Israeli Prime Minister: Airstrikes on Gaza will continue

Ehud Olmert, the Israeli Prime Minister, stated Tuesday that the Israeli airforce will continue dropping bombs on the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, as long as Palestinian militants continue to fire homemade shells across the border into Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert

Many Palestinians see Olmert's promise as rather disingenuous, as a truce arranged by Hamas and adhered to by all of the Palestinian resistance factions in Gaza last year did not result in any lessening of Israeli attacks.  In fact, Israeli assaults and invasions into Gaza increased after Hamas declared the ceasefire.

 

The declaration by the Israeli Prime Minister came after a series of airstrikes that killed nine Palestinians on Monday and twelve on Tuesday.  All of those killed were said to be members of resistance groups, but dozens of civilians were injured, some of them with severed limbs.

 

"The terror organizations feel this and will feel this in full force in the near future," said Ehud Olmert in his statement.

 

But Defense Minister Ehud Barak said that the airstrikes may have the opposite effect, spawning revenge attacks by the Palestinian resistance.  "We must be prepared for possible retaliation from the other side", said Barak Tuesday morning.

 

The Palestinian people in Gaza live under complete Israeli control of all borders, sea and air space.  They have been imprisoned inside Gaza with no entry or exit allowed for anyone, even the severely ill, since June.  Prior to that, restrictions were in place allowing very few people in or out.  Israeli airstrikes often hit crowded streets and markets -- Gaza is one of the most crowded places on earth -- resulting in civilian casualties.

 

Israel's policy of extrajudicial assassinations is illegal under international law, and is a violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention, to which Israel is a signatory.