Several dead in series of terrorist attacks in southern Israel

[oberliner]

Several people were killed and at least 15 people were hurt on Thursday in a series of terrorist attacks on Israeli targets near the southern city of Eilat.

The first attack, at around 12 P.M., was a shooting from a vehicle on Egged bus 392 traveling from Beer Sheva to Eilat, near the community of Netafim. Ten passengers on board the bus sustained light to moderate injuries.

Shortly after the bus attack, IDF forces engaged in a shootout with the armed men near the scene of incident. Moreover, a second shooting attack took place in which five people were seriously wounded. In addition to the shooting attacks, mortars were fired from the Egyptian border and a bomb was set off on an Israeli army vehicle.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/several-dead-in-series-of-terrorist-attacks-in-southern-israel-1.379309

[CJvR]

1. Well...

...this have excelent prospects of ending badly. Particulary the Egyptian connection is dangerous.

[bemildred]

2. Wonder if this has anything to do with the Egyptian Army running around the Sinai? nt

[oberliner]

11. Even shooting at busses near Eilat?

Do you think this was all coordinated? If so, by whom?

[shira]

13. It was very well coordinated, al-Qaeda style...

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4110791,00.html

[bemildred]

3. 7 Israelis reported dead in Palestinian terror attacks

JERUSALEM (JTA) -- Palestinian gunmen attacked an Israeli bus traveling near Eilat -- the first in a series of attacks that reportedly have left seven Israelis dead.

Palestinian infiltrators from Gaza struck the Egged bus just after noon Thursday, according to the Israel Defense Forces.

Two other attacks -- roadside bombs detonated as a vehicle drove past and another on Israeli troops -- occurred in the same area shortly after, according to Lt.-Col Avital Leibovitch, the IDF's chief spokesman for the foreign press.

Israeli media are reporting that there are at least seven Israeli fatalities in the attacks, and that Israeli soldiers have killed three of the terrorists. The IDF has not confirmed the fatalities.

http://www.jta.org/news/article/2011/08/18/3089028/israeli-bus-attacked-near-eilat

[Purveyor]

4. Right on cue before the UN bid for Palestinian statehood in September. eom

[Riftaxe]

12. Perhaps but you would have to be truly dredging

the bottom of the barrel of stupidity to find anyone moronic enough to think this is a "zionist" conspiracy, and who really cares what those very few inbred imbeciles think?

[Purveyor]

16. Dredging the history books into israel's past is more like it.

May I recommend "By Way of Deception: The Making of a Mossad officer" by Victor Ostrovsky as a basic primer for starts.

http://www.amazon.com/Way-Deception-Making-Mossad-officer/dp/0971759502

[LeftishBrit]

5. Awful.

[bemildred]

6. Yes.

Smells like trouble too, in several ways.

[King_David]

9. Future Buffer Zone like Lebanon ? nt

[bemildred]

14. Who can say?

It's much easier to create a mess than it is to clean it all up.

[Harmony Blue]

8. This is terrible

Absolutely terrible

[King_David]

7. Unbelievable nt

[Zax2me]

15. you have GOT to be kidding nt

[pelsar]

10. totally expected....

sinai is now a "no mans land" with hamas, the Bedouins and all of their friends doing what they want....a direct result of the power vacume that is now in place.....nice plan, get rid of Mubarak and pretend that they are now on the road to democracy......

[bemildred]

17. Coordinated attacks in south kill 8

15-20 Gazans tunnel into Sinai, cross border armed with rifles, grenades and explosives; IAF retaliates in Gaza Strip, killing senior terrorist.

Eight Israelis were killed and 30 more wounded during a well-planned terror attack along the Israeli-Egyptian border Thursday.

The attack was planned in the Gaza Strip by the Popular Resistance Committees and perpetrated by terrorists who crossed from Gaza into Sinai via smuggling tunnels. They then traveled some 200 kilometers to reach an area of the border protected only by a tattered wire fence, about 15 kilometers north of Eilat.

http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/coordinated-attacks-in-south-kill-8-1.379428

[azurnoir]

18. Thanks for the update

Israel is certainly fulsome with information on the attacks - after the fact and a retaliatory raid on Haza

[bemildred]

19. I am still waiting to see how things develop.

I too was struck by the way everything was known soon after the event, but apparently not soon enough to prevent it or head it off. The attack also seems to show a higher level of expertise and organization then I have seen for some years now.

But as more information is provided, things may clear up,

The killing of those Egyptians seems likely to further stir things up, and Bibi and Barak already sound a bit spooked and blustery.

[pelsar]

20. of course israel planned it....as per your subtle hints...

we prefer to kill our own citizens....its helps the moral burying our kids and parents and friends

but thanks for clearing that up....

