Israeli raids stoke war fears

Dubai: Another summer war loomed on the horizon yesterday as Israeli forces killed at least 12 Palestinians, including a 12-year-old boy, in twin deadly offensives in the Gaza Strip.

The attacks triggered the deadliest violence since Hamas overran the strip 12 days ago.

It also came as Tony Blair, who stepped down as Britain's prime minister, was named the new Middle East "peace envoy" and two days after a four-way summit held in Egypt that included Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

"The absolute priority is to try to give effect to what is now the consensus across the international community - that the only way of bringing stability and peace to the Middle East is a two-state solution," Blair told parliament in London.

But his words were lost in the barrage of the aerial and artillery attacks launched by Israeli forces in Gaza Strip.

Gazi Hamad, an aide to Esmail Haniya, prime minister in the Hamas-led government dismissed by President Mahmoud Abbas, said the movement did not expect Blair to be even-handed.

"He has always adopted the American and Israeli positions," Hamad said.

The attack on Gaza City and the southern town of Khan Younis appeared to signal Israel intention to keep strong military pressure on Hamas along with efforts to isolate the movement financially and politically.

Residents in the two Gaza battle zones said gunmen fired rocket-propelled grenades and detonated explosive devices in confrontations with Israeli infantry and armour.

A 12-year-old lay in the street, his arms twisted at odd angles, near a house in a Gaza City neighbourhood where residents and medical workers said a shell fired by an Israeli tank exploded. In addition, nine other people were killed and 50 others injured.

The boy was pronounced dead in a hospital along with two men, their bodies shredded by shrapnel. Residents said the men were civilians.

Hamas lashed out at the "barbaric massacre" and the "first bloody fruit of Sharm Al Shaikh," referring to the Egyptian resort where President Hosni Mubarak hosted a summit that brought together Abbas, Olmert and King Abdullah of Jordan.

Yesterday's attack was part of a "conspiracy in which Abbas is a participant and which is aimed at pressuring Hamas and the people of Gaza," Hamas said, vowing to fight off the Israeli offensive.

Abbas meanwhile condemned the Israeli offensive as "a criminal act," but also denounced "launching rockets "at Israel by Hamas and its Islamic Jihad allies.

ARAB VIEWPOINT
Suspicion greets Blair appointment

One of the biggest challenges that Tony Blair would likely face as a Mideast envoy is Arab anger over the wars in Iraq and Lebanon, and the suspicion that he is a lackey of US President George W. Bush.

"Even our moderate Arab allies say that Mr Blair's credibility in the region is in pieces" and that he "merely parrots the US line while privately wringing his hands," The Daily Mirror wrote in an editorial yesterday. It added that former US president Bill Clinton would have been a more sensible choice.

Leading the push for peace between Israel and the Palestinians would be a challenge of a different magnitude, especially because his reputation is tainted in Arab eyes by his unflinching support for invading Iraq.

His decision to act as a mouthpiece for Bush's questionable arguments for the war and take part in bungled US prewar planning made the prime minister enemies at home and in the Arab world.

— AP

Your comments

Blair, the former Prime Minister of United States?ooops...Yes it is true that during his two terms in office as Prime Minister of Britain he worked more in executing US policies around the world, and particularly in Middle East, than listening to his own voters forget about the world opinion or sentiments of Arabs. Now as a full time tripartite negotiator his sincerity is more doubtful than before.
Shamdshad
Abu Dhabi,UAE
Posted: June 28, 2007, 11:56

How on earth does Blair think that he can be a "peace" envoy when he supported/started the war in Iraq?If he has it in him to be such a peace envoy why on earth did he not go a see Saddam Hussein and sort things out with him face to face?. Thank god he is no longer our Prime Minister and let us hope that he now disappears from view.
Sergei
London,UK
Posted: June 28, 2007, 10:59