Bulldozer in Jerusalem

[AXJ]

Deadly Jerusalem bulldozer attack
A Palestinian man has driven a bulldozer into a bus and several cars in Jerusalem, killing three people, before being shot dead.

Dozens of people were hurt, at least seven critically, in the rampage on Jaffa Road, in the city centre.

A police officer shot the driver of the bulldozer dead after a struggle in the vehicle's cab.

Police said he was a 30-year-old from east Jerusalem who had no known affiliations to militant groups.

They said the man had been involved in the extensive roadworks along Jaffa Road, laying the foundations for a new railway system.

They added that he began his attack from the Caesar hotel, next to the BBC's bureau in the city.

source

Now of course no Israeli would ever do a thing like that now would they, ramming civilians with a bulldozer, no of course not, perish the thought, RIGHT?



http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article1248.shtml

[Clara]

Yep and if you shoot an Israeli driving a bulldozer over people and their homes that´s called terrorism.........

[AXJ]

indeed, in case anyone does not, get it.





http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article1248.shtml

"The confrontation between the ISM and the Israeli Army had been under way for two hours when Rachel was run over. Rachel and the other activists had clearly identified themselves as unarmed international peace activists throughout the confrontation.

The Israeli Army are attempting to dishonour her memory by claiming that Rachel was killed accidentally when she ran in front of the bulldozer. Eye-witnesses to the murder insist that this is totally untrue. Rachel was sitting in the path of the bulldozer as it advanced towards her. When the bulldozer refused to stop or turn aside she climbed up onto the mound of dirt and rubble being gathered in front of it wearing a fluorescent jacket to look directly at the driver who kept on advancing. The bulldozer continued to advance so that she was pulled under the pile of dirt and rubble. After she had disappeared from view the driver kept advancing until the bulldozer was completely on top of her. The driver did not lift the bulldozer blade and so she was crushed beneath it. Then the driver backed off and the seven other ISM activists taking part in the action rushed to dig out her body. An ambulance rushed her to A-Najar hospital where she died."


Ha'aretz newspaper reported that a second activist was also injured at the same location. (Mohammad Al-Moghair)

"This is a regrettable accident," Israeli Defence Forces [sic] spokesman Captain Jacob Dallal was reported as saying in Ha'aretz newspaper. "We are dealing with a group of protesters who were acting very irresponsibly, putting everyone in danger."

Members of the Israeli army and associated Israeli settler paramilitary units have been responsible for the killing of 2,181 Palestinians and the injuring of another 22,218 between 29 September 2000 and 14 March 2003.

In addition to the killing of Rachel Corrie by the bulldozer driver, Israeli troops have shot and killed several other internationals in different incidents during the Intifada: German doctor Harald Fischer, Italian cameraman Rafaeli Ciriello, and British United Nations worker Iain Hook.

[oldfella]

Yep and if you shoot an Israeli driving a bulldozer over people and their homes that´s called terrorism.........

But God "who is an American" say they are the chosen people, so that its OK for them to do unto others, what others are not allowed to do unto them.

[Clara]

Yep and if you shoot an Israeli driving a bulldozer over people and their homes that´s called terrorism.........

But God "who is an American" say they are the chosen people, so that its OK for them to do unto others, what others are not allowed to do unto them.

I´ll think you´ll find that God is Jewish and if you ever criticise actions of the Israeli occupation that make you anti-semitic and worse than Hitler.....

There was a wonderful Marcus Brigstock skit on the Now Show a few months ago "A small request to the three abrahamic religions: when you´ve finished ruining peoples lives and trashing the place, can we have our world back" Not verbatim at all but the essence of the quote.

[oldfella]

Clara, the point I was trying to make is, I believe the same as yours , that without the support and the authority of the USA the occupation Palestinian territories would have ended many years ago.

[Clara]

Absolutely....but its not just the US, the UK frequently uses its seat at the UN to scupper any real progress on the issue.