[azurnoir]

21. I did not say Israel planned this or was behind the attacks on Israelis

my post indicated that what is IMO most likely speculation from military 'intelligence' was stated as fact nothing more the other poster who replied to my comment seemed to get it

IMO this is just depressing and awful so save the accusations they're kinda off base

[pelsar]

22. of course you don't...you rarely do....just vague statements

that can easily and naturally be interpreted to suggest that israel knew all about the attacks and did nothing to prevent them.....i.e. preferring to have our own kids killed for some vague political point

if it was once, i could easily assume that it was just poorly written, happens all the time, but there is a pattern and its always in the same direction
____

and no this is not "depressing" it was so damn obvious once egypt started their "march toward democracy" and the pipeline was blown up a few times, as well as a few other hints.....this is what hamas is all about, they don't hide it, which is one of the few advantages of the religious, they're proud of their beliefs and have no reason to hide it.

whats amazing is how people don't believe them.

[azurnoir]

23. or one could easily assume you tend to imterpret in the most negative possible manner

it's ok though I've come expect it, really I have nothing to hide though so why mask it? as to Hamas everything that I have read so far points towards a group called PCR

as to depressing IMO yes it is what can come from this except more death?

Oh and Egypt you do realize some Egyptian soldiers have been injured fighting whoever these terrorists are too?

[pelsar]

24. i just see the obvious in the subtle and not so subtle statements....

and the lack of clarification after.....and the PCR?....oh yes this is when hamas claims "its not us, we see nothing, hear nothing" we know nothing about it, its "them"...and of course there are those that actually believe hamas when they claim it, amazing.


yes, i am very aware that some egyptians fought the terrorists as well as some helped them, as some of the Palestinians attacked israel from an egyptian border post.......

as far as what good can come of it, nothing will, thats why dictatorships and worse theocratic dictatorships should never be supported, either directly or indirectly....a lesson that seems to be difficult to learn. If that lesson would be learned then something "good" would come out of it, but history shows, that just as there are suckers born every minute, so too with the "useful idiots"

hamas and friends will not lose any of their supporters (direct and indirect) in the west

[azurnoir]

35. perhaps you need lens cleaner then, as to PRC I am going by Israeli papers

who are headlining the successful operations against their leadership according to Ma'an the Hamas Armed Wing has called off a 'cease fire' with Israel

Now as to Egypt the outcome of Mubarak's ouster at this point seems to be a military dictatorship not a theocratic one but I do understand your chagrin Mubarak was Israel's friend of sorts wasn't he, albeit was because the US made it worth his while monetarily to be so

[bemildred]

26. It's called projection, thinking someone else thinks like you do. nt

[pelsar]

30. no its not projection...its called clarification....

something some find very difficult when it comes to the Palestinians and their actions and israeli actions....

its much easier to make vague statements that can be interpreted differently or are flexible in order not be forced in to principled corner of making a definitive statement and having to stand by it, when things get messy.... (outside of the "violence is bad and all i wish for is "world peace kind of thing).

People here don't think like i do, that should be obvious by now

[bemildred]

38. You can call it Mary Poppins and it's still projection, those were not her thoughts.

It says a lot about you, but nothing about her.

[King_David]

41. It says about Pelsar ,that he may have hit the nail on the head.

Hence all this damage control.

It is a common theme amongst some . (post #16 is more overt though)

[bemildred]

44. Ah, another guy that thinks everybody else shares his own obsessions. nt

[azurnoir]

46. Damage control? what damage ? It seems the ones doing damage control are IDF

and the Israeli government, from what I've read the attack near Eilat took IDF by surprise because it happened during daylight hours and hence all the statements

[pelsar]

48. yes it says a lot about me....

i admit i have little patience for vague statements that hint at a stand, that can be quickly disavowed when challenged.

i have no idea what her thoughts really are nor do you as i have seen that she is very good at keeping them just vague enough, hence i can only guess based on her past posts. Usually they hint that israel is the guilty party, either directly or indirectly for any and all actions that take place, so i am assuming that is the case here as well.

she can always clarify in simply english...but that then leads to more questions and further discussions, so i believe she won't.

[azurnoir]

47. let's be clear then the attack on Eilat caught IDF by surprise

because it happened during daylight hours supposedly

is that clear enough for you?

[eyl]

31. Not exactly speculation

Apparently there was intel that the Committees were planning something major, but it wasn't specific enough to actually stop the attacks. So while it may be, strictly speaking, speculation, it's very informed speculation.

[azurnoir]

34. informed speculation is still speculation n/t

[King_David]

28. See post 16 above nt

[bemildred]

27. I've thought about it.

I think the perps, to the extent this is not just revenge and exploiting their new freedom of action in the Sinai, intend to drag Egypt back into the dispute and also raise the profile of the argument prior to the UN vote. It is at least questionable that keeping a low profile will help Palestinians win the vote, and the nature of the Israeli response here is quite predictable and won't help the Israeli case.

