[bassetman]

If this thread dies an early death so be it, but I didn't see a good place for this!

Gaza fuel embargo blocks UN aid

The United Nations says that it is being forced to suspend its humanitarian work in Gaza because of the Israeli fuel blockade.

A UN official says food aid to 650,000 refugees and the collection of sewage will have to stop on Thursday if Israel does not allow in more vehicle fuel.

...http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7364172.stm

[gordon russell]

Hi bassetman ,
seems a tad specific .
In general , a huge amount of the liquid that keeps humanity where we are now comes from the Middle East and the most practiced religions originate from that area : so it is not surprising that it is a ' hotspot ' geopolitically .
Build the solar reflectors that will supersede the liquid power [ and the theological blind alley ? ( ;o ])] ] in All the sunny hotspots , not just there ......

[Chicon]

Hi BM,

You certainly know the motto : no smoke without fire !

...
Israel last transferred fuel to Gaza last week, but had decided to stop the supplies in response to the Islamic Jihad attack on the Nahal Oz depot two weeks ago that killed two Israeli truck drivers. ...

[bassetman]

Thanks guys!

[bassetman]

Saying Hamas Is ‘Playing Games,’ Israel Rejects Truce

By REUTERS
Published: April 26, 2008
JERUSALEM (Reuters) — Israel dismissed a proposal by the Palestinian group Hamas for a six-month truce in the Gaza Strip, saying Friday that the group wanted to prepare for more fighting rather than peace.

...http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/26/wo...html?ref=world

[bassetman]

Naval Incident Raises U.S.-Iran Tensions
By CHIP CUMMINS
April 26, 2008; Page A3

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- A U.S.-flagged cargo ship transiting the Persian Gulf fired warning shots after two small, unidentified boats approached the vessel.

The cargo ship, contracted out to the U.S. Navy, reported that the Iranian coast guard contacted it shortly after the incident, raising fresh tensions between Washington and Tehran in the oil-rich Gulf. Iran has a history of playing cat-and-mouse games with American warships in the waterway.

The Persian Gulf incident rattled global oil markets. Futures for benchmark U.S. crude rose $2.46, or 2.1%, to close at $118.52 Friday, boosted in part by the news.

The Navy, however, has had a mixed record recently in assessing seaborne threats to its ships in the Middle East. President Bush had to apologize to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak late last month after security personnel on another ship under contract to the Navy fired on a small boat in the Suez Canal, killing one crew member.

The boat, it turned out, was one ofhttp://online.wsj.com/article/SB120916536676246153.html?mod=googlenews_wsj many commercial vessels that ply the canal, selling goods to seafarers. The Navy said it would investigate the shooting. A spokeswoman for the U.S. Fifth Fleet, which operates in the Middle East, said Friday she had no further information about the Egyptian incident.

And in January, U.S. officials released video footage and an audio recording of a Persian Gulf naval encounter that suggested Iranian patrol boats, which had approached Navy warships, had threatened over the radio to "explode" an unidentified target. The Pentagon later acknowledged it was impossible to determine whether the threat had come from the boats in question.

....http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1209...googlenews_wsj

[gordon russell]

Hello bassetman ,
interesting : your focus seems to be the problems around current tensions in the Middle East.
Interesting topic , that affects us all.
"This Lot" - the current powers in Many countries - need a careful a-watchin' .
That entire fiasco with the Iranian boats may not be unique [ :; ~ I( < }
Forked tongue and aLL that....
The injustices in the Middle East may be a better idea for the World mobia - sic- to concentrate on more , rather than the Military Injustices / anomalies .

[bassetman]

Originally Posted by gordon russell

Hello bassetman ,
interesting : your focus seems to be the problems around current tensions in the Middle East.
Interesting topic , that affects us all.
"This Lot" - the current powers in Many countries - need a careful a-watchin' .
That entire fiasco with the Iranian boats may not be unique [ :; ~ I( < }
Forked tongue and aLL that....
The injustices in the Middle East may be a better idea for the World mobia - sic- to concentrate on more , rather than the Military Injustices / anomalies .

Thanks. I think if we really want to understand what is going on there, we must do some of our own research, and not rely on the regular "Media" to give us the whole story!

[ekim68]

The place has always been a hotbed. In an area where several major religions began that's not surprising to me. But the difference in the past has been the weapons, IMO. Modern weapons do so much more damage, and there are so many more people to do it to...

[RSM123]

Just found this theory about the possible significance of the 10 year truce proposed by Hamas :

One manual of Muslim jurisprudence teaches that "if Muslims are weak, a truce may be made for ten years if necessary, for the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) made a truce with the Quraysh for that long, as is related by Abu Dawud" ('Umdat as-Salik, o9.16).

Note that this can only be done if "Muslims are weak." The same legal manual also quotes this verse of the Qur'an: "So do not be fainthearted and call for peace, when it is you who are the uppermost" (Sura 47:35). So it isn't likely that Hamas would be calling for a truce at all if it felt that it was in a position of strength. "Interests that justify making a truce are such things as Muslim weakness because of lack of numbers or materiel, or the hope of an enemy becoming Muslim . . ." ('Umdat as-Salik, o9.16).

The bottom line: Hamas is feeling the heat and wants a truce in order to regroup and emerge in a stronger position.

http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/020802.php

----------------------

And a historical precedent, set by Muhammed :

Next year in 629, Muhammad went back to Mecca during the same pilgrimage. The Mecca citizens left the city for three days allowing the Muslims perform the pilgrimage without interference. By the following year (630 CE), Muslim army had grown strong enough to overrun Mecca. Muhammad could not wait until the expiration of the 10-year truce and started preparation to attack Mecca to capture the city and the centuries-old sacred temple of Ka'ba. [3] ...... The message one must take home from this event is the brilliant tactics Prophet Muhammad had applied by signing the Treaty of Hudaibiyya. It would have been a disaster for Muhammad to engage in a head-on battle at the time when he only 1500 men under his charge, while the Koreish of Mecca could assemble a force of 10,000 men. Yet, Muhammad was ruthlessly intent on overrunning Mecca at an opportune time in order to capture the Ka'ba – which had become the focus of Islamic creed, the house of Allah. So he insisted on a temporal ceasefire of hostility, in stead of offering the terms of permanent peaceful coexistence. This treaty gave him an opportunity to build up his forces strong enough to overrun Mecca at a later time. Although a 10-year truce was signed, Muhammad broke the agreement and attacked Mecca within two years as his force became strong enough to overrun the coveted city.

http://www.islam-watch.org/MA_Khan/HamasHudaybiya.htm