Airstrikes, Rocket Fire Exchanged Between Israelis & Palestinians
Prospects for peace talks in the Middle East continue to diminish, as rocket attacks have been traded between Israel and Palestine and plans have been approved for further construction in the West Bank.
A series of heavy Israeli airstrikes rocked Gaza yesterday, retaliation for Palestinian rocket attacks that had occurred earlier and increasing the likelihood of further escalation between the two warring factions in the Middle East. Israeli strikes hit seven separate targets in Gaza, with Palestinians noting that eight militants were wounded in the fighting. A rocket fired back into southern Israel in retaliation wounded a 16-year-old girl, though her injury was minor.
The most recent spate of attacks follows in the wake of five Gaza militants being killed on Saturday in what was the most violent assault in the region in some months. Just two years ago, a similar escalation eventually led to a massive retaliation by Israel that resulted in the deaths of more than 1,000 Palestinians, including an inordinately large number of civilians. Israel military chief Gabi Ashkenazi noted that the strikes yesterday were the first since that larger retaliatory strike that targeted Hamas specifically. Official word from Israel is that the attacks yesterday were in direct response to rockets that have been fired into Israel over the past week.
Among the targets in yesterday's strikes were a weapons factory and smuggling tunnels that had reportedly allowed militants to sneak into Israel. In addition to the attacks, Israel's Foreign Ministry noted yesterday that it will actively lobby against a Palestinian push for international recognition of a Palestinian state. Israel also approved a large renovation project scheduled for Herodian, a West Bank historical site that is contested by the Palestinians.
The most recent spate of attacks follows in the wake of five Gaza militants being killed on Saturday in what was the most violent assault in the region in some months. Just two years ago, a similar escalation eventually led to a massive retaliation by Israel that resulted in the deaths of more than 1,000 Palestinians, including an inordinately large number of civilians. Israel military chief Gabi Ashkenazi noted that the strikes yesterday were the first since that larger retaliatory strike that targeted Hamas specifically. Official word from Israel is that the attacks yesterday were in direct response to rockets that have been fired into Israel over the past week.
Among the targets in yesterday's strikes were a weapons factory and smuggling tunnels that had reportedly allowed militants to sneak into Israel. In addition to the attacks, Israel's Foreign Ministry noted yesterday that it will actively lobby against a Palestinian push for international recognition of a Palestinian state. Israel also approved a large renovation project scheduled for Herodian, a West Bank historical site that is contested by the Palestinians.
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