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Today’s post by Sameh Habeeb includes the following:
Eyewitnesses reported that new shells explode before landing on the targets making more small bombs. The shells are expected to be cluster bombs. More Israeli new weapons are used today. Palestinians in Khan Yonis massively called the radio stations and health centers to report on a bad smell goes out from the rockets in Khan Yonis City. People are afraid this kind of weapon is shells enriched with Uranium and nuclear elements….Thousands of Gaza population hurried into the local markets in search of life basics but in vain. No more fuel, benzene, gasoline, flour, wheat, sugar, rice, bread, candlelight and thousands of commodities are not available in Gaza. Add to that, continued power cuts up to 20 hours during the cold weather of winter.
Al Jazeera is reporting that a column of tanks has been seen entering Gaza. Over 450 people are dead now, and over 2800 people wounded. Fliers warning Gazans to leave their homes have been dropped over Gaza. Where exactly are these people to go?
Cross-posted at JustPeaceNow
29 Comments
Thanks, Laura. The whole world is losing a bit more of its humanity today.
it’s criminal.
462 dead is latest count it seems Laura. 462 Palestinians killed, 2300 wounded in 8 days of Israeli offensive on Gaza: official
I think they probably are using cluster bombs. Given their record it seems far more likely than not.
While I think of it – Newsnow have established a topic feed:
Israel/Gaza
Thank you for the links, Mark. Also, Al Jazeera is providing updates by Twitter.
hi laura–i posted this in the ‘gaza invasion beginning’ thread for you at 2pm–
on one of the cable news channels the other day they were talking about how they ARE using them, purchased from us. even gave a number. went on to describe what they are and how they work. the report started with the ‘pinpointing’ of bombs on hamas, but the report didn’t pursue the cluster bombs and why they are using them. but they did mention them…they used another name for them, then used the cluster bomb name as an afterthought when it brought dead air for a minute. the govt/contractors are disguising the use with a new official terminology for the weapon now. sorry, can’t remember the word they used. they aren’t using the word ‘cluster’ anymore, and i think it was an ‘oops’ moment by the reporter but once it was out, they kept going with it. haven’t heard anything else on it since.
i keep wondering, if we give them the money, and they buy the weapons from us, doesn’t that mean WE are buying them?
=======
i have since 2pm been doing a search trying to find the report i heard, can’t find it anywhere. went back to report that when i saw your post about this diary..
and let’s not forget the use of phosphorus in lebanon, too. that is well-documented along with the cluster bomb use in lebanon.
and i read that israel doesn’t get cluster bombs from us anymore, too many ‘duds’. making their own, so, we wouldn’t have an accurate number of how many they have anymore. but i know what i heard the other day, and they showed injuries to go with it. i was shocked it was on the air. had to be cnn, msnbc or fox. so far, haven’t found it. can’t remember which day it was. i’ll keep digging later.
and here’s something cynthia mckinney posted.
http://www.imemc.org/article/58286
Digg is open, please and thank you.
mark – i hope you are still here and might know the answer to my question. i remember about 6+ years ago israeli gov using some kind of bomb that contained bits of metal that flew out to cover a wide range. i think they were called flichet? or something like that, but i must be wrong because i can’t find it via google. i have it somewhere in my paper files, but there’s no “spotlight” search there so it would probably take me some time to find.
anyway, iirc phr-il fought their use in the courts, won, only to have them used again.
do you know what i’m talking about? i’d like to do a google search to follow up… if only i could remember the correct name to search on.
thanks.
Laura, DUGG, commented there and recommended above.
If this crime against humanity is ever stopped, Israel and US will only have each other as ‘friends’; and it appears that the citizens in US are violently against our (Bush’s and Rice’s)involvement in it.
Thank you, Laura, for the ongoing updates.
You’re thinking of flechette shells. Here’s an appropriate source.
Flechette. Needle-like projectiles. The same principle is employed in the bombs that Palestinians used to explode in Israel. These used hundreds of nails or screws surrounding the explosive.
that’s it exactly – thank you for the memory assist.
That is a fantastic–and harrowing–link. Thank you.
Laura: here’s a great piece on cluster bombs by Human Rights Watch.
Thank you, Jim. On Dec. 3, 2008, almost 100 countries signed an agreement to ban the use of cluster bombs. The U.S. was not among the signatories. Obama has expressed interest in the ban however. More here.
Laura, thank you. I so hope that you are wrong.
Me, too, Elliott. Me, too.
you got a prolem with flying metal? yer a bunch of sissys. its war. let the people of gaza throw rocks back.
And here’s from another source on flechette bombs:
And here’s from another source on the use of flechette bombs by Israel against Palestinians reported in May 2001 by Jane’s Land Force News:
And here’s another report of Israel’s usage of flechette munitions against Palestinian civilians from August 2002 via The Independent:
And the Israeli Supreme Court in April 2003 appears to be in the tank too on usage of flechette munitions by the IDF:
Those judges sure do have a sense of humor! LOL-NOT!
And as recently as April of 2008, Israelis killed a journalist via a tank-fired flechette munition:
At the end of Cynthia McKinney’s letter, she refers to the PNAC mention of advanced biological warfare that ‘targets’ specific genotypes. The US has been trying to accomplish just that.
According to the 1999 DTRA/Dugway reports, for the purposes of chemical warfare humanity can be divided into four “general ethnic groups”..Caucasian, S. American, Oriental, and other Asian.
http://www.thememoryhole.org/m…..gender.htm
Israel’s response to the use of cluster bombs “so”
Israel has been using cluster bombs for quite some time. They have refused for years to release maps of where they placed cluster bombs in southern Lebanon.
http://www.commondreams.org/he…..927-06.htm
This is not surprising. Amazing how quiet journalist are about not being let into the Gaza. Israel has mastered blocking out coverage of what they do for 50 some years.
No way Israel can allow those images out.
Kucinich Calls for UN Investigation into Israeli Attacks on Gaza
http://www.clevelandleader.com/node/8365
Kucinich criticizes Israel; wants U.N. probe
By Ian Swanson
Posted: 12/29/08 01:48 PM [ET]
Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) is calling for a United Nations investigation into Israel’s attacks on Gaza, criticizing Israel for a disproportionate response to Hamas rocket attacks.
The criticism stands in stark contrast to the statements of other Democrats, who have offered near-unanimous support for Israel amid the latest violence in the Middle East.
http://thehill.com/leading-the…..12-29.html
Confirmation from Haaretz that Israel used cluster bombs on Saturday.