World - Reuters
Israeli Troops Kill Palestinian Frogmen in Gaza
Date: Fri Mar 26, 2:56 AM ET
By Nidal al-Mughrabi
GAZA (Reuters) - Israeli soldiers killed two Palestinian militants in wetsuits who came ashore near the Jewish settlement of Tel Katifa in Gaza and fired at an army post, military sources said Friday.
Hamas's armed wing, the Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades, said two of its fighters carried out a "unique naval operation" and "ascended to heaven as martyrs" after battling Israeli troops.
"This attack is just a prelude to a series of earthquake-like operations," the brigades said in a statement.
The attack, which took place Thursday, followed threats by leaders of the militant Islamist group to target senior Israeli officials after Israel's assassination of Hamas leader Ahmed Yassin Monday.
At the United Nations (news - web sites), the United States Thursday vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution by Arab nations to condemn Israel for assassinating Yassin.
The Bush administration, alone among major powers in not condemning Monday's assassination as an extrajudicial killing, rejected the resolution because it did not also denounce Hamas for suicide bombings in Israel.
The vote was 11 in favor, three abstentions and the U.S. veto.
"Israel's action has escalated tensions in Gaza and the region, and could set back our effort to resume progress toward peace," U.S. Ambassador John Negroponte said in a statement before the vote.
"This Security Council does nothing to contribute to a peaceful settlement when it condemns one party's actions and turns a blind eye to everything else occurring in the region," Negroponte said.
Washington's "no" vote killed the resolution because it is one of the five permanent members of the council with veto power.
Britain, Germany and Romania abstained after Algeria, negotiating for Arab nations, rejected an amendment they wanted that would have condemned "atrocities" against Israelis.
The measure was supported by China, Russia, France, Angola, Chile, Pakistan, Spain, Algeria, Benin, Brazil and the Philippines.
Israel dismissed a growing international outcry over the assassination of Yassin, the quadriplegic spiritual leader of Hamas, killed in an air strike outside a mosque in Gaza City.
Hamas, which is bent on Israel's destruction, said it would target Prime Minister Ariel Sharon (news - web sites) and other top officials to avenge Yassin's death.
AMERICANS NOT TARGETS
Khaled Meshaal, Hamas's political chief living in exile in Syria, said Thursday attacks would be confined to Israel and the Palestinian territories despite U.S. warnings to its citizens of a heightened security risk.
Israel, in turn, is vowing to kill more militant chiefs it sees as the masterminds behind suicide bombings carried out during a nearly 3-1/2 year Palestinian uprising.
At the United Nations, Palestinian representative Nasser al-Kidwa said "The American position was beyond any ability to reach agreement on a text."
Negroponte had been ready to agree to a resolution that did not mention either Hamas or Israel but said the council was "deeply shocked" at Yassin's killing, according to a U.S. draft obtained by Reuters.
Asked whether the Palestinians would take the issue to the 191-member U.N. General Assembly, where they enjoy strong support, al-Kidwa said, "Let's see if the occupying power will make this the end of its extrajudicial executions or not. We have not made any decisions."
Washington, Israel's closest ally, has no veto in the assembly. Security Council measures can carry the force of international law, but assembly resolutions express the will of the international community.
Israel's U.N. ambassador Dan Gillerman, in an apparent swipe at Spain's council vote in favor of the resolution, noted that some members were victims of terrorism.
"If you knew the bloody massacre of your citizens was about to happen, would you have sat still and let it happen?" he asked. On March 11, 190 people were killed in bombings of four Madrid commuter trains and investigators believe Islamic militants may be responsible.
Algeria, the only Arab nation on the council, introduced a draft resolution condemning "the most recent extrajudicial execution committed by Israel."
It also condemned "all attacks against any civilians as well as all acts of violence and destruction."
(Additional reporting by Evelyn Leopold at the United Nations)
SOURCE
FAIR USE NOTICE
This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.