. When the world starts treating all of its inhabitants equally it will start winning the so called war on terror.

Peter Gans Atlanta; GA (Sent Monday, December 29, 2008 5:36 PM)

Israel does not have to kill Civilians, they choose to kill Civilians to save the lives of their own troops. They hide behind weapons the way Hamas allegedly hides behind civilians. They should send in troops to fight directly with Hamas and kill many less Civilians but they take the cowards way out.

Jim, Austin, TX (Sent Monday, December 29, 2008 5:47 PM)

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