I have a very informative, highly referenced book on the subject "Rogue State", written by an ex-CIA operative, sadly its full and long lists of usch information make it very boring reading, but then I guess that just proves the guys point.

[The Riff-Raff Element]

Just to be clear, because he was a Palestinian it was OK for him to kill people? He should not have been prevented from doing so?

With my ethnicity and background I can't feel a great deal of warmth towards the Israeli state (they certainly don't seem to feel much toward me) but I certainly don't want them dead.

I'm disappointed that anyone can ever regard this whole sorry affair in such a point-scoring manner, let alone ever allow such a serious matter to descend to the level of "well, he started it."

Go to Israel. You may have trouble leaving (I certainly did - two days detention), but see the place, talk to both sides, and then come back and tell me you have a simple solution. There may be one - but I doubt dividing arbitarily alone sectarian lines and believing one side to be completely right and another wrong is doing anyone any good at all.

[AXJ]

Just to chip my extra two euros, the way I am looking at it is not about point scoring, it is how this event is top story headline news. When Israel is pushing bulldozers through people's homes and across their orchards and pastures as a regular occurrence, and it is not top headline news. Of course anyone who is out to kill passers by, civilians, non-combatants should be stopped in anyway possible. I abore violence. How ever the sense of outrage in the news and the level of reporting strikes me as completely imbalanced, it makes for a dramatic story.

However context is everything.

In this case a police gun man stopped the bulldozer driver, in the case of Rachel Corre there was no police protection, the only thing that stood in the way of the mad person in the driving seat was a young woman.

Lest we should forget.

To my mind there is a great deal of screaming hypocrisy in the Palestine/gaza/israel/lebanon situation. That's all.

[Clara]

I just made my reply to this only to get it wiped It was along the same lines as AXJ but only to add that Rachel Corrie´s killer was not punished. Who can say what the perpetrator of this act had witnessed in his own lifetime, the occupation of his land, the disenfranchisement of his people and the murder of children with guns, rockets and blockades. That is not to justify it, but just to point out that the driver of the bulldozer that killed Rachel Corrie probably had not suffered such trauma and certainly not at the hands of a brave young activist.

One of the things I abhor most about the whole situation is the way in which the hatred is perpetuated. You go travelling you meet plenty of young ones fresh out of national service in the IDF. They put their own children in the firing line in the name of defence, and that provides emotive propaganda when someones young son or daughter gets killed by the baddies and ensures that the next generation coming to the vote and to power as had the be-jesus scared out of them. Fear makes hate.

[The Riff-Raff Element]

Who can say what the perpetrator of this act had witnessed in his own lifetime, the occupation of his land, the disenfranchisement of his people and the murder of children with guns, rockets and blockades. That is not to justify it, but just to point out that the driver of the bulldozer that killed Rachel Corrie probably had not suffered such trauma and certainly not at the hands of a brave young activist.

The state of Israel is in a permanent condition of trauma. We cannot presume to know what either of these drivers had been through.

Some of the witnesses at the death of Rachel Corrie claim that the IDF version of events - that she was killed by accident - was correct; others claim the contrary. I don't know because I wasn't there.

Israelis out of Israel frequently come across as hard nosed, aggresive and entirely intransigent. That is usually a defense mechanism in a world where they are mostly despised. On their own turf they are rather more complicated. As, indeed are the Palestinians. Pretty much all of them, from both camps, want the shooting to stop and only very few actively set out to purpetuate old hatreds.

But, of course, a few is just enough.

[John Headstrong]

There was a wonderful Marcus Brigstock skit on the Now Show a few months ago "A small request to the three abrahamic religions: when you´ve finished ruining peoples lives and trashing the place, can we have our world back" Not verbatim at all but the essence of the quote.

you mean this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UY-ZrwFwLQg

now that is a great skit.

[AXJ]

well found headstrong, I remember hearing it first time round, it is still just as funny and just as true