I also think Bibi & Co. are not having a good month, and were embarrassed by getting caught with their pants down in this case, and are overcompensating with pretense and bluster.

I am curious to see what the Egyptian gov't response will be, so far it seems tepid:

UPDATE 1-Egypt protests to Israel over killings, demands probe

http://af.reuters.com/article/commoditiesNews/idAFL5E7JJ28620110819

[shira]

25. Many news outlets won't use the T word (terror) to describe this...

Because it's only terror when it happens outside of Israel to real human beings, not "zionists".

CNN:
http://honestreporting.com/israel-terror-attack-cnn-breaking-news-broken-news/

Guardian:
http://blog.camera.org/archives/2011/08/people_aka_israelis_die_palest_1.html#comments

[King_David]

29. Yea I noticed that too. nt

[Alamuti Lotus]

don't worry, Israeli propaganda sheets more than make up for any shortfalls

take this for example:
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/coordinated-attacks-in-south-israel-kill-8-1.379428
I counted 19 variations of "terror"/"terrorist" cluttering it up..

[eyl]

37. What would you call it? n/t

[Recursion]

39. I think the point is that attacking uniformed soldiers usually isn't "terorrism"

The bus was a chartered civilian bus but it was carrying soldiers to and from duty stations.

[eyl]

43. It wasn't a chartered bus

It was a regular bus line (line 392) between Eilat and Be'er Sheva (a second empty bus was also atatcked, IIRC; it went off the road and caught fire, but the driver managed to make it out alive, although not uninjured)

[DU GrovelBot]

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[Alamuti Lotus]

33. it seems most of the attacks were against or involving various military targets? *nt

[eyl]

36. No

The attack's targets were against civilian vehicles (at least one bus and several private cars) on the road. Note that 6 of the 8 Israeli fatalities were civilians; the other two (one soldier and one policeman) were killed during the fights when Israel sent forces into the area after the initial attacks occurred.

[Recursion]

40. Civilian buses carrying soldiers to and from duty

The construction workers were military contractors, which is a fine line.

There were civilian cars on the road, too, but when has collateral damage like that stopped anybody?

[eyl]

42. So? that doesn't make the buses military transports

More to the point, "collateral damage" means that you damage a second target while attacking something else. This wasn't a case where they attacked construction workers (I'm not sure about which workers you're talking about, but never mind) and a civilian car was hit in the crossfire - they deliberately attacked private cars (with an anti-tank rocket in at least one case) and approached to make sure the passengers were dead.

[pelsar]

51. why don't you just come clean...

why try to redefine that actual events so that you can defend them:

targeting a civilian car with an anti tank rocket is not "collateral damage" is called targeting civilians. Targeting a public intercity bus is the same (military contractors?....who made that one up?)

since this is only the internet, seems to me you should be able to say/what you clearly believe, so why hide it? Clearly you believe what hamas and friends do that all israelis are legit targets, so drop the PC aspect, be a brave internet person and just say it, why be afraid?

[shira]

50. No, although some media deliberately portray it that way...

http://blog.camera.org/archives/2011/08/nyts_photo_tilt.html
http://cifwatch.com/2011/08/18/how-the-guardian-downplays-terrorist-attack-on-innocent-israelis/

Best to falsely portray it as a "proper" strike against the military rather than humanize the victims who are only zionists...

[shira]

45. As Israelis bury their dead, (vile and disgusting) scenes from London...

http://richardmillett.wordpress.com/2011/08/19/as-israelis-bury-their-dead-scenes-from-london/

[shira]

49. Abbas remains silent after terror attacks

A moment before Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas approaches the UN with a statehood bid, we would expect the PA chairman to make a statement addressing the grave terror attack against Israeli citizens en route to Eilat. Something along the lines of “we shall hunt down the perpetrators and masterminds of the murderous attack and bring them to justice.” After all, in our region one pays no excise tax on words. Yet the silence of the chairman and of his Prime Minister, Salam Fayyad, must worry the whole world – and that includes the UN General Assembly.

How did the Abbas-Fayyad duo sell the notion of reconciliation with Hamas to the world? This pseudo-reconciliation is exploding in our faces. We are witnessing the de facto reality of a third terror state between us and Egypt, with the Palestinian Authority’s disregard constituting no less than evasion of responsibility. As Abbas views himself as the leader of a state, the world must demand explanations from him over Thursday’s terror offensive.

more...
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4111226,00.html

[cqo_000]

52. Abbas calls on UNSC to 'halt Israeli aggression'

Source: JPost.com

08/20/2011


...

Senior PA officials accused Israel over the weekend of escalating tensions in the region to thwart the PA leadership’s plan to ask the UN next month to recognize a Palestinian state along the pre-1967 lines.

“Israel is preparing for war to distract attention from the Palestinian Authority’s plan for September,” said Mohammed Subh, the PA envoy to the Arab League.

http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=234659