August 27, 2008

Bomb Explodes at University in Gaza Strip

Jerusalem — A bomb exploded on Tuesday at Al-Azhar University, in the Gaza Strip, causing damage but no casualties.

The blast occurred in a classroom on the first floor of the humanities building. The room had just been vacated by students who were taking an examination, according to the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, an independent organization known as PCHR.

Al-Azhar is a secular university politically affiliated with the Fatah movement headed by the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas. The human-rights organization described the attack as part of the continuing “security chaos” in Gaza that involves sporadic and sometimes deadly clashes between rival supporters of Fatah and Hamas, which seized control of the Gaza Strip last year.

“It is worth noting that acts of violence were reported on Sunday, 24 August 2008, between supporters of Hamas and Fatah blocs at the university, in which a number of students and administrative staff members were attacked,” the group said in a statement.

“PCHR is gravely concerned over this latest attack, which is part of the state of security chaos prevailing in the Occupied Palestinian Territory,” the group said. “PCHR calls for respecting university life and academic freedoms.” —Matthew Kalman

Comments

1. PHRC shoukl note that Gaza is no longer “occupied territory”, at least not by Israel which is usually implied.

   Current “occupiers” are Hamas Islamists

   — Isaac    Aug 27, 02:09 PM    #

2. Israel’s illegal occupation and apartheid rule over the Palestinian people creates the situation where extremist positions can flourish among the oppressed. The whole region is under occupation as the Palestinians in Gaza are not free to come and go as complete citizens. They are denied access to jobs, to schools, and, as we know from articles published in this very online journal, to visas to come to the US to study and further their education and their futures.

   — prof    Aug 28, 10:25 AM    #

3. Palestinians are walled up in Gaza, not radically unlike the the situation of the suffering inhabitants of the Warsaw Ghetto in WW2.

   — David    Aug 28, 04:38 PM    #

4. David: “Palestinians are walled up in Gaza, not radically unlike the the situation of the suffering inhabitants of the Warsaw Ghetto in WW2.”

   The southern border of Gaza is with Egypt, the Palestinians’ brethren. Seeing as the Gazans are not vowing to destroy Egypt and kill all its inhabitants, and they are not launching rockets against its civilians or blowing up its border terminals (as they are with regard to Israel), they are free to petition the Egyptians to reopen that border.

   Still, it is Israel, not Egypt, that although being attacked (even now during the so-called ceasefire rockets are being launched against Israeli civilians), supplies Gaza with fuel, electricity, food and medical supplies. Gazan residents, albeit far less than before the takeover of terrorist organisation Hamas, are still gaining admission to Israel for medical treatment. This although quite a few men, woman and children gaining entry for medical admission have abused this humanitarian gesture by blowing up and killing Israelis on their way in.

   UN reports in May, June and July indicated that there was no food shortage in Gaza and that food there is cheaper than in most other places in the region, including Egypt.

   The comparison of Gaza with the Warsaw Ghetto, where Jews were purposefully starved by the Nazis prior to their shipment to extermination camps, were they were gassed to death, is an evil and wicked comparison.

   A radical, religiously motivated terrorist organisation takes over Gaza violently, and is currently destroying its education system (among other things), and all you have to say is to compare the Israelis with the Nazis. Shame on you.

   — Imshin    Aug 29, 12:16 AM    #

5. My mistake, I underestimated – apparently more than 130,000 Gazans were granted entry into Israel for medical treatment in 2007 and this trend continues today. (Just like Warsaw Ghetto)

   — Imshin    Aug 29, 01:13 AM    #

6. Imshin, your points are well-taken. The suffering of Jews of the Warsaw Ghetto was both horrendous and a stage in the Nazi goal of physical extermination and genocide. With just one caveat, I am inclined to let that be the final word. Hamas was democratically elected, and if democracies believe their own rhetoric, they can’t
   shelve their support for democratic processes whenever they don’t like the results. I mean this more as criticism of Bush policy than of Israel, which has a reponsibility to protect its own safety and the security of its citizens. It should have been Washington that tested out President Carter’s claim that Hamas leaders are realists who do recognize both Israel and the importance of diplomacy.

   — David    Aug 29, 04:27 PM    #

7. David, democratic societies don’t allow anti-democratic parties to participate in elections. Israel bans extreme right racist parties, 1930’s Germany should have banned the Nazi party, and the PA should have banned Hamas, since it’s charter is racist and anti-democratic; the Hamas dictatorship in the Gaza strip is post-mortem proof. Democracies have to defend themselves.

   — ER    Aug 30, 06:33 AM    #